VISITS OF PARIS
Guided tours in English in the whole Greater Paris area
These visits must be scheduled with you. We can make it work, either for a few people or for an organized groups.
Note that several visits can’t take more than 15 people and we rarely accept more than 25 people.
Small group tours run up to 10 people maximum with an extra charge.
Contact us to obtain a quote and agree on a date!
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The former Château de Neuilly is a little-known place in the heart of the city. Extensively enlarged in the 19th century, it was home to Louis Philippe and his family, when he was the last king of France. Much of the château was destroyed and ravaged after its fall in 1848. After several other functions, the Sisters of Saint Thomas de Villeneuve acquired the premises. The property and gardens are much smaller than they were in the 19th century. But they offer a fine visit, with historic rooms, a large private garden and a church containing the famous Black Madonna. -
The Paris Grande Synagogue occasionally welcomes visitors for special guided visits. This is a rare possibility to admire its exterior and interior architecture. The grand tour will also unravel the Temple's history and many treasures. The Paris Synagogue is a vast complex with many rooms, offices and courtyards as well as 2 smaller Synagogues, alongside the main one. -
Step into the vibrant world of vintage fashion with our exclusive guided shopping tour in Le Marais, Paris' trendiest district, or in the historical Montmartre. Join us for a unique experience where style meets history, led by a passionate vintage enthusiast who will help you uncover hidden gems and timeless pieces. Come along for an unforgettable moment of vintage shopping in the heart of Paris, where you’ll not only revamp your wardrobe but also create lasting memories. Whether you're a fashion enthusiast or simply looking for something special, this guided tour offers a unique blend of style, culture, and personal touch that you won’t want to miss! -
Follow this Jazz tour path in the Saint Germain des Prés quarter, cradle of Jazz music in Paris. The walk will review the great names, jazz icons as well as the most famous venues from the start of jazz music in the area in the 1930's to today. The tour will also show places where jazz still tunes on in the area, from restaurants to festivals, or at random in the open air. In the end, a concert is usually proposed in one of Saint Germain's most legendary venues. -
Art Nouveau is a new conception in art that will spread out in Europe between the 1880's up till the First World War, not only in architecture, but also in design and furniture. If many countries will develop their own version, a few architects will in France sign several buildings emblematic and prestigious up to our times. Two routes are proposed to experience the best of Art Nouveau in Paris. -
The route then heads for the heights of Nogent, where the town center is located. A number of unexpectedly charming suburban houses and a lovely park lie along the way. The main street in the center is interesting on several levels. First and foremost, its ancient heritage is impressive. What's more, teeming with shops and restaurants of all kinds, the town center is one of the busiest in eastern Paris. Through its squares and monuments, the tour will explore the history of this town, which at the beginning of the 20th century was home to one of the largest Italian communities in the Paris region. Finally, the walk ends in front of the Royal Palace cinema, a landmark of Nogent sur Marne built in the early 1920s and a Mecca of the Parisian music hall of that era. -
Vincennes is a city which now touches Paris to the east but was long enough far from the capital for King Charles V to decide to build a castle there in complete safety. A former prison now a museum, the vast fortified complex contains the highest keep in Europe as well as a superb Sainte Chapelle. The Château Royal borders on one side the Bois de Vincennes and the lush Parc Floral, on the other the upscale city, with its lively center and interesting heritage. -
This tour will uncover the secrets of la Defense, the largest business district in Europe (38 million square feet of office, around seventy buildings and skyscrapers, five more major towers under construction). The promenade will you from the esplanade where the project started in 1958 up to unusual and unknown areas, monuments and gardens, with many significant anecdotes, from Napoleon to the American Foreign Legion! -
Walk around the Park Monceau and discover the beautiful mansions of famous Jewish families who were part of the Parisian rich elite society living in this brand new area of Paris from the mid nineteenth century. -
Discover contemporary art exposed in various art centers usually closed to the genaral public with outstanding patrimonial value and meet artists in their workshop. Destined to art lovers, this tour also propose to go beyond Paris city limits to the suburbs in order to visit suburban ateliers or renowned art galleries located in the Greater Paris area. -
This tour will explore the Cité Island with some of the most beautiful Gothic monuments built in Paris. After a reminder of what the Paris urban plan was in the Middle Ages, we'll discover the former palace of the Kings, now home of the Palais de Justice (courthouse) where the Queen was on trial during the French Revolution, the Saint Chapel, the Conciergerie (prison during the French Revolution) from the outside, and of course the Cathedral Notre Dame both from outside and inside. The tour will end in the Latin Quarter with a few last interesting places.
Note that due to long lines and security checks, Sainte Chapelle and Conciergerie are on optional visit for the end of the tour and require advanced booking.
NOTE THAT NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL WILL REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL APRIL 2025 DUE TO THE 2019 FIRE. -
A stroll around the streets of Pigalle, the world famous ancient red light district of Paris will show you hidden tracks and buildings linked to the love business. With around 10 000 prostitutes, cabarets and erotic shows in Paris at the end of the nineteenth century, the capital of France could attract visitors eager to blend in a risqué atmosphere far from home. -
Half day tour in Versailles: the most visited chateau in the world, built under the authority of Louis XIV, the Sun King. Guided tour of the palace of Versailles, the main Chateau grand apartments, and the king's bedchamber, along with the park's fountains and groves. Transportation will take place with local train between Paris, Versailles and back. -
Discover mythical streets and monuments of Paris through an enchanting walk between the Royal Palace and the Arc de Triomphe. The history and architecture of these places will be explored during this walk, revealing its many hidden secrets and unknown anecdotes. We will move along the central avenue, which formulates part of the part of the long, linear perspective of the grand boulevards of Paris to business district la Défense. -
Paris is much older than one might at first think, at least twice as old as Notre Dame. Before the year 1000, there was, in this order: a Gallic settlement, a Roman city, and a Frankish royal capital—visited by people such as Julius Caesar, Julian the Apostate, and Clovis the King of the Franks. Many vestiges of this ancient history are buried today beneath the streets of visible, modern part of town. From the île de la Cité to the ramparts of the 12th arrondissment, we will pass through the Roman Forum and baths before completing the tour at the famous Arenes de Lutece (Lutetia's arenas). -
The Latin Quarter walk aims at understanding the charms and hidden secrets of the "Rive Gauche" (left Bank) of the Seine River. We'll start at Saint Michel outside the fontain and will beguin to understand what the area and urban planning looked like through history, first at the Roman period, then during medieval times, prior to the massive changes due to Haussmann in the 19th century, giving the face it has today. Strolling between narrow winding medieval streets and major boulevards, we'll have a chance to see and visit some of the most beautiful monuments of the 5th district: various churches, the Pantheon, the Sorbonne university, the Middle Ages museum, the Roman terms and many more little known and incredible sites.
Note this tour doesn't include tickets entrances to monuments.
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This tour will take you on a pleasant and informative stroll along the Seine river, and help you amire the beautiful sites built along the way. You will discover all patrimonial landmarks as well as great history and little known facts about the neighborhood, and of course get some information about what the area has to offer when it comes to shopping and food. If a few places are world famous, some other are less conspicuous or reopened recently. The stroll will take you all the way up to Place de la Concorde. -
Custom your day tour! The best of Paris is on the agenda with the most famous monuments, neighborhoods and museums, as well as breaks for lunch or a drink whenever needed! This tour is especially designed for newcomers or all those who want to refresh their old memories with facts, anecdotes and amazing views! From Notre Dame cathedral on the Cité Island, the Latin Quarter, Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysées... to Louvre museum and a cruise on the Seine river, you will get the best of the city enjoying the comfort of a private transportation. Make your choice in the options and custom your day!
Warning: Please note the Eiffel Tower requires a two month advance booking. -
Sample a wide variety of French food while exploring the chic Saint-Germain-des-Prés district on this walking tour. Taste everything from the most exquisite chocolate to freshly-baked patisseries. Make your own choices in a beautiful boulangerie (bakery) where your guide will help you understand the wide range of salty or sweet delicacies. In the end, finish the tour enjoying wine and cheese in a typical Parisian café talking about the implications of art, socializing and food in daily French life! Tour also available in the Marias or Montmartre -
This tour will take you back to the fascinating era of the French Revolution, and make you relive the events of the past. Despite the fact that most of the buildings from that period in history have disappeared, we still find numerous traces on our first route in Le Marais, especially in the area between the Place de la Bastille and the Hôtel de Ville, around rue Saint-Antoine. The other route takes us from historic Concorde square, along the rue Sainte Honoré towards the Palais Royal, where it all began! -
Step into Wenzou, via Hanoi, Pnom-phen or Vientiane at the nearby Choisy triangle, the largest of the four Asian districts of Paris. Many expatriates from former French colonies in Asia own businesses around the commercial area of Olympiades, the heart of the area that has now become the largest Chinatown in Europe. -
The Louvre, largest museum in the world, has a long and complex history that begins much earlier than the buildings of the 16th century would suggest. The tour proposes to reconsider the different stages of construction of the Kings of France's main castle in Paris by presenting the most fundamental pieces, famous or less known, which are exhibited in different parts of the museum. The visit will also go through the grand historical rooms, such as the Henri II salons, the private apartments of Napoleon III or Louis XIV's bedroom. -
Belleville and Ménilmontant, traditional working class and Parisian areas, have seen a long evolution to now welcome some of the most vibrant and trendy districts of Paris. On top of the most beautiful panorama over Paris, discover artists workshops as well countless street art works. Hidden villas and back alleys lead to pretty squares and architectural beauties hidden behind modern buildings. From the birth place of Edith Piaf to a very colorful food and clothes market, stroll the winding streets of Belleville and encounter a new and true face of Paris. -
Magnificent Hôtel de Lauzun is one of the very few hotels particuliers (private mansions) that retain their rich carved, painted, mirrored and gilded interiors from the time of Louis XIV. The mansion is a 17th century interior and exterior architectural jewel. It is the only private mansion on Ile St Louis that can be visited. It has been recently restored while being preserved as its last private owner left it at the end of the 19th century, with the gold detailing and ceilings of the 17th century, combined with the exuberance of the 19th century.
Hotel de Lauzun can only be visited every day but during private events only -
Stroll a few small streets and alleyways around Montsouris park and experience the charm of a neighborhood where one really feel away and far from Paris. Some of the beautiful houses were built for famous artists. Some villas were also used as experimenting new art déco techniques and materials. In a close-by passage, we'll visit the grand house atelier of a sculptor, now turned into a museum after her death (10€ pp). -
The Opera Garnier is undoubtedly one of the most dazzling monuments in Paris. The tour will go through the history and context of the construction with a first outdoor description. The visit of the building will start with a vast space formerly used as a waiting room, before ascending the Great Staircase which leads to the auditorium as well as the various reception rooms and the famous grand foyer. It opens onto a balcony offering a stunning panorama stretching over to the Louvre. Some areas also exhibit costumes from famous plays, an archive gallery and temporary exhibitions. -
Visit this authentic palace hidden in the heart of Paris where a enthusiast has spent all his life gathering the biggest private collection of Napoleon's objects in the world! Access the beautiful and gilded rooms where portraits, sculptures and pieces of furniture are exposed at an arm's reach in an apartment manner, without anyone around! The end of the tour will see the secret cabinet of curiosities open, where the visitor can marvel at some unique pieces of the collection belonging to the Emperor Napoleon and his family. Treat yourself: stroll the collection with a glass of premium champagne! -
This tour is meant for architecture and interior decoration lovers. A first stretch in Western Paris will recall Art Déco's origins and diffusion, highlighted with several houses built in the same street by key architects. One of these houses will be exceptionally open for a visit of the vast workshop on the ground floor. Just a block away, another amazing place, built by leading 1930's architect Le Corbusier, gives another orientation to modernist style. After a short metro trip, a stop has been arranged in one of the most beautiful and typical restaurants in Paris, rich with anecdotes. Across the street, is another example of Art Deco buildings, directly inspired by American high rise. The end of the tour will take place in a fantastic hotel built as a tribute to the great 1925 Art Déco exhibition, filled with the most refined furniture, frescoes, and decors. -
Père Lachaise cemetery is the most prestigious and visited in Paris. Located in the 20th arrondissement, it extends over 44 acres of outstanding scenery and contains about 70,000 graves. In the largest green space in Paris are the graves of many celebrities: Balzac, Chopin, Colette, Champollion, Molière, Yves Montand and Simone Signoret, Jim Morrison, Alfred de Musset, Edith Piaf, Pissarro, Oscar Wilde, Modigliani and many others. The cemetery is also well known because the Commune of Paris, a socialist Revolution ended right there in 1871 in horrid fightings. -
In 1670, there was nowhere to house disabled or destitute soldiers who fought for France. Louis the XIVth, sensitive to the plight of soldiers who served during his many campaigns, decided to build the Hotel Royal des Invalides. Now assigned to the Ministry of Defence but also housing many organizations from other departments, the Invalides still retains its first hospital-hospice function for the severely disabled veterans of war. Aside the visit of the museum of war and its many secrets, we will go over the political design of the king behind the institution and its influence in the urban landscape in Paris. -
The name of this neighborhood comes from the ancient abbey of Saint Germain, one of the richest and most prestigious in Europe. Only the church remains today, and it is the most ancient in Paris with its oldest part dating from the 11th century. This area was also the meeting place of the intelligentsia and international artists before World War II, as well as for postwar philosophers. It is celebrated as the birthplace of jazz in Paris, and is famous for it nightly revelry and crazy parties. This walk will explore all of these fascinating aspects, as well as the superb Luxembourg Palace and Gardens. You will see why Saint Germain guards the literary soul of the left bank and boasts ‘chic Paris’, typical of the 6th arrondissement. -
An unforgettable experience is guaranteed as you wander through la Butte aux Cailles, anti-establishment Parisian party district, with it’s restaurants and detached houses that provide an unrivaled Left Bank atmosphere. One of Paris's favorite playgrounds for street artists, the area also boasts of hidden gems and many other peculiarities. -
Stroll the 17th arrondissement of Paris and discover the unsung Batignolles quarter, with its flowery and discreet streets and designer shops. Beyond the traditional park lies the recently built eco-neighborhood around the Park Martin Luther King, as well as the brand new courthouse designed by the architect of the famous Centre Pompidou museum, Renzo Piano. -
The tour will detail the historical and political roles of this capital city landmark since the 16th century. After meeting on the large main square outside the building, the impressive facade will be detailed and its history recalled.
Upon entering, we'll discover all the fantastically decorated reception rooms, including the function room, created as a replica of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, as well as the impressive stairs of honor.
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Amid disarray and chaos, the German army entered Paris on the 14th of June 1940. They will rule over Paris until the end of August 1944. Between grand and small history, the tour takes you to see the main buildings where the German invaders settled and ruled for four long years. Lives, actions and fates of a few unknown people living through this period will also be told along the way, between Occupation, Resistance, Collaboration, Deportation and Liberation. -
This seminar will go in depth over the work of Haussmann and urban planning in Paris over two centuries. The tour expands from the Palais royal to the Opera via “Grands Boulevards” and haussmannian avenues to witness the amazing 19th century changes in the city. Included: visit of the Opera, Galeries Lafayette department store terrace and cupola, a major bank headquarter and the most fascinating hidden ballroom in Paris. Note that the ticket's entrance to the Opera is not included and can be pre-purchased.