I'm booking Michael Osman to help guide my husband and I around Paris for at least one day. For those of you who have used his services, I have a few questions:

1. Would you book him for 1 day or for 2? This is our first visit to Paris, but I know some French and quite a bit about French history. Hubby and I are both pretty independent, though, and a bit shy.

2. What would you do with the day/days? I was thinking maybe a day of "highlights" from the Louvre and Orsay, or perhaps just a walking tour all over Paris' various neighborhoods. The former would be helpful because DH and I are not very knowledgable about art, but the latter would allow us to get our feet wet with someone who knows Paris... how to use the buses, metro, what the different neighborhoods are like, etc.

Any other ideas on how best to spend the time are also much appreciated.

Tara

Other possibility - spend some time at the Saint-Ouen Clingancourt flea market.

Gee, this is a hard one for me to think about... I usually relish my time alone with my husband, and wouldn't want to have too much time designated for spending with a third party.

I do, however, like the Louvre plan... it can be so daunting. I feel like I've spent forever in the Egyptian sections and missed a lot of other things, on TWO visits. So a good guide could make a difference.

As for the Orsay and the Clingnacourt flea market: the Orsay is easy to navigate. Clingnacourt is a bit more complicated, but not difficult.

If you are shy, as my husband is, you may have had enough of relating to a stranger after one day.

Reading a good guide book, and also the Paris superthread here (help, someone, please) ought to be all the preparation you need to have a really fun and rewarding time in Paris.

Bon Voyage!

I'll admit I don't get the idea of hiring a guide to show you around a city for basic reasons. However, if you know quite a bit about art, why would you hire someone to show you the highlights of major museums? You cannot do a walking tour of all of Paris neighborhoods in one day. It is simply impossible. Perhaps you mean a couple neighborhoods, probably the ones most tourists want to see in the center, like St Germain, Latin Qtr, etc. I also cannot understand why you'd need a guide to teach you how to use the metro, if you are independent travelers. It's a subway, they have them in all major cities all over the world. Buses are buses, like in any city.

No, we know very little about art.

By independent, I mean that we would never have wanetd to join a tour group, to be hustled from one city to the next, spending only a few hours in each major attraction, never interacting with the locals. That said, we are from a small midwestern city and neither one of us has ever taken public transport before in our lives. Paris intimidates us!

I think it's a wonderful idea. I haven't used Michael Osman's services but it's likely he has a plan for a one day introduction to Paris as I'm sure you are not the first to request this. It will be nice to have someone help you get a feel for the city on the first day and some insider tips then I'm sure you'll be fine on your own.

My dad and I used Michael for a day a couple of years ago ... it was wonderful! His knowledge of art really added to our museum visit ... neither of us are big art lovers, but he pointed out several things that made it much more interesting. Of course, he knows his way around the museums, so we didn't waste time being lost!

He also added a lot of great info as we wandered through neighborhoods going from place to place. I would use him for two days, unless that is all the time you have in Paris. It really added to our trip.

Anne

Enjoy Michael. He's very patient. I suspect a shy couple and he would be quite compatible, as Michael's not a pushy type. Just pleasantly outgoing, but not too much so.
We hired him a year ago with no plan in mind. He spent 15-20 minutes learning what our interests were, and our "targets", then proposed what he thought we'd like. We took a brief subway ride, largely to 'learn the ropes', went thru the high spots of the Louvre for an hour (spent all the next day there), spent an hour in an outdoor food market, walked a LOT! We had a wonderful time. IF we were to have hired him for two days, I would have wanted a day in between. ENJOY!

We have booked Michael Osman for 1 day during our stay in Paris, because of the recommendations from this site. Unfortuantely, our day with Michael occurs when the Louvre is closed, but, nonetheless, we have traded emails, and we will visit Orsay and some churches and some other outdoor/indoor sites. We are very satisfied with his communication with us thus far--it is all good. We are also looking forward to lunch with Michael, our treat, his pick. I can hardly believe it, but we are leaving in 10 days. FYIW, we have also booked private guides in Florence and Rome--this is an area that we chose to spend our discretionary money, and we have invited each of them to share a meal with us as our guest--it is part of our experience.