Paris is very easy to walk or bus around. Having lived here five years I discover something new nearly every day. If you want to take a tour with a guide you may book one of our many standard tours or book a private car and driver.

Coach Departures Point: Luxury Coach Tour leaves from 214 rue Rivoli

Minivan Option
Includes hotel pick up & drop off

Champs Elisées

The Champs Elysee was originally an extension of the Tuileries gardens laid out in the 17th century by Le Notre. During the Second Empire, from 1852, it became a focus for fashionable society and theatre, for military parades and royal processions. It is on a direct line from the Louvre, through the Tuileries Gardens, past the Place de Concorde, up through gardens bordered by trees and azaleas. From the Rond-Point the Champs Elysee runs uphill to the Arc de Triomphe. Here along its wide granite pavements there are many fast food eateries, shopping arcades and cinemas but it is still considered the most beautiful avenue in the world.

Arc de Triomphe

Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 as a memorial for the French Army but was not completed until 1836. It is 165 feet high and one can visit the observation deck at the summit of the arc from where there is a brilliant view of Paris. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with its eternal flame, rekindled every evening at 6:30 PM, lies under the Arc. It is at the centre of 12 avenues and is known as the Etoile (star).

Place de la Concorde

The grandest and most infamous square in Paris. It is situated at a crossroads, the National Assembly to the south facing its mirror image a neo-Greek Temple, the Madeline church, to the north and the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees to the west facing the Tuilleries Gardens and the Louvre to the east. It was constructed between 1754 and 1763 to hold a statue of Louis XV and was then called Place Louis XV. It then became the Place de Revolution and the site of the guillotine which beheaded nearly 3000 people including Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, Danton and Robespierre. After the Reign of Terror it was renamed Place de la Concorde, then after several name changes, it once again became the Place de la Concorde.
The statue of Louis XV, removed during the Revolution, was replaced by the over 3000 year old Obelisk of Luxor, given by the viceroy of Egypt to Louis Phillippe in 1883.

Opéra Garnier

The Opera Garnier was the 'piece de resistance' of Napoleon III and Baron Haussman. Its opulence, inside and out, its mixture of architectural styles, its red and gold decor some may think a little flamboyant, but for all that, it is magnificent. It was once the world's largest theater and is famed for its 6-ton chandelier and Chagall painted ceiling depicting Parisian scenes and images from opera. Backstage is the Foyer de la Danse so often painted by Degas and beneath the cellars there lies an artificial lake, providing water for the city's fire brigade, that was the fictional grotto of Lerous' Phantom of the Opera. The Opera Garnier mainly stages ballets now days, operas which have moved to the Opera Bastille.

St. Germain

The oldest Abbey in Paris dating from 543 AD, and the heart of the sixth. This church has always been an important religious center, and over the years acquired immense property. The church got its name from the peasants who would come here on pilgrimage in the 8th century. Saint-Germain-des-Pres means Saint Germain of the Fields. St-Germain was the center of bohemianism and existentialism in the glittering café society of the post-war years.It has always been regarded as an intellectual center with many writers, artists and creative people living here. It is the home of Paris publishing and antiquarian book and print dealers. Over the past few years many luxury fashion brands have located stores in the area.

Jardin du Luxembourg

Jardin du Luxembourg is the most loved park in Paris. It is large and has fountains, flowers, statues, tennis courts, concerts in the summer and on Sunday, Tai Chi. Within the park is located the Palais du Luxembourg, home to the French Senate. Next to the senate is the Musee du Luxembourg, which often has art exhibitions. Nearby on rue de Fleurus lived Gertrude Stein and her companion Alice B. Tokas who opened their home to many famous expatriates, writers and artists, including Hemingway and Picasso.

Montmartre

Since Gallo-Roman times Montmartre was a small village covered with vineyards at the top of the hill until the 19th century, when it was absorbed by Paris, and became one of the strongholds for intellectuals and artists. Nearby is the famous Place du Tertre, the square surrounded by cafes where artists and intellectuals would meet. Just before World War I many artists such as Picassso, Modigliani, Utrillo and Apollinaire lived nearby, but it then became rather expensive and a move was made by many artists to Montparnasse. The Sacre-Coeur was completed in 1910 and was built in remembrance of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. It has a magnificent view across Paris.

Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris

The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris dates back to 1163 but was not completed until 1345. It is one of the masterpieces of Gothic art in Western Europe. Its facade, the soaring Gothic ribbed vaulting, its huge light-filled interior and awe-inspiring stained glass windows are magnificent artistic achievements. The square in front of the Cathedral is called the Place du Parvis. In the center is a plaque from which all road distances in France are measured. Of course, this is the setting for Victor Hugo’s ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’.

Eiffel Tower

The worldwide symbol of Paris. It was built for the World Fair of 1889, held to commemorate the centenary of the French Revolution. Named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, it stands 1050ft high and held the record as the world's tallest structure until 1930. There are three viewing platforms you can reach by elevator (or you can walk to the first two levels) and from the top you'll find absolutely breathtaking views. The restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower, the 'Jules Verne', is an expensive but memorable treat, though one has to book well in advance. On the stage below with the same view and less expensive is the 'Altitude 95', which has a Belle Epoque setting.

Invalides & Napoleon's Tomb

The group of buildings 'Hotel des Invalids' was ordered by Louis XIV the ('Sun King') to house the king's old soldiers. A year later he commissioned the Eglise du Dome, a magnificent Baroque church with its beautiful gold-leafed dome, which holds the impressive tomb of Napoleon. Napoleon was brought here from his grave in St. Helena where he was exiled, to fulfill his last wish to be buried 'on the banks of the Seine among the people of France whom I have loved so much. In the complex is the Army Museum with the largest collection of militia in the world. Leading from the impressive forecourt of the Invalids with its captured canons runs the tree-lined Esplanade des Invalides to the grand Pont Alexandre III a gift from Czar Alexander to commemorate the 1892 French-Russian alliance.