Tours, sightseeing tours, activities & things to do | Viator.comParis Rail Day Trip from London
based on 44 reviews
Duration: 13 hours (approx.)
Location: London, United Kingdom
Product code: 3858EE034_037
44 reviews of Paris Rail Day Trip from London
Read what other Viator.com travelers think about the Paris Rail Day Trip from London. What they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved, it's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
First caution: A private tour guide is misleading. I thought I was paying for a private guide for my family of 6. Instead we were a group of around 15. another couple on the tour felt the same. Very misleading. Skip the line does work in Paris. We did go right onto the Eiffel tower. without it we would have stood for hours to get a ticket. The Tower is VERY CROWDED but still worth it.We wasted a lot of time while our Tour guide tried to sell tickets that had not been used. Tour boat on the river was terrible. Loud music and it had a roof that did not pull back so all your pictures had a split of a dirty roof. Major poor selection. Time on your own is a laugh, as was food. Guide kept putting it off and his only picks were stands on the river. If you wanted to sit at an out door cafe Good Luck. The Louve was terrific, but we did not have much time Notre Dame Cathedral was really good and we did get to go inside. Our guide was at times over zealous and actually told people outside of our group to stop talking and move along. Arch de Triumph was looked at while we drove past. Enough time only to say we saw it. When all is said and done I would still recommend this tour if you want a whirlwind one day tour of this wonderfully romantic city.But skip the boat its a waste.
Reviewed by: Keith S, United States of America, August 2009
The tour was adequate, the guide wasn't. He really didn't know much about the history of the attractions. He kept repeating "look how beautiful this & that is". We could figure that out for ourselves, we want to know about the attraction, not how pretty it is. Furthermore, we only had a day there, so we wanted to sample superior French food. He recommended restaurants near the train depot, we were skeptical. Turns out we were correct. The food was bad!
Reviewed by: Raymond S, United States of America, July 2009
Eiffel Tower was ridiculously crowded, and the tour guide did not have tickets ready when we arrived there. Had only about 70 - 75 minutes for the Louvre Museum, which was not nearly enough time. Notre Dame Cathedral was OK. Did not need 'shopping' time in downtown Paris. River trip on the Seine was OK. Tour guide kept telling us how 'beautiful' things were. I'd rather be able to form my own opinion. His English was only fair, and he seemed relatively uninterested in those he guided. He consistently sat with the hop-on, hop-off bus drivers rather than spend time with the tourists, which seemed strange. He did try to save us money on things, for which I was appreciative.
Reviewed by: Bruce L, United States of America, June 2009
It's a long day and you don't get to see much. You spent 23 of the day on the train. We missed the Eiffel Tower because our tour guide was disorganized. How do you go to Paris and miss the main attraction We only had 1 hour at the Louvre - during which we were also to eat lunch.
Reviewed by: Marissa L, United States of America, June 2009
Guide was OK. Would recommend at least a two day stay...too rushed.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States of America, May 2009
This was the third tour I booked during my trip to the UK. I thought it might be nice to see Paris and spend a day there. The tour did everything it promised. We saw all the sights, went up the Eiffel Tower, River Seine cruise, etc. It wasn't as organized as the other two tours I went on. The tour guide didn't share a lot of information, and we were pretty much on our own for figuring out what to do. If you're an independent person and are used to traveling in foreign countries then this is the tour for you. Otherwise you'd be better off to book an additional tour in England instead of this one.
Reviewed by: Eric T, United States of America, September 2008
If I could do this again, I would save some money and take the trip unescorted instead of escorted.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States of America, July 2008
Viator needs to get better service from this tour operator! We booked 2 months in advance and, instead of being seated together, were assigned separate seats, each next to single tour passengers, both to AND from Paris. Yet 2 folks who booked directly with the tour operator the day before got 1st class seats at 2nd class prices "because 2nd class was full." If anyone was to be bumped to a higher class of service, it should've been folks who booked early. Why did we have to call the tour operator long distance "24 hrs ahead to confirm"? We confirmed 60 hours ahead, but the tour was nonrefundable anyway--a useless expense considering we couldn't even sit together for 5 hours' travel time. Clearly, the operator caters to clients who book directly with them--very disappointing considering that we have been pleased with Viator tours prior to this experience.
It would've been much better and cheaper to book the train ourselves and buy a hop on hop off ticket in Paris. At least we could've traveled together, which is usually what's intended when you book a tour for two. Paris was enjoyable, but Eurostar was dirty--subways and trains in NY and Chicago are cleaner.
Eurostar trip was fine but the supposedly 'guided tour' was a joke. I will suggest to anyone considering it not to do it.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States of America, March 2008
I was a little disappointed with the tour. The boat trip down the river Seine was not too exciting and the time would have been better spent seeing other sites such as the Arc de Troumpe or actually going into the Louvre. There was no time for a sit down meal to sample the wonderful French cuisine, nor was there time to shop. The tour guide was good, but the tour was way too rushed.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, Canada, October 2007
Because my hotel was not in central London, I was not picked up and had to find a way to the train station at 6 a.m., which was difficult at rush hour. I chose the unescorted tour, which was nice as I could hop on and off the tour buses; however, since there was construction at the drop-off location, the guide was not sure where we would be picked up, so I had to take a city bus back to the train station at the end of the day. Overall, it was a nice trip.
Reviewed by: Robyn P, United States of America, August 2007
One day in Paris is way too short - there is not enough of time to do anything. The guides were very helpful and friendly.
Reviewed by: Paul C, United States of America, February 2007
Take the fully escorted tour, it's worth the extra money.
Reviewed by: Kenji R, United States of America, September 2006
Terrible tour, could not understand guide. Lots of wasted time. Very disappointed.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United States of America, April 2007
