Arrival in Paris

Upon arrival in Paris, you check into your centrally located boutique hotel. Staying in the heart of Paris, you can begin your stay with a stroll to the banks of the Seine to orient yourself and be spoiled for choices of museums, monuments, bridges, enticing streets, or grand avenues to explore. Dinner is on your own this evening, with ample recommendations from your hotel staff.

Private guided walking tour of Paris (3 hours)

After enjoying breakfast in your hotel, your expert local guide meets you in the lobby to lead you on a walking tour of Paris’s most historic and charming quarters—the city’s two islands in the Seine, the Ile de la Cité and Ile Saint Louis, and the ancient Marais neighborhood. Strolling around Notre Dame Cathedral and viewing its unique Gothic sculptures, the Ile de la Cite is not only the heart of the city, but also the heart of France as all road distances are calculated from the “0 kilometer” point in the square in front of Notre Dame. At its upstream point, you visit the poignant memorial to French citizens deported during World War II. Making your way to the Ile Saint Louis, you stroll along the treelined quayside of this island that is the result of 17th-century urban planning. You then cross to the Right Bank into the narrow and intriguing streets of the Marais, opening unexpectedly onto squares with inviting shops, galleries, and outdoor café and restaurant tables. With orientation and recommendations, your guide says “au revoir” in this district known for its outstanding medieval and Renaissance architecture and museums, such as the Musée Picasso.

The remainder of the afternoon and evening are yours to continue your explorations. You may choose to stay on the Right Bank and wind your way to France’s national modern art museum at the Centre Georges Pompidou just on the edge of the Marais near Les Halles, the pedestrian shopping area that was once Paris’s major wholesale food market. Or perhaps your route may loop back to your hotel through the Tuileries Garden and the Louvre Museum.

Private guided gourmet food tour (4 hours)

This morning after breakfast, a short private transfer takes you to start your insider “foodie” tour of Paris—you meet up with your exclusive host, a gourmet food journalist who brings you to her favorite markets and “suppliers”—chosen with care and experience to introduce you both to her knowledge of French ingredients and established Parisian purveyors: stops include a cheese shop (with its own cheese-aging vaulted basement), a bakery, and an outdoor market. Like true Parisians, you get around on foot and on the Metro (card not included), and you make your way to your guide’s home in the 16th arrondissement (one of Paris’s 20 administrative districts) where she prepares a light lunch with the groceries and treats you have purchased on the morning’s route.

After lunch, you continue your independent explorations, perhaps this afternoon, making your way towards the Arc de Triomphe and down the Champs Elysées. Or also in the 16th arrondissement, you may wander past the Trocadéro palace, with its view over the Seine to the Eiffel Tower. A final evening in Paris allows one last stroll along the Seine, with the sparkling lights of “bateaux mouches” boats and the iconic buildings and bridges that capture the spirit of this enchanting city.

Departure

Following breakfast in the hotel, you check out and depart at your leisure.