One can get lost in trying to figure out the best deal while on vacation. There are so many tours to choose from. For my sister and I, making a quick trip to Paris, this was the adventure we decided on. This hit the major things we wanted to do, and in a 1-stop kind of way (only one merchant to deal with).
We got a little turned around on the RER (train), and ended up being late to our set departure time. I could read clearly the note that told us no late people allowed, no exceptions. I understand that, it was clearly said. But since we were within 30 minutes of our original tour, we decided asking what could be done wouldn't hurt. The business - The History Group - where our tour was to start from, was very friendly. We told the front desk what happened, and they said, "We can easily get you into the next tour in about 15 minutes. It will cost each person 10 euros though." And that was a price we were willing to pay! At the front desk they also gave us our bus tickets, and the river cruise tickets.
We waited for the 15 minutes, were given a good security briefing (what to expect when going to the Eiffel Tower), and then were led down the road to meet our tour guide. Our tour guide, Juan Carlos, was absolutely amazing. He made the entire trip worth it. Easy on the eyes for sure, but also so knowledgeable and passionate about what he was doing. You could tell history dripped out of his pores - and he was excited to share the history of Paris with us. He told us what to expect, again going through security, and had us stay as a group as we ascended the tower. He gave us great stories of the monuments, made us laugh, made us reflect, and made us stand in awe of the beauty. It was truly a beautiful time. Never once did I feel like this was just "a job" that he was trying to make it through the day, this was truly a passion he had. History Group should copy this guy, and have him lead all tours.
We tried to figure out the bus pick up and drop off, but were tired from a full day of traveling from the States, and the sun was setting. So we decided to skip the bus, and head straight for the River Cruise. I wish we had been told where to get on the boat. It just took a bit to figure out, an we were able to ask another tour group where to head. So this boat always takes out of Gate 3 they said (I don't know how long always is, but at least at this time, we were looking for the big number 3, and boarded the boat there). That was the only thing I wish was explained a bit better.
The cruise was gorgeous! We saw all the sites, and they have it worked out so you connect to the Wi-Fi and it's got an audio tour guide right there. Worked like a charm - only, you couldn't listen from your phone AND take pictures (or do anything else). Since my sister and I were traveling together, I put the audio on mine and she took pictures from her phone. Very informative audio, and at sunset it was absolutely breathtaking. Well worth doing.
Thank you for a great trip!
Vale la pena, el big bus es una de las mejores maneras de aprender y llegar a los puntos más importantes y turísticos. La parte de saltar la cola fue lo mejor, en menos de 10 min estás en el 2do nivel de la Torre Eiffel.