Museum tours in Paris
 

Hello,
My husband and I will be going to Paris for a few days in June. There are a few museums that we are looking forward to seeing (Louvre, musee d'Orsay, muse d'armee), but would like to go on a tour. I have found different tour groups on line, but am wondering if they are reputable. Could you please let me know the names of good museum tour groups?
Thanks!

For the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay and other art galleries I can highly recommend Paris Muse: http://www.parismuse.com/ I have done two tours with them. They are led by people who not only know about art but are able to share their enthusiasm and explain the art. The tours are suitable for art experts and novices alike. They also do family tours and those for children.

Some museums have their own tours (Orsay) led by the museum docents. Check the museum web sites for times.

http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/visit/i...html?tx_ttnews[backPid]=425&cHash=a59d9f2802

http://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-guidees

Notre Dame has a free tour three times a week led by church volunteers. The guides are informative and interesting.

I can entirely understand why one would consider a guided visit to the Louvre. The place is a zoo, with so much on display and frankly too many shell shocked visitors all looking to see the Mona Lisa.
In contrast I find the Musee D'Orsay much more manageable and the masterpieces of Impressionism are shown in a very concise manner on the 5th floor. Here I'd go for the audio tour, or the museum's own guided tour in English as Adrienne mentions above. For a more academic small group tour look at Context Paris or for a more affordable option see Paris Walk's small group tours of the Louvre. I think they are on a Friday?

And I think the Michelin Green Guide is a good auxiliary for the Louvre.

Paris Walks generally only does museum tours during the winter months. In summer it's more outdoor walks. I highly recommend this company for their 2 hour tours.

I've used the Louvre audio guide but would not recommend it as so much is omitted. There's no way an audio can cover what individuals want to see.

A floor plan (obtainable in advance from the Louvre web site) and reading about what you want to see will prepare you for the Louvre. If you have a limited amount of time plan ahead as the Louvre was not built as a museum and often there is lots of up and down stairs and criss crossing the atrium to get where you want to go.

The audio guides for rent at many large museums have both good and bad aspects. They are robots, of course, so you cannot ask questions. On the other hand, you proceed at your own pace, pausing for contemplation where you want rather than following a live guide's choices. Museum websites often spell out whether they sponsor guided tours or if the audio guides are available in your language.

I have also done a couple of tours with Paris Muse http://www.parismuse.com/ and was very pleased. The guides I had were American fine art graduate students and were very
knowledgeable and friendly. Would definitely advise a guide for the Louvre and if you plan to see a big show that is likely to be crowded.

Awesome advice from everyone! Thanks