Another good decision: Paris Visite, an unlimited public transit pass valid for two days. Unless you want to become the typical American tourist riding the open top bus only stopping at the top five to seven most popular tourist sites, get a metro pass. You can get anywhere, anytime for a small fee:
- Gare de Lyon (to reserve train ticket to Rome)
- Arc de Triomphe
- Eiffel Tower (to the top)
- Lunch in a sidewalk cafe
- Montmartre Basillique du Sacré-Cæur
- Avenue of endless tourist shops
- Dinner on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées
- Trip to the top of the Arc de Triomphe
- Eiffel Tower (the lights that go on ever hour)
The day was filled with scam artists claiming to have found our lost wedding ring by “pretending” to find a gold wedding band on the ground right underneath us. Others offered to weave us friendship bracelets (for a small fee of course). By the end of the day, it got pretty annoying having to push these people away. And again, having to decline the others selling light up eiffel towers, silver and gold eiffel tower key chains, and cheap scarves with the word “Paris” printed on it. We even muttered to ourselves, “Who in their right mind would actually buy one of those?” And it was about at that time we actually saw people returning from the Eiffel Tower with the plastic light up tower and one with a cheap scarf.