From April to October

At the most beautiful hour of the day, as the sun starts to set, come and fall under Paris’ spell anew as we walk and talk….

• Along the Seine
• From the Tuileries to Palais-Royal
• Montorgueil, the stomach of Paris
• The weird and wonderful Marais
• Odéon, Panthéon, Sorbonne
• Montmartre
• Royal gardens of Versailles

November to March

Night at the Museum

Parisian museums stay open later certain days of the week and an evening visit offers us a calm and contemplative experience with which to admire their art. As famous French art historian Daniel Arasse once said “Why is a masterpiece?” Temporary exhibitions also, are less crowded at the end of the day. Contact me to discuss a hand tailored tour. 

Chocolate, macarons, cheeses, fine foods… Did you know French food, with its rituals and presentation has UNESCO world heritage status? On this tour we will learn to eat chocolate according to the Tastechocolats, the chocolate version of a Sommelier. Also how to savour the surprising concoction of flavours in a perfect macaron, as well as testing a jam with a Champagne flavour. And all of this selected by some of Paris’ best chefs.

This is truly a VIP tour, for those who wish to visit further into the chateau of Versailles and far from the usual crowds. These private rooms of Louis XV and XVI are off limits to the general paying public, so you ’ll be able to appreciate their splendours in quiet. Treasures such as the first ever clock built with a seconds hand, conceived for Louis the XV, and rooms of fabulous décor in carved wood covered in three types of gold. There’s also the chance to see either the Royal Opera House or the Royal Chapel where the fifteen year old Marie-Antoinette was wed.

In this splendid private villa which nowadays houses the National Archives, lies a sumptuous décor, extremely refined and rarely visited by tourists. The Prince de Soubise called upon the best painters, sculptors and ornamentalists of the period, to decorate the apartments of his new and very young bride, the Princess, which resulted in one of the finest examples of rocaille art, and what is certainly a collective masterpiece.

The creation of the Bon-Marché in 1852, followed by Le Printemps then Galeries Lafayette, not only heralded a revolutionary way of shopping but also signaled the flux between old Paris and new Paris and the rise of the middle class, as well as the idea of shopping as a pastime. As Emile Zola wrote in his novel ‘The Ladies Paradise’ “on one side, a silk cloak lined with squirrel, and on the other, a linen coat edged with cockerel’s feathers; and finally evening wraps in white cashmere or white quilting trimmed with swans’ down or chenille. There was something for every taste.” We’ll finish our tour at the restaurant on the terrace of Galeries Lafayette with its superb view of the Opera Garnier.

From Roman to Gothic, this museum offers us a voyage into the heart of the medieval world throughout France, without ever leaving Paris. How were the major buildings of the past built? Why and for whom were they built? Thanks to the mouldings made in the 19^th century of the doorways of so many of France’s magnificent cathedrals, we are able to get up close and decrypt details and read their messages from the past.

Modestly born artist Nélie Jacquemart and her wealthy husband Edouard André were avid collectors of Renaissance and 18^th century art from their travels around the world. Their evening receptions were the invitation ‘du jour’ where their guests could enjoy the innovative architecture of this 19^th century villa and marvel at the couple’s extraordinary taste and flair.

The River Seine flows under 37 bridges in Paris… We’ll discover the seven most emblematic of them, from the golden beauty of the Pont Alexandre III to the groundbreaking Pont Neuf, built by a King with a real love for his people. Veritable technical marvels, the engineers of these bridges often defied the rules of the day and their works also became scientific landmarks.

What is a perfume? Why did the perfume industry develop in France in such a significant fashion? Where exactly in Paris did it all start? From the Church of Saint Roch to the Place Vendôme, we’ll visit the symbolic places which inspired the first great perfumers, along with several stops along the way at renowned but under the radar perfume boutiques.