Castles & Cathedrals, the Gothic Paris - 2 hour tour
This is a tour of the few remaining remnants of "old Paris" - the city that existed in the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Come stroll with me through the charming Marais district, with a hidden castle, imposing renaissance palaces & baroque mansions, medieval timbered houses, leafy courtyards hidden behind carriage doors, charming private gardens & public fountains. Discover the unique history that preserved this charming neighborhood from destruction.
Castle built 1345 to defend Paris
Learn how Haussmann transformed medieval Paris - click here
The Medieval Heart of Paris - 3 hours*
Ile de la Cité
The two islands sitting in the center of Paris (Ile de la Cité & Ile St Louis) are among the best preserved areas of the city and represent its historic heart.
Discover the first Royal Palace, built before Charlemagne on Roman Ruins. Visit the medieval hall & kitchens, see the cell where Marie Antoinette was held prisoner before being guillotined. Marvel at a 13th Century Royal Chapel, 70% of its surface made of stained glass. And Notre Dame with a "virtual visit" of its history, its construction & its treasures.
*Tour price does not include entrance fees to monuments
For more information on the Ile de la Cîté, click here
The Latin Quarter : Romans & Revolutionaries - 2 hours*
Paris Pantheon
Discover the treasures of the Left Bank of Paris, the city's Latin Quarter & St Germain-des-Prés. Focused on the city's Roman roots, this tour will take you to the oldest parts of the city, including the vestiges of thermal baths and an arena where gladiators once combatted.
In the 18th Century the Left Bank was a hotbed of Revolutionary insurgents. We will see where the Revolutionaries gathered, plotted their insurrections against the King and invented the guillotine.
We'll pause in a Renaissance Italian-style garden before seeing the Pantheon. The tour ends in the Mouffetard district, a lively neighborhood first settled by the Romans that became popular with the students of Latin Quarter in the Middle Ages...and still popular with students to this day.
*Tour price does not include entrance fees to monuments
America's Founding Fathers in Paris - 2 hours
Statue of Benjamin Franklin in Paris
Without France, the American Revolution would not have succeeded. Without America, the French Revolution might not have happened.
Our Founding Fathers sought the help of France to create America, and this tour will take you to the places where those great patriots lived & worked.
Along the way we will discuss the contribution that France made in ensuring American victory against the British – and the contribution that America made in disseminating Revolutionary ideals among the French elite.
The Franco-American friendship has lasted 230 years, and throughout that time Americans have enjoyed visiting Paris. Perhaps it is the city’s reputation for history and culture, or perhaps, our wish to discover a little of our own history hidden here in Europe.
New Athens : La rue des Martyrs - 2 hours
In 1820, as the city of Paris expanded, authorities decided to build a neighborhood for the rising professional classes of the new industrial era. The new neighborhood was dubbed “New Athens”, with neo-classical houses inspired by Greco-Roman architecture that featured large porches, cast-iron balconies & intricate friezes on the façades.
The new area attracted professionals as well as elite artists, particularly those of the Romantic movement, including Théodore Chassériau, George Sand, Alexandre Dumas & Frederic Chopin. In later years, some of the early Impressionists settled here, including Claude Mon