This route runs from the Eiffel Tower to Pere Lachaise Cememtery, and I've seen it mentioned several times. Why go underground when you can take the bus and see the scenery? Eiffel Tower, Ecole Militaire, rue Cler, Les Invalides, Louvre, Ile de la Cite, Ile St. Louis, Hotel de Ville, Pompidou Center, Marais, Bastille, and Pere Lachaise. One ticket from your carnet gives you 1.5 hours to complete your one-way trip, jumping on and off buses as often as you like (but not the Metro). Board through the front door, validate your ticket in the machine behind the driver. Push a red button to let the driver know you'd like to get out at the next stop. Exit through the rear door. Buses run every 10-15 minutes (7:30-21:15) but not on Sunday. Karin Ling mentions 69 in GoNomad.com (as well as some other interesting stuff) and notes that
"This very bus takes you to Belleville, where market stalls line the main boulevard on Tuesday and Friday mornings. Though the food market is traditionally a French phenomenon, at Belleville it’s gone through an evolution of its own: the fruit selection is more exotic, the permission to touch the produce more explicit...The neighborhood is at the crossroads of several cultures"
Continue reading and she talks about the "Bibliothèque Publique d’Information. Enter from the back of Centre Pompidou for an airy space with more than your predictable library offerings (television & language "tapes"), all free of charge."
And I discovered a company, Paris Bus Cards, that actually sells a set of cards that provide bus itineraries. Here is the link to Itinerary 3
which includes..."Get off at the St-Paul stop. It’s a fun shopping street. La rue St-Paul, with its many interesting shops and bakeries, is a delightful place to stroll."
I can see what you mean that there is a lot of mention of bus #69. Here's a New York Times article from 1988! Hm. Maybe we do want that Paris Visite Pass. Then we can ride ALL the buses!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I saw that article, too, but a lot has changed since then - specifically you can now hop on and off (they say) during the 1 and a half hours rather than paying each time.
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