Paris Walks guided tours
 

Has anyone been on one of the Paris Walks guided tours? If so, was it good, was it crowded, any comments are very much appreciated.

I've done 5 or 6 of their 2-hour walking tours plus a half day bus tour and enjoyed them very much. The guides are fun and knowledgeable.

The tours I've been on had about 15-25 people max so you could hear everything. When the guide stops to talk he/she makes sure it's in a quiet place so everyone can hear the talk.

The ones I've done are: Montmartre (twice), Pere Lachaise Cemetery, St-Germain-des-Pres, one of the Marais walks, and Hemingway.

We were thinking of doing so many. eg Da Vinci code Sat; Montmartre Sunday; Ile de la Cite & Notre Dame Mon morn; Latin Quarter Mon aft; Marais & French Revolution Tues; Wed on own to Versailles; Thurs Germain des Pres; Fri Hemingway. Depart Sat. Too many? They look good. What to cut?

I forgot I did the Ile de la Cite walk.

I think you have too many scheduled. The down side of the walks is that they are mid morning and mid afternoon, cutting into the day and leaving little time for other things.

Have you been to Paris before or is this your first time?

I thought the Montmartre walk was good since before this walk I'd not seen anything other than the area around Sacre Coeur and Place du Tertre. It allowed me a different view of Montmartre.

Ditto with the Marais walk; I hadn't really explored that area of Paris even though I'd been to Paris several times before.

Paris Walks doesn't take you into the churches although they offer some information about them.

I would take out the Ile de la Cite walk in favor of the 1.5 hour Notre Dame tour given by volunteers at the church. It focuses only on the history of Notre Dame and Gothic cathedrals. Very good tour.

I'm not a Da Vinci Code fan (nor a Dan Brown fan) so can't advise you here. If this is your first Paris experience I would let it go.

What else is on your itinerary besides the walks and Versailles? That would help determine what other walks to cut.

Have taken ideas from 100 things to do in Paris: eg walk left bank of Seine; canal st Martin; stroll champs elysees;stroll pere lachaise cemetery; view from top of sacre coeur, different cheeses, breads; crepes; eat at a Moroccan restaurant; catacombes; sewers; sketchpad d'Orsay, etc.

Sounds like a relaxing trip to Paris. If Paris Walks offer the Pere Lachaise walk take it - it was interesting. They do point out Jim Morrison's grave which is hard to find. If you go there on your own buy a map of the cemetery.

On my first trip to Paris the sewers were high on my list because of reading Les Miserables. When I went years ago it was a very short tour with an audio for languages other than English (guided tour for French). Now, the sewers has lots of signage explaining all about them and you can go into a much larger area (I went back a couple of years ago).

Here are some recommendations for some of my favorite things:

- Street market on a weekend (rue Mouffetard is good)
- If you like sculpture go to the Maillol Museum and then to the Rodin. Two very different styles; it's an interesting comparison. The Rodin Museum has a wonderful garden and if you don't want to spend lots of time you can get access to the garden and the sculpture there for a reduced price. Also, there a cafe in the garden, behind the museum where you can stop for some refreshments.
- I tell people that if you only do one thing in Paris, that one thing should be Ste-Chappelle. It's fabulous.
- Jacquemart-Andre museum for a look at a 19th century upper-class Parisian home and their art collection.
- Walk through some gardens (Luxembourg or Tuilleries).

Hi,
Did the St Geramin walk and Islands. I enjoyed them, the groups were small (wintertime), guides were knowledgeable and friendly. I would rate the St. G. one better, it was given by the owner and was much more fun, while the lady giving the other one was a bit more "scholarly". And they did go into St Sulpice, so some churches are visited. If you want to wing it a bit, it's not a bad idea to get Pariscope or Officiel des Spectacles when you get to Paris...these mags are sold everywhere, and they include info on guided tours.

Michael_Paris - your're right. I forgot that we went into St-Sulpice and St-Germain-des-Pres. Thanks for reminding me - it's that aging process at work; the gray cells are rapidly dieing!

It's the larger, busier churches like Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur that Paris Walks doesn't go into. But they tell you what to look for.

I did the St. Denis, which was great. The woman who ran the walk (I think she was the owner) had a wealth of information re the Gothic architecture and about the kings and queens buried there. This walk greatly enhanced a visit to St. Denis. I also did a Latin Quarter walk which I didn't enjoy as much - maybe because there were too many people.

Thank you all for your suggestions, which I have typed up. I think we will learn a lot but I still feel that because we are staying in an apartment to save money on food (1)we will unfortunately have little or no contact with locals, and (2) the week may lack enjoyable/great experiences.

Jim,

1. Staying in a hotel won't ensure contact with locals. If you lived in a place that was a hot tourist destination you wouldn't befriend a tourist who is there for only a few days.

If you want interaction with locals get off the tourist beat. Visit the mom and pop small grocery stores, stay in a working class neighborhood and mingle in the shops and cafes. Although you will need to speak French for this type of experience.

2. Paris in itself is a great experience. Last night I was reading an M. C. Beaton mystery and there was a great line in it - "you get from the world what you give to the world." Please don't go to Paris (or even get up in the morning) thinking of having a dull day. Look for the unexpected and you will find it. An experience doesn't have to be huge to be great.

Jim,
We love the Paris Walks tours! We've been on two and have enjoyed them both, but the Montmartre walk is our favorite, as we just loved the guide. He broke out into song at one point :-) He took us to places in Montmartre that I doubt we'd have found on our own.

I'd like to second adrienne's suggestion to go to the rue Mouffetard... I would suggest going on Sunday. Have breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, near St-Medard, and walk back up the hill around 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. There may be music... when we were there last, there was a jazz combo playing, and also Jolie Môme, a street theater music group. We've seen them on the rue Mouffetard a few times, always on a Sunday.

Sandy

"Paris Walks; 30 Walks" by Gilles Desmons is excellent, if you care to wander some yourself.

I went on one of the Marais walks and enjoyed it, but I can't imagine doing more than one or two during the course of Paris vacation. They are kind of tiring in a way, and I tend to get impatient for them to be over, even though they're interesting.

Paris is such a wonderful city just to wander. It's one of the few places I've been where I don't mind getting lost. Although it's nice to know the history behind what I'm seeing, I prefer at times to just enjoy the moment. For me, a vacation in Paris isn't just about taking in its many "wows" (and there are plenty), but also enjoying the small, subtle things that make the city so charming. I'm biased, but I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Thanks again for your wise suggestions. I'll try to write a report after our visit.

Is this the correct website for Paris Walks:

www.pariswalks.com

It doesn't sound like what you all are describing.

Hi Ronda,

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pariswalking/

Another big fan of Paris Walks here.

We also loved the Montmarte walk. Marais is also fun.

Highly recommended!!

Do a search on my recent Paris report "Paris trip rundown" or on my screen name "bettyo70". I wrote a little blurb about them.

Thank you. With 5 women I think that taking a tour would be so much easier than trying to follow the walking tours in the book.

With 5 women..It's going to cost you 50Euro for a 2 hour tour of whatever! Hire Michael Osman for just a bit more and he'll be with you and you alone for 6 or 8 or 10 hours!

But there is no such person as Michael Osman!

Oh yes there is! I just received e-mail from him today! www.parisfind.com

Not only does Michael Osmond exist, but he does wonderful tours, tailored to what you want to see. There is nothing canned about them. I've spent 2 days with him and will definitely sign up for another tour when I return to Paris.

We've done many Paris Walks and they're just fine. However, you do have to plan your itinerary around the schedule, as mentioned above If all those walks are of interest to you, not too many.

But, here's another HUGE recommendation for Michael Osman. We spent two days with him in May and he is absolutely magnificent! He is completely flexible and will start as early as you like and stay out with you as late as you like.

One thing I wasn't fond of on the group walks was more standing than walking. And, with a large group, much time is spent waiting for everyone to catch up and gather before the guide begins speaking.

We covered a lot more territory in much less time with Michael.

If the weather is nice, highly recommend a ride down (starting at the north) Canal St. Martin. A most relaxing thing to enjoy after a few days of all that walking!

If you're going to Pere LaChaise, start at the Gambetta entrance so you're going DOWNHILL. And, pick up a detailed map from a florist shop. Those tour guide maps just do not have sufficient detail for exploring properly.