Running in Paris: Bus Ligne 73

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Bus Ligne 73

Greetings! I%26#39;ll soon be in Paris and my foolish questions will end.

I%26#39;m staying out at La Défence. I see the 73 goes from La Défence to Musée d%26#39;Orsay along a nice route. Is it a good bus to catch to get a bit of a %26#39;feel%26#39; for Paris or should I get a grip and use the RER/Métro?

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Love the bus. Go for it.

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I%26#39;m still not clear if this specific bus is a good one. It seems to go past the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs-Élysées so that would be a nice sight-seeing trip. Will it be snarled up in traffic for hours?

Thanks!

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I don%26#39;t see any advantage to this bus line. With the exception of métro line-1, La Défense is in transit zone 3 so the tickets into Paris are more expensive on the bus and the scenery on the route is not really very attractive. It%26#39;s also an often congested route so you may end up wasting a lot of precious time. Métro line-1 into Paris is fast and cheap.

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Thanks. I was wondering if I should do it just once to get a %26#39;feel%26#39; for that part of the city.

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Many Paris streets have bus/taxi lanes, but I%26#39;m not sure about Champs Elysees. Last time I rode l%26#39;Opentour, it was a slow ride!

But, sure, it%26#39;s fun to do once. I think it%26#39;s better to go the other direction, though - toward Arc de Triomphe.

If you%26#39;re riding in every day from La Defence, you can always transfer to another line at Porte Maillot or Arc de Triomphe to avoid Champs Elysees.

And, if you%26#39;re in more of a hurry, you can take the metro and ride buses once in Central Paris.

I prefer the buses to the metro, but for long distances often opt for the metro.

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I hope to use the RER and métro for most of my journeys (and certainly the ones to/from La Défence) but I thought a bus ride might have a better view and help me see a bit of Paris. I%26#39;ll do it when I%26#39;m not in a hurry, of course. I think I%26#39;ll go for it!

I%26#39;m *so* looking forward to Paris!

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Sure. Why not? Do it once. If you enjoy it; do it again. The route between La Défense and Arc de Triomphe isn%26#39;t especially interesting...but from the Arc, down Champs Elysées to Place de la Concorde and across the Seine to Musée d%26#39;Orsay is fun. But I suspect that after once, you%26#39;re feeling will be %26#39;..Been there...Done that...Next..%26#39;

There are interesting public bus routes for traveling across and seeing portions of the city that are much better--

PARIS SCENIC BUS ROUTES—

#42--HÔPITAL EUROPÉEN-GEORGES POMPIDOU