If you are staying in Paris, there is absolutely no reason to book a tour IMO. And most any tour would not meet your criteria. They don't generally stay in one city more than a few days, certainly not 8-12 days. And most tours.

"It is always convenient when the tour company can book your airfare also." Not IME. Booking yourself generally gives you much more flexibility.

I too would pass on a tour in Paris. Paris is easy to get around and has good transport. If you want a guide for a day or 2 I can personally recommend Michael Osman, an Amrican living in Paris and very Knowledgible. I have a website of a photographer who takes people on photo tours, I'll see if I canfind it.

“I hate crowds, especially of american tourists but I guess early september will leave me no choice.”


Oh, really? Brings to mind my favorite line from DEATH OF A SALESMAN – “I know who I am, kid.”

john, the best way to FIND the crowds will be with a tour group. Paris is a doddle for the independent traveller - and there is plenty of advice here on booking your flights, hotels and things to see and photograph. and ways of getting away from everyone else.

first thing to do - book your flight. then with your dates, start searching for a hotel - the price will only go up the longer you leave it. there are several threads here with hotel recommendations, or try Trip advisor and/or booking.com. the planning is at least half the fun, honest.

I think this might be the wrong forum for this question as the majority are independant travelers who have more or less given up on TAs and local tours (not all just generally).

Paris is a relatively easy city to get around. The only odd thing is the language and culture. Fortunatly a fair few Parisians speak English.

My suggestion would be to book rooms independantly but use people like fat tires to give you an overview on your second day

Hi HJ,

>do people in Paris feel intimidated if you take their picture?

Au contraire, they tend to be very miffed if you don't ask permission first.

Enjoy your visit

If you want to start with an easier booking than choosing a hotel you could book on an airline site for their air/hotel. As for tours within Paris, you could buy the "dedk of cards" tour of walking tours of Paris--or you could look online for many of the same things and print them out.
YOu could fashion a tour of great writers' homes/neighborhoods, etc.
I may have the sense that the OP wants a tour also for the "camaraderie" of a group while travelling solo.
There are many tour guides who could recommend areas for photography--Michael Osman is just excellent.
As for photographing people, unless you are doing a long lens and they are unaware, I consider it intrusive and basically rude, and would never do it without permission. Rather than "intimidated", "angry" might be a better word.
I am often amused by everyone's assessment that Paris is always overrun with American tourists. Who knows, maybe even Europeans LOVE the idea of visiting Paris.

I would add, having re-read that this is a first time visit, you could take a ParisVision day tour of the city to get your bearings and see the major sights/sites. Then you could set your own pace--finding other tours, signing up for walking tours where you'd be with a group, and see more of the city and gathering ideas for what you want to do.
You might even take a tour to Versailles or Giverney--a sort of design yourself tour, hooking up with others along the way.

If you plan to use a tripod, read:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?21288-Paris-with-8x10/page3&p=201403#post201403

@Gretchen

I am a photographer specializing in street photography, which i do using a wide angle lens and a small unobtrusive camera. Actually, I would feel more robbed if i saw a photographer shooting me from afar, using a tele lens. To me that is much more intrusive and backhanded than a photographer who dares to get close to me, make contact with me and is part of the action. I've shot many times in Paris, and I've never encountered hostile reactions, and I never ask for "permission". But I always make contact with the people in the scene I'm shooting.

http://vimeo.com/18127526

"you are doing a long lens and they are unaware"

Just as rude, and sneaky into the bargain.

I agree in part. For me it isn't the person, because I really do think it is rude, but a part of a picture of a street. I think if you have to cross a street to ask, there is somewhat no "expectation of privacy".

Thanks for the great advice. I just wanted to add that if you tell someone you are taking their photo you might as well not bother because the picture looks "posed". American tourists are mostly ok but in my experience many would ask me information. You can talk to me for 3 minutes and realize I don't know the territory.
I try to take pictures of attractive women and then workup a nice portrait with a few programs I have. Most of the photo club people I know love to take pictures of buildings and flowers!

BORING!
I am grateful for your responses; helps a lot.

Another question: do people in Paris feel intimidated if you take their picture?

Officially, if the person becomes aware that you are taking her picture, she can ask you to remove it from your camera. Given that today Google decided to celebrate Robert Denois 100th birthday by posting some of his street pictures, the question is apt and perhaps unnecessary. There have been recent claims that is photo of the man & woman kissing was actually posed and is not a sirendipitous (sp?) street shot.

correction: "claims that the photo of the man ...)

"I try to take pictures of attractive women and then workup a nice portrait with a few programs I have."

Do you, or do you not, get permission? After you take the picture will work if you delete the image if permission is not granted. Otherwise you sound like a stalker...

@Michael: in my understanding that is not how the law frames it: if a subject has an interest against publishing a photograph, she can demand suppression of the photograph. A right to deletion of a photograph from a photographer's camera is not how the law formulates it, imo. So say for instance, a photographer has me in the frame in a street walking in front of a certain type of bar, say in the Rue St Denis. Weeks later, that photograph, with me in it, has been used to illustrate a story about prostitution. In that case, I can ask the photograph is taken down and not published. There have been a number of such cases in the courts, with limited success in effecting suppression.

And yes, sounds a bit stalky to me

Why would a photographer want to go on a tour and shoot where what all the tours shoot? If it is for your personal annals, that is one thing, but if you want to sell another shot of the Eiffel tour, how many shoots from every angle, weather conditions, and people combination have been taken?

Stock companies love releases. And even though there is an expectation of losing one's privacy in a public place, it can create a problem.