The Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre (or more accurately, the Mona Lisa seen from behind a crowd of selfie sticks), and the Champs Elysees … sadly, most visitors to Paris only get to see a few familiar tourist highlights. But get away from the crowds and you’ll discover the fascinating, gritty, and beautiful city that earns fierce loyalty from its locals and has entranced writers, artists, and visitors from around the world.
On our small group tour of Paris, we get to know the city beyond the tourist centres. Staying in self-catered apartments in one of Paris’s central arrondissements, we live like locals, shopping for fresh produce and flowers at one of Paris’s many local markets. Our program delves into the city’s history, art, and culture, with a mix of guided tours and day trips, and plenty of time for you to explore the city on your own. We have several themed days, focusing on literature, fashion, art, and history, including:
While other jump from tourist spot to tourist spot, this extended city tour is for travellers who wish to really get to know the 'city of light', spending time as a tourist and time as a local.
On our tour you will live like a Parisian, living in self-catered apartments, getting around the city by Métro and suburban rail, and shopping like a local in one of Paris's many markets. The markets of Paris go back a long way - the first market can be traced back to the 5th century AD, when the city was called Lutetia. Today, the city’s more than 90 active markets (69 of which are open-air) remain at the heart of daily life in the city. Food tour lovers will enjoy the Marché International de Rungis, the world’s largest wholesale food market (and the go-to of many a Parisian chef) and the upmarket Marché des Enfants Rouges, on a market site dating back to the 16th century. Markets also sell specialty goods, including flowers at the Marché aux Fleurs and books at the weekend Le Marché du Livre, while the city’s famous flea markets are the perfect place to search for antiques or second-hand designer goods.
While our tour includes several group dinners, we also give you several nights to yourself. Since you’re staying in a self-catered apartment, why not pick up some fresh produce and cook like a Parisian? Virtually all of the city’s village-like arrondissements has its own market, selling fresh produce, cheese, cured meats, and bread. Bear in mind that most open-air markets are open only on certain mornings: luckily, the offical website of the Visitors Bureau of Paris has a list of markets along with opening times.
Another highlight of our tour is the chance to soak up some of the subtler details of Parisian architecture, including the city’s many elegant arcades. Paris’s arcades - covered passages built within larger buildings or between two buildings, lined with shops, restaurants, and cafes - were built in the late 18th and early 19th century as a way for the city’s wealthy inhabitants to shop unencumbered by the dark, overcrowded city beyond. The first indoor gallery was constructed at the Palais Royal in 1786, and soon inspired similar walkways. The Passage des Panoramas, built in 1799, is a showcase of elegant 18th century architecture, while the Galerie Vivienne (built 1823) is decorated in intricate neo-classical decor. While in their heyday the arcades played host to a variety of shops, today, most are home to eateries, upscale boutiques, and antique sellers.
While you're probably familiar with the , the this tour takes you to twenty-two museums, galleries, and key places of interest in Paris, on a journey designed to go beyond traditional Paris sightseeing. Some of the museums and galleries we will visit include:
In order to provide a authentic experience, every tour guide is a long-term resident of Paris, with an in-depth knowledge of the city's history, literature, and art, so that our clients can benefit from their expertise.
For more details, click the ‘Top 5’ or ‘Itinerary’ buttons above! If you’re keen to experience this tour, please call or send an email. Or, to book, simply fill in the form on the right-hand side of this page.
You may want to browse our country profile about France. Odyssey Traveller also publishes articles, designed for mature aged and senior travellers, to maximise your knowledge and enjoyment on your tour of Paris:
This is one of Odyssey's specialty long-stay tours, which allow our clients to live like locals in some of the great cities of the world. Our in-depth focus was inspired by Ina Caro's book, Paris to the Past: Traveling Through French History by Train, which inspired our first French History by Rail tour in 2012.
Since that first long-stay tour, we have added the following cities to our list:
There will be more long stay tours to follow, centred on the cities that our clients have indicated that they most want to return to explore further. If you've ever imagined living in Paris, Berlin, or Tokyo in a period of historical or cultural ferment, our tours are for you. Spend three weeks living as a local, and delve into all that a city has to offer.
Know about Paris with this article giving the solo traveller or couple confidence when exploring the city on foot or on the metro. A small group tour of Paris mature and senior travellers explore off the beaten track, great galleries such as Marmottan, Musee Maillol.
Redesigning Paris The Paris that many of us know and love did not always look as it does now. When Napoleon III instructed Hausmann to tear down the urban centre to make way for the…
Ride the metro and RER of Paris when on a small group tour for mature and senior travellers in Europe and visiting Paris, wth your partner or as a solo traveller, visit Marmottan, Musee Maillol or wander through the arcades.
French history by rail for mature and senior travellers, couples or solo travellers is a long stay apartment based small group tour based in Paris. We use the rail network to learn about the history of Medieval to Contemporary France. One of 20+ Vacation packages offered in France.
Paris Leaders & Landmarks The inhabitants of a place surely influence how it is perceived. Parisian politicians have certainly left their marks on some of France’s most famous landmarks, creating some amazing stories for…
The Elegant Arcades of Paris Part of the pleasure of getting to know the real Paris lies in getting off the main tourist trail and discovering its many hidden pockets and secrets. Its gorgeous arcades…
Overview: On arrival in Paris, you will make your own way to your apartment. In the evening, we meet for a welcome dinner.
Overview: Today we enjoy a full guided tour of Paris, constructed around the life and achievements of Napoleon.
Napoleon did a lot for Paris and many of the monuments he built can still be seen today. A local guide take us to see some of the main sights related to the grand historical figure, such as the Vendome Column, the Arc du Triomphe and the Boulevard des Marechaux.
Overview: Today, we continue with the theme of Napoleon. In the morning, we take an excursion to Rueil-Malmaison where we visit the Chateau de Malmaison. This chateau was oncethe residence of Empress Joséphine de Beauharnais and the final residence of Napoleon in France. In the afternoon we return to Paris and the rest of the day is free to enjoy at your leisure.
Overview: Today, we embark on a full-day guided tour that guides us through the drama of The French Revolution, one of the most influential historical events not only in France, but also globally.
We visit the Place de la Bastille, the Tuileries Gardens, the Place de la Concorde, and finish the day with a visit to the stunning Musee de l’Armee. In the evening, we enjoy dinner at a local restaurant.
Overview: Paris is among the richest cities in the world when it comes to art, and this tour takes advantage of that. Today, we enjoy a full day guided tour which includes the Outdoor Sculpture Museum, the Musee Rodin and the Musee les Arts Decoratifs. Pending availability, we will attend an opera performance in the evening, possibly at the Palais Garnier.
Overview: Today is all about fashion. We have a local guide for the day to take us through a number of fashion museums and areas with high fashion shops
We’ll visit the Palais Galliera, the only dedicated fashion museum in Paris, the Musee Yves Saint Laurent and walk through the famed Triangle d’Or.
Overview: You have the full day to explore Paris at your leisure.
Overview: In the morning, we take a trip to Le Port-Marly, where we visit the beautiful Chateau du Monte-Cristo, once the home of Alexandre Dumas and named for his famous novel. Today, the chateau is a museum dedicated to the writer’s life. In the afternoon, we return to Paris and the rest of the day is at leisure.
Overview: Today we take a guided tour of Paris that is themed around the Enlightenment period, following in the footsteps of some of the great eighteenth century thinkers. We visit the Pantheon, a neoclassical church, and view le Procope and le Palais Royal, and a statue of the magnificent philosopher Denis Diderot.
We end the day with dinner at a local restaurant.
Overview: Today, we turn once again to the history of the city, with a guided tour of central Paris. We enter the Musee du Vieux Monmartre, visit Sacre Coeur, Place du Tertre, Moulin de la Galette, Moulin Rouge, and more!
Overview: In the morning we board a train to Lille. On arrival, we take a walking tour of the city, before having free time to explore Lille on your own. We return to Paris by train in the late afternoon.
Overview: Today is another day dedicated to art in Paris. We have entrance to the newly opened Fondation Louis Vuitton, le Jeu de Paume, and the Picasso Museum, each magnificent in its own way.
Overview: Throughout the years, Paris has been the home to many authors, natives and those who have moved there. Today, we enjoy a tour that focuses on the city’s literary side. With a local guide, we visit the Cimetière du Père Lachaise where many famous authors and artists such as Jim Morrison are buried. Then we visit the Maison Victor Hugo and the Notre-Dame Cathedral which inspired Hugo’s “Hunchback of the Notre Dame”.
We also visit the old and well known bookshop Shakespeare & Company, the first outlet to publish James Joyce’s Ulysses . Other stops on the tour include the British Embassy where Somerset Maugham was born and La Closerie des Lilas. Ernest Hemingway lived nearby this café and it was here that he read the first finished manuscript of The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald. Pending availability, we end the day with an evening ballet performance.
Overview: Today is themed around science, and the industrial revolution. We visit the Musee des artes et Metiers and the Palais Decouverte with a local guide. During the tour the group will also view the Institute de France, the building itself is only open to visitors one weekend per year (the 3rd weekend of September). During the tour the guide will discuss the importance of the Industrial revolution and why it was not as spectacular in France as it was in its neighbouring countries.
Overview: Today the group will visit the Chateau de Vaux le Vicomte in the morning. This is a baroque french chateau with glorious gardens. In the afternoon we return to Paris and the rest of the day will be at leisure.
Overview: Today we focus on the various cultures that come together to make Paris what it is. A guide will walk us through the Marais area where many Jews live, here the will visit the Jewish Museum and the Shoah Memorial which commemorates the Jews that were deported during WWII. Afterward we visit Sainte Chapelle, a church well known for its spectacular glass stained windows. To end the day we visit the Arab World Institute.
Overview: Today is free to explore Paris at your leisure.
Overview: Today is another when we focus on Paris’s rich literary history. A local guide takes on a journey through the famous Latin Quarter, including the Bibliotheque Mazarine, La Sorbonne, and the Ceramic Mosaics at Cluny-La Sorbonne metro station. We also visit Jardin de Luxembourg, among other local literary sites.
Overview: Today, we focus on the history of film in Paris, visiting locations that have been used in films and television.
We visit the open-air market Carré Marigny which was used in the film Charade (1963), the Pont Alexandre III Bridge which was used in the movie a Midnight in Paris, the Place Dauphine which was used in the series Sex and the City, The Louvre Pyramid, Le Nemours, and many more sights.
Overview: In the morning we board a train to head to Amiens. On arrival, we’ll be met by a local guide to show us around the city. We will also visit the late-19th-century home of Jules Verne, with preserved interiors, his effects & a winter garden. In the afternoon we will return to Paris, with the rest of our final full day free to wander the city. In the evening we will enjoy a farewell dinner.
Overview: Today, we make our own way to the airport for departing flights.
What’s included in our Tour
What’s not included in our Tour
For centuries Malta, Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica held the key to the Mediterranean. Unlike other European tour companies, Odyssey provides a tour leader and local guides to share detailed itineraries about the destinations on these small group journeys. This escorted tour explores the geography, history, culture and peoples of these 4 islands. For mature couples and solo travellers. A reasonable single supplement is charged.
This small group escorted tour explores the magnificent landscapes of Carpathian mountains in Romania, and takes in the vibrant culture and rich heritage of Romanian village life. Travel with like minded people, mature couples or solo travellers.
Taken as a whole, Italian Civilization (which includes, of course, the splendid inheritance of Ancient Rome) is absolutely foundational to Western culture. Music, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Literature, Philosophy, Law and Politics all derive from Italy or were adapted and transformed through the medium of Italy.
