Paris tour guides
 

We are visiting Paris for the first time in May 07 for one week and staying on Rue du Bac. We would like to find a personal guide for a day to show us around Paris, preferably not the main sights but some of the "off the beaten track" sights and provide ideas for the rest of the week
Last year we visited Rome in June and met up with Peter Kilby, a guide from Australia, that we thought was wonderful.
If we could find the equivalent in Paris we would be delighted.

Michael Osman [email protected]

He is terrific. POsters will come along and say he doesn't answer his e-mails. My advice is to keep trying and start now for May. He is an artist and you will want him for more than one day--one or more for the sights/sites and one for a museum experience. He is SO personable, great sense of humor, and the ability to explain history, art, and anecdotal history that is unparallelled.

I don't think this very capable tour guide (lady) and would like her name mentioned on Fodors without consent, so if you would like her email and phone number please post an email address and I will pass it on direct to you.

I second the recommendation for Michael Osman. You will need to be persistent to get an e-mail response, but it is so worth it!!

Heya.

I have been reading the raves about Michael and e-mailed him last Wednesday about possibly getting together for some touring in mid-September.

I received a reply from him last night apologizing for the delay in writing back.

I am very excited about the idea of being able to tour Paris with Michael - too many raves on this site, and others, to pass up the opportunity!

Have a wonderful trip!

Can someone give me an idea about Michael's rates?

Most people are reluctant to post Michael's rates, as one can assume he may choose to raise them. However, I can say he is extremely inexpensive (dare I say "cheap"). We have done guided tours in other cities and have never had such a reasonable price. We did pay for his lunch and also included a very generous tip. He will let you know via e-mail what his current rate is.

Here's another huge recommendation for Michael Osman.

Hi fgg01- do you have any idea how we might get in contact with Peter Kilby? We are planning a trip to Rome at the end of a Paris, Naples, Florence adventure and will only be there two days. Having a guide for one of those days would be great! Thanks!

All of what jgg said about Michael's rates. You cannot cannot do any better, either rate-wise or for an enjoyable easygoing knowledgeable day spent in Paris.

Thanks to everyone for their recommendations of Michael. I have emailed him and look forward to catching up with him.

Joybird - Peter has a website http://www.peterkilby-touradvisor.com.au/index.html.
Peter was able to take us to some unusual places and his knowledge of the paintings and sculptures and the history surrounding these really brought a different perspective to everything we saw with him.
He also made some good recommendations for lunch and dinner.

As mentioned by jgg...those here are reluctant to give his rate...but I have to say I was shocked (pleasantly surprised and awed) by his reasonable rate. It doesn't include admission fees, lunches, etc....but heck...it's still an amazing deal!

Can't wait to meet up with him this fall!

We just returned from a trip and used Michael for one day. We were very pleased with his services and he tailored our day exactly to our requests. His rates are also extremely reasonable - we also purchased his lunch.

I did 2 tours with Michael last trip to Paris (one with SFowler and Starspinners doing the Philippe-Auguste wall tour) and one of Belleville. He's great! Love him!

He's consented to do 2 tours with me next trip and I'm really excited!! :)

I consider Osman á friend, and I can say he loves his clients and wants to please them. He is an artist and I wish he'd sell his paintings to us and his clients but he won't tell you that.

Has anyone used Michael's friends for guides? I contacted Michael and found he was previously occupied. He recommended a friend: Scott Emerson.

Anyone know him?

Yes, Scott is fabulous! You'll love him. Had drinks with him & Michael at the Ritz, went to a Jim Haynes dinner party, went to Tour Montparnasse with them both, dined with them both at Chartier (their recommendation) and they joined a bunch of us at a Fodorite GTG at Le Train Bleu.

Scott is wickedly funny and according to a friend of mine, once did a bar hop with her and her husband!

bookmarking...thank you...

My daughter also used Michael Osman ( thanks to cigale for her recommendation) .. She loved him and they ended up spending 2 days wandering around Paris and the Louvre instead of the 1 day that she thought would be enough ..

Hi...My friend and her husband used Scott and were thrilled! He was personable and responsive to their requests. Have a great time!

For those who have used Scott (or Michael for that matter), what did you typically do for a day (itinerary)? Our only must see thing while in Paris is the Louvre which we may do on our own, so I'm curious what other things we should look at doing with Scott.

How long is a typical "day" with these gentlemen?

When we booked Michael, he told us he would start out as early as we liked and stay out as late as we wished. We met him for breakfast, spent the entire day with him, then invited him to join us for dinner because he was just so charming and full of information. Friends who have toured with Scott also rave.

Michael or Scott are full of recommendations and suggestions. What I enjoyed most was wandering around while Michael pointed out things of interest we would have walked right by and never noticed. He also took us inside many hidden jewels.

The many passages would be good places to visit with either one of them, or just a stroll along the Seine.

One tour with Michael was in Belleville to the east of Paris, an area he rarely gets to lead tours. He picked me up at 9am that day and ended up going with me to dinner at Jim Haynes' dinner party where we were joined by Scott and another couple they'd been guiding, Dan & Lori.

Last day was spent doing a Philippe-Auguste wall tour with Michael, SFowler & Starspinners. We ended the day at Le Train Bleu for a dinner GTG of Fodorites & VTers. We stayed 'til 1am, I think? Michael & Scott both graciously played co-hosts with me!!

Michael is the best and will be part of the fond memories of your trip. He will do tours that suit your interests or something more standard. i would suggest that you think about a "theme" and let him plan around it .... he is very flexible and is happy to chage gears mid-day if you wish ... the "I have seen enough churches for the day" syndrome".