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Private Guide for Paris


mfabz
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We are seven adults stopping in Paris on our way home after a Med cruise in June. 

 

We are looking for suggestions for a private guide for 2 days.  We would like to do the highlights of Paris on our first day and Versailles & Giverny on the second day.   Suggestions for a well-located hotel would also be appreciated.

 

Thank you for your replies

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On 10/8/2019 at 5:44 PM, mfabz said:

We are seven adults stopping in Paris on our way home after a Med cruise in June. 

 

We are looking for suggestions for a private guide for 2 days.  We would like to do the highlights of Paris on our first day and Versailles & Giverny on the second day.   Suggestions for a well-located hotel would also be appreciated.

 

Thank you for your replies

If nobody gives you a decent recommendation you might want to explore "ToursbyLocals.com" which can often yield good results.  You might also want to consider that Paris has an excellent public transportation system and is also a fabulous city for walking.  There are also the usual HoHo buses.  With a decent guide book (we usually suggest the Rick Steve's guides) or using a phone with one of many tour apps, you can save yourself a lot of money and just do Paris DIY. 

Private guides/tours in Paris can cost several hundred dollars an hour and over $1000 a day, which is why we suggest you might want to think about DIY.

 

Going to Versailles can also be done DIY by simply taking the appropriate train (it is about a 10 minute walk from the train station to the Palace entrance).  Giverny is a bit more ambitious, but there are quite a few day tours (companies like Greyline).  Just beware that June is high season and Giverny can be a real zoo...especially when there are a dozen or more bus tours at the location.  And if possible, you do want to check the weather forecast and try to go to Giverny on a nice day (with no rain) since the expansive garden/pond area is all outdoors.

 

Hank

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You can easily do Versailles on your own.  You can get there by train or taxi.  It is one hour by train or 20 minutes by taxi from the center of Paris. Taxi (for 4 people) will cost up to $55.  For the tours of the Chateau, the best ones are given by the venue itself.  You can book them online. 

http://en.chateauversailles.fr/

The tours are reasonably priced:

http://en.chateauversailles.fr/plan-your-visit/tickets-and-prices?visite-tid=2

 

There is so much to see and enjoy in Versailles that I don't think you should go to Giverny the second day.  It would take too long to get there and you would shortchange a walk through the Versailles gardens or a visit to the Trianon. Go for quality, not quantity.

 

In Paris itself, you can book your own visits to the Louvre and to the Eiffel tower.  A boat ride in the Bateaux Mouches would be an ideal way to end your day. 

https://www.louvre.fr/en

Their own tours: https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-guidees

 

There is no need for a tour of the tower, but you need admission tickets: 

https://www.toureiffel.paris/en

 

You can start your round trip Seine river cruise from several spots:

https://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en

Tours: https://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en/cruise

But, I would keep it simple, just do the sightseeing cruise without the meal or the entertainment.  The city itself is spectacular enough that you don't want the distractions.  Then go to dinner in one of the hundreds of great bistros and restaurants. You can buy tickets for the cruise on the spot or on the website. There is more than one boat doing the cruise so you don't have to wait long to get on one.   They also have a combo ticket with a ho-ho bus.

 

As for a hotel, there are hundreds of them.  Look at Trivago. They let you choose by neighborhood (arrondisement).

Edited by marazul
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