Half day-Full day / or combination with an arrival transfer

« There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: in our home and in Paris,
ERNEST HEMINGWAY…

Comfortably seated in your luxurious vehicle, Your perfectly bilingual English-speaking driver will make you  discover the highlights of Paris such as Opera Garnier – Place Vendôme – The Louvre – Ile de la Cité – Notre-Dame de Paris –latin quarter-Saint Germain-Orsay Museum – Place de la Concorde – Champs-Elysées – Arch of Triumph – Trocadéro – Eiffel Tower – Champs de Mars – The Invalides – Alexandre III bridge – Grand Palais and Petit Palais – Palais de l’Elysée – La Madeleine church he will comment about the history, the architecture and the Parisian life style together with its gastronomy, fashion and curiosities which make Paris unique in the world !

MONTMARTRE HILL AND SACRE CŒUR BASILIC

Montmartre is a charming village with a splendid view on Paris!

Located in the neighborhood of Moulin Rouge, the famous Cabaret of French Cancan, Montmarte was the symbol of Bohemian Life and Belle Epoque Period! Artists found inspiration in the this place such as Picasso, Van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec spent time here….You will appreciate walking on the picturesque village streets, Place du Tertre, visiting numerous art galleries AND THE  SALVADOR DALI Museum, having your lunch at one of the famous restaurants, Moulain de la Galette…

OUR PRIDE AND JOY, EIFFEL TOWER, OUR IRON LADY

Paris visit without our Eiffel Tower would be unimaginable!

By looking at Eiffel Tower, if you see a glamorous lady, you understood everything about it!

Built in 1889 for the occasion of the World Fair commemorating the 100 year of anniversary of the French Revolution, It was the most criticized monument by intellectuals because of its design in the middle of Paris. For decades, it remained the highest monument in Paris.

Many times it changed its color as if it was changing its skirt! We strongly recommend you visit it during the nighttime to contemplate the beauty of the lights of our beautiful city and why not to have your dinner on the second floor in the gastronomique restaurant …

THE ARC of TRIUMPH of THE PLACE OF STARS

Standing in the middle of the Place of Etoile with an outstanding view on one of the most beautiful avenue of the world, Les Champs-Elysées and Place de la Concorde, The ARC OF THE TRIOMPHE honors the glory of the battles of Napoléon BONAPARTE..It is surrounded by 12 avenues which form the shape of stars, étoiles in French. Its construction finished in 1836.

Beneath the Arc you can see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. A memorial Flame relit every evening to remember all the soldiers died for France.

Half day/Full day with or without private guide

Your perfectly bilingual English-speaking driver will make you discover the highlights of Versailles during the ride!

You can also take the option to be accompanied during your whole visit by a professional guide who can also buy the tickets for you beforehand in order to skip the line!

If we love visiting castles in France, Versailles is the must to be seen and the others inspired by it! The principal residence of French Kings from Louis XIII to Louis XVI, from a simple hunting lodge in 1621 to the largest Castle the symbol of absolute monarchy under 72 years of reign  of Louis XIV, the sun king, and embellished continuously by the royal architects, such as Louis le Vau, Jules Hardoin Mansart during years.

Visiting Versailles is traveling through the history of France!

Versailles in figures : 3000 rooms, 121 fireplaces, more than 2000 windows, 75m long and 11m wide with a 357 mirrors, the Grand Gallery called now Hall of Mirrors, The Opera House, The Royal Chapel, Versailles includes more than 6000 of paintings, 7452 pieces of furniture’s, 156 clocks, 8745 art objects and 3741 sculptures and the huge estate and gardens.  Discover the daily life of our most eccentric queen Marie Antoinette, her playground The Trianon Palace! Or Why not to make a combination with half day visit in Versailles and Half day visit in Giverny, the house and garden of our national artist Claude Monet

Half day-Full day visit/6-8 hours

MY GARDEN IS MY MOST BEAUTIFUL MASTERPIECE!

 Claude Monet, The chief gardener and painter!

When we think of impressionism, we probably dream of the mesmerizing dances of lights & colors and of our national master CLAUDE MONET.  The HOUSE & GARDEN is located in Normandy, in a little village called GIVERNY, only one hour and half from the city center of Paris. 

Monet did not choose this place accidentally, he was aware that the lights in this area were very soft and luminous and the nature was very generous! He created there a personal environment with English gardens, water lilies, Japanese bridge, exotic plants and flowers…….he spent there 43 years until his dead in 1926.

-During the ride to the Monet’s House your driver will comment about his daily life with his wife Alice and their 6 children. Children was behaving, the difficulty was MONET himself!

-After the visit the house and garden, strolling in the little village is a must! You will feel the smell of the various flowers with different colors…Cafés and gift shops.

-You can also have your lunch in HOTEL BAUDY , the meeting place of the FRENCH & AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM ARTISTS such as  Theodore Earl Butler, Jane Peterson, Monet, Renoir and Cezanne !

-Our driver can also suggest you a GASTRONOMIC RESTAURANT WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL VIEW ON THE SEINE RIVER.

SPARKLING WINE TASTING & CELLAR VISITS

FULL DAY VISIT AROUND 10 HOURS

Probably, you have already thought about the best choices of tours around Paris for your most valuable clients coming to Paris!
I would say without hesitation CHAMPAGNE REGION, EPERNAY & REIMS, sparkling wine tasting in prestigious caves…vineyards and charming villages… Perfect Combination of CHAMPAGNE & Good Food & History

Less than 2 hours drive from Paris, we arrive to the marvelous region of Champagne, famous for its charming little villages and vineyards…..

-Sparkling wine tasting at Môet & Chandon in Epernay village

-Lunch in Reims & Visit of the Cathedral of Reims and its smiling angel , the city of the coronation , the famous GOTHIC style cathedral of the smiling angel and its more than 2000 statuary, our driver will recommend you a nice restaurant in Reims and do not forget to taste the pink biscuits of Reims..

-Sparkling wine tasting at Taittinger or Pommery -Return to Paris

During the ride from Paris, our fully bilingual English-speaking driver will comment about the secret and traditional wine making method, the famous METHOD CHAMPENOIS! You must remember that Champagne was developed in France about 300 years ago and the sparkling wine we call « CHAMPAGNE » comes from the CHAMPAGNE REGION!
The famous bottle DOM PERIGNON of the house MOET & CHANDON, is the name of the monk who discovered the Champagne and his famous saying while tasting for the first time the champagne…come down friends! I discovered the stars…..

Full day visit/6-8 hours

Only around 1 hour drive from Paris, far from the madding crowd by passing through beautiful charming villages you will discover the DOMAIN OF CHANTILLY!

Surrounded by forests and lakes, The Chantilly Castle is a charming HOME MUSEUM in comparison to the other numerous castles in France. You can contemplate the second largest collection of ancient paintings in France, after the Louvre Museum.  You can admire the paintings such as Raphael’s the three graces, Nicolas Poussin’s The Massacre of the Innocents or Botticelli, Ingres………

The private collection of marvelous furniture, objects, books of the Duke of Aumale, the son of the last king of France, Louis Philippe 1…..

The construction of the PETIT CHATEAU  with French renaissance style was finished in 1563 by the order of ANNE DE MONTMORENCY, the constable of France!

With the reconstruction of the GRAND CHATEAU in 19th century, The Chantilly Castle became a home museum !Do not miss the PRIVATE APARTEMENTS of the Duke and Duchess’s bedrooms, The purple Salon, The Grande Singerie…The beautiful gardens designed by ANDRE LE NOTRE……

ASK more about the famous CREAM OF CHANTILLY or VATTEL’s SUICIDE, The HORSE MUSEUM or ABBEY OF ROYAUMONT.

Our driver will be so pleased to share his passion with you…..

Full day visit 12 hours  /  We are grateful to you, BOYS!

Every time that I drive my valuable clients to the Landing Beaches, I am full of emotion, I will always remember and never forget what you did for France, THANK YOU!

-Our driver will pick you up at 08.00 am

-Comfortably seated in your MERCEDES AVANTGARDE, we will talk about the details and the whole story of the World War II, we will exchange ideas and we will visit THE COMPLETE AMERCIAN SITES OF THE BATTLE…

-Visit of ARROMANCHES, The Mulberries, the prefabricates Harbors, The ARROMANCHES MUSEUM 360

-Visit of The most powerful GERMAN BATTERY at LONGUES SUR MER

-Visit of OMAHA BEACH and AMERICAN CEMETERY

-Visit of LA POINT DU HOC

-Visit of UTAH BEACH or SAINT- MERE- EGLISE

-BACK TO PARIS

ARROMANCHES & GERMAN BATTERY AT LONGUES SUR MER

The most amazing construction ever during the World War II was probably the prefabricated Harbors, THE MULBERRIES, the code given to the whole operation!

They were the unique solution against the heavily defended ATLANTIC WALL. The enormous parts of the artificial harbors were built in England and towed across the channel without the knowledge of the enemy. SUCH INGENUITY… After a short walk on the beach, you visit the famous museum ARROMANCHE 360!

The GOOSEBERRIES, the BOMBARDONS, the BLOCKSHIPS, the PHOENIX CAISSONS, the LOEBNITZ PIERS, the FLOATING CAUSEWAYS? There will be no secret for you!

GERMAN BATTERY AT LONGUES SUR MER

The German coastal artillery battery at Longues Sur Mer near Arromanche is the most important example of Hitler’s pride and joy, The Atlantic wall!

Located on a very strategic point between Omaha and Gold Beach, the batteries were built with four strong concrete case mates housing a firing room, the artillery and small other rooms for the ammunition. 

Our visitors will remember the scene with ROMMEL in the movie ¨The Longest Day¨

It is definitely worth a visit as this is the only battery, the guns of which can still be seen in place!

OMAHA BEACH & AMERICAN CEMETERY

OMAHA BEACH, THE BLOODY! We will probably not feel the signification of this word while walking on the peaceful sand of the beach on a sunny day and watching playing children around!

NOW I kindly ask you to look back towards the hills behind you, it is 06.30 am, June 6, 1944!

You will notice the German concrete bunkers and SUDDENLY the sound of the playing children will be replaced by the one of MG42, HITLER’s ZIPPER as it was called, devastating new weapon, the fastest firing machine gun in the world, two times faster than AMERICAN BROWNING MACHINE GUN. 

You are now in the middle of a 12 hours battle and MG42 is firing 1500 bullets per minute and there are five of them on top of the hill and you are under fire of 125 bullets every second.

When you look back again towards the sea, you will see this time NO CHILDREN but the beach with different obstacles such as HEDGEHOGS, STAKES, BARBED WIRES, MINEFIELDS, 17000 MINES, so watch out your steps!

The first wave approaching with THEIR LANDING CRAFTS, AMPHIBIOUS TANKS and you see the GI’s of the 1st Infantry Division suffering already from seasickness because of the full English breakfast they took in the morning…..Many of them were shot dead before they stepped out or drowned as they jumped off the boat with their heavy equipments !

At the end of the day, 35.000 men had landed with their 2,400 tons of supplies. Around 4000 thousands men died or wounded.

 OUR CHILDREN ARE ALIVE AND FREE NOW! They keep going playing on the beach and you can see them again!

 THE AMERICAN CEMETERY AND MEMORIAL

The most emotional part of our visit has always been the american cemetery and memorial

We will never forget what you have done for us and in the name of Liberty!

The American Cemetery and Memorial are the final place for 9387 soldiers including 307 unknown ones whose average age is 22-23. They did not know each other but they were brothers! They died for a country they had never been before! They died for the liberty of Europe and humanity!

VISITOR CENTER/We strongly suggest you visit first the visitor center opened to public in 2007, before you visit the cemetery and memorial as it helps you to understand what has really happened in Normandy and not only DD landings !

MEMORIAL/ you will notice a 7 meter tall neo-Greek style bronze statue which represents « The Spirit of American Youth » Every year, thousands of young Americans come to pay tribute to their brothers here!

Just behind the memorial and the bronze statue, you will discover the GARDEN OF 1557 MISSING SOLDIERS whose names are written on the wall.

CEMETERY/The huge cemetery about 70 ha was built in 1956 to gather all the soldiers buried in different areas and as far as we know each soldier had an individual ceremony and their coffins facing USA have the shape of their landing crafts ……..

REST IN PEACE OUR FOREVER YOUNGS!

POINT DU HOC

 An act of courage / A suicide Mission

 After our lunch at Omaha Beach, we are heading now to our next destination LA POINT DU HOC , the name given to the rocky vertical cliffs of 100 foot , the highest point between Utah and Omaha beach!

The intelligence service pointed out that there were heavy artillery guns in place on top of the hill and those guns could have fired on the troops on both beaches and this could have been a cause of failure for the landing in these two sections!

The U.S. 2ND AND 5th RANGERS BATTALIONS made up of 225 soldiers under the command of Lt. Col. James Earl RUDDER were given the mission to scale the cliff in order to neutralize and seize the German artillery guns!

At 7.30 highly trained 225 Rangers using ladders, ropes reached on the top of the cliff and took possession of the area! There were only 90 rangers alive at the end of the operation. 

BESIDES the 155mm guns had been transferred earlier to another area by the German Troops so there were no guns in sight!  It was a real disappointment!

The assault of La Point du Hoc remains for many the most dramatic event of the DDay!

 UTAH BEACH/ST MERE EGLISE

AIRBORN MUSEUM

The last part of our visit will be at Utah Beach located eastern part of Cotentin Peninsula, which was not initially a planned landing area but General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force decided to include this zone in order to free and  control Cherbourg Port. 

At 01.00 am Paratroopers from the U.S. 82nd and 101st airborne divisions of 13000 men dropped inland during the night on the Cotentin area in order to securize the zone and facilitate the arrival of the troops at Utah Beach. Unfortunately many of them in areas deliberately flooded by the Germans!

At the end of the day, the casualty was quite light 197 soldiers in comparison with what happened at Omaha Beach!

At the heart of Sainte-Mère-Eglise, facing the church where John Steele famously was caught, hanging from the bell tower by his parachute. The Airborne Museum makes you live and understand the D-Day from the invasion preparations in England, through to the battles for liberation.

Now it is time to return to Paris or you can spend overnight in Bayeux!

Charming town famous for its tapestry, narrow cobbled streets with its 17th century mansion and town houses was the first town having liberated in 1944.

Chambord-Amboise-Chenonceau

Full day visit 10 hours

CHAMBORD CASTLE, THE MAGNIFICIENT

Loire Valley Region houses probably more than 3000 castles, each of them has its own charm but we choose 3 of them for our clients. THREE MUST SEE!

-Around 2 hours from Paris, you will find yourself in the heart of French History! Our English-speaking driver will tell you the story of each one during the ride!

Largest and most recognizable Castles of Loire Valley, the Chambord castle, is located in the heart of a big forest surrounded by 32 km walls. When it was built in 1519, five centuries ago, it was a hunting lodge and still it is not surprising to see a family of wild boars walking in the middle of the road…Yes they are at home here !

Francis I, king of France, after his victory in Marignan in Italy, ordered the construction of a Royal residence which shows his power. Far from the image of the old castles with ramparts, he wanted an exceptional architecture with renaissance style so he invited many Italian artists to France especially the master LEONARDO DA VINCI who also brought with him MONA LISA…..

You will appreciate the Italian art style architecture with chimneys, the double spiral staircase which means you can walk up from two different entry points and never meet before reaching top! If you like salamanders, you will see many of them in the castle as salamander was the symbol of the King Francois Ist.

You can have your lunch in the beautiful garden here or we continue to Amboise and Chenonceau.

CHENONCEAU CASTLE, THE MOST ROMANTIQUE

Chenonceau Castle is the most visited Loire Valley Castles after Versailles Castle. The most romantic, smaller in comparison with other castles but very charming and extremely captivating with its paintings and tapestries inside!

It is also known as The Castle of Ladies as many women owned, renovated and left their landmarks here! The most important figures of them were the queen Catherine de Medicis and Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of the king Henry II! Discover their rivalry between the moon Diane de Poitiers and the dark side of the moon, Catherine de Medicis, Their gardens, their rooms and their stories… You will appreciate their gardens, one for each, their floral displays!

Did you know? Diane de Poitiers was 35 and Henri II 15 years old! She was taking care of his education! First his teacher then his mistress! She was drinking liquid gold thinking that it would preserve her beauty!

During the World War II, France was divided into two parts, the free France and Nazi occupied France! As Chenonceau Castle crosses the river like a bridge, people used the castle to pass to the free part of France!

So much to see and so much to feel!

AMBOISE CASTLE AND THE MASTER LEONARDO DA VINCI

Welcome to Amboise, a hilltop castle overlooking the Loire River with a magnificent view! A Royal residence between XV and XVI century, it was the favorite place of the king Henri II, Francois  I and the queen Mary Stuart later known to be the queen of Scotland !  

Undoubtedly, The Amboise Castle was embellished during the reign of Francois I who did everything he could to introduce Italian art to France by asking the Master , Leonardo Da Vinci to join his court. In 1516 Leonardo left Rome and settled down at Clos Lucé, a mansion next to the castle and became architect, painter, and engineer. He spent there his last three years and now resting in peace in the chapel of the castle!

You can see at Clos Lucé Leonardo’s models of amazing inventions such as the catapult with the machine gun, the swing bridge, the assault tank and the helicopter.

The King Francois I, appreciated a lot Leonardo and was next to his bed while he died in 1519. They spent precious moments together, drinking wine, speaking about architecture, arts, and politics while Mona lisa was smiling at them!

More touring options

IMPRESSIONISTS

The Renaissance style castle of the town of Fontainebleau. It was the residence of the sovereigns of France from Francis I to Napoleon III. Several kings have left their imprint in the construction and history of the castle. Since 1981, it is with its park on the List of World Heritage of UNESCO.It is richly decorated with paintings, tapestries and  Napoleon Bonaparte lovers will be enchanted to see his personal apartments, his personal objects, his throne, his grands paintings…….

In the 19th century, Barbizon was a village of lumberjacks, quarrymen and peasants, with only a few hundred inhabitants. At that time, several Parisian painters wanted to take off their urban workshops. They want to paint in the open air, in the light of day, « from nature ». Coming from the capital and then from all over the world, they find in Barbizon, between plain and forest, the motifs they seek

L’auberge Ganne: This old inn opened in 1824 welcomed many painters and artists. It has now become the Departmental Museum of the Barbizon School. It preserves the period decor and some pieces of furniture have been decorated by artists. You can see a hundred original paintings

La Maison-atelier Théodore Rousseau : The Maison-atelier Théodore Rousseau: It is an annex of the inn, a small house which is at the bottom of the garden. The painter Théodore Rousseau lived there from 1847 until his death in 1867

La Maison atelier Jean-François Millet : Like Théodore Rousseau, Millet came to settle in Barbizon not to leave it. He died there in 1875. His most famous paintings, the Angelus or the Gleaners, were made in the plain of Beer. His house is now a gallery for local artists.

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Being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, The Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel, this stunning silhouette located between Normandy and Brittany is a real human treasure. The first sanctuary was erected in 708, it is a monastery and a charming medieval village with timber-framed houses, turrets, ramparts and cobbled streets. Mont Saint-Michel welcomes nearly 3 million visitors and pilgrims every year.

The omelette of Mère Poulard is the culinary specialty of Mont Saint-Michel.