Hello,

My husband and I are going to Paris in February 2014. I am trying to figure out a unique experience or excursion that I can give my husband for Christmas. He is very into wine, good food, and history.

Any ideas would be great. I don't really have a budget at this point & am open to anything.

Thanks!

These suggestions are not unique but may be of interest.

Give him a walking tour that includes some food markets where you can shop and taste. Context private tour or one of the free tours given by locals. Choose an area that is away from the tourist path.

Eiffel Tour back stage tour.

Tour of the market that moved from Les Halles (can't remember the name but it's now outside Paris).

Cooking class where you shop, cook, and eat.

Arrange for a private picnic in one of the more secluded areas of the catacombs.

This is the market referred to above

http://www.rungismarket.com/en/jaune...ngis/index.asp

O Chateau has several interesting tastings, meals, etc.

A day trip to Reims with appointments at a few champagne houses would be nice and quite easy to do on your own.

Cooking class with Catherine Reed could be enjoyed by both. They are fun and hers are presently said to be well thought of.

If to Reims..maybe stay overnight..a great hotel town center and a nearby lovely dining spot we did last winter. Easy train.

I will aalso be in Paris end of Jan to end of March..never know what the weather might be..but makes no real difference!

a bientot...

Joan

It isn't a huge event, but an evening concert at St. Chapelle is magical.

Dinner at Jules Verne was our once in a life time dining experience. You could do lunch , costs less but you miss the evening views.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...05551756622730

http://www.springparis.fr/restaurant/

How about a romantic dinner in old cellars far below the Louvre - at this famous Daniel Spring restaurant from the famous Chicago chef.

How about a guided Food Tour?

Google "food tour" for some suggestions.

Have you been to Paris before?

http://www.eiffeltowerrestaurant.com/

Dinner at the Eiffel Tower restaurant high above Paris at night?

YOu cannot have a "picnic" in the undergroudn, wet tunnels of the catacombs, but I can't imagine why anyone in their right mind would want to do that.

The food market outside Paris that replaced Les Halles is Rungis and you can order special tours of that, that would be a good idea if this person is actually interested in cooking, not just eating. Here is info on that and possible tours http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/10...france-marche/

There are various specialized tours you can find that different operators do, such as bakeries, food shops, restaurants, chocolatiers, etc. Here are some http://www.contexttravel.com/city/pa...-walking-tours

<i>YOu cannot have a "picnic" in the undergroudn, wet tunnels of the catacombs, but I can't imagine why anyone in their right mind would want to do that.</i>

Why not? Find someone who offers Urbex tours and have them arrange it.

As for why to do it? Because it's a <b>UNIQUE EXCURSION/EXPERIENCE</b>?

Thank you all for your responses. These are all great ideas. Yes, I have been to Paris before, but my husband has not.

Have any of you had good experiences with day tours to Champagne?

Hi Sparkchaser

Could you let me know the website of Urbex Tours? They sound interesting!

TPaxe, that's not the kind of thing that gets publicly advertised.

Send me an email: [email protected]

OK, sent you a message!

Also fun thing to do is biking around the Rue de Bretagne area and then over to the Canal St Martin.

We've gone to Reims on our own. We took an early morning train, walked to the cathedral from the train station and pent quite a bit of time looking at the cathedral and all of the exhibits in it, walked around town, caught a taxi to Le Crayeres for lunch then taxied to Ruinart for a tour of the caves and a tasting. We could have fit another champagne house visit into our schedule. We took the train back to Paris.

We did a private chocolate walking tour. Was wonderful and very tasty!

Lunch at La Maison Fournaise on the Ile des Impressionistes.