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Spend a day in Champagne following one of two different routes and have a fabulous experience. This northeast region of France is noteworthy for its long history of winemaking and stories of resilience throughout the First World War. One itinerary will prioritise the Champagne countryside with typical villages and tastings at small wine growers. The other will start in Reims, the capital of Champagne, on the trail of its long historical and architectural heritage before visiting some of the most famous Champagne houses. -
The capital of (German) Lorraine has a lot to offer! From Pompidou brand new modern art cener to the city's history museum, where an amazing Medieval objects are presented in rare and unusual buildings. The stroll through the city will show the river banks, but also towers and walls, reminding the great military role as well as the Imperial quarter, dating the German domination up till 1918. Surprising and unusual houses are also on the way around the medieval district surrounding the beautiful Cathedral (with windows by Chagall), to more traditional French style streets. -
Just an hour away from Paris by train, Orleans lies quietly on the Loire river. If half the city centre was destroyed during the last war, large parts still show distinctive medieval and Renaissance buildings, including beautifully renovated hotels particuliers, now turned into museums. The tour will also show the Cathedral, the Loire river banks and other interesting and lesser known elements. The story of the local glory, Joan of Arc will be highlighted in the house she slept in when liberating Orléans. -
This whole day in the Loire valley is aimed at combining 3 great features of the area: typical villages and small cities, wine tastings and top class chateaux. 2 beautiful chateaux and local wine sampling (red, white and rosé) in two different venues, including a troglodyte cellar are on today's program! Leaving some time for strolls in the local town and villages as well as personal shopping! -
Spend a whole, virtually private day with Napoleon visiting some of its most intimate and lesser known houses. West of Paris, the first one on the itinerary is way off the tourist track and exudes style and history. The chateau has also a strong link to Napoleon's personal life, as his first wife, Empress Joséphine lived and died there. The second palace will take you to the countryside, where rooms have recently been refurbished to exhibit some of the most beautiful decors from the French Emperor's days. Finally, this very special day will uncover a very secret place, where the biggest private collection of Napoleon's objects can be seen in the heart of Paris! Option: fly over Napoleon's palace in a helicopter! -
The administrative court of appeal of Paris, located in the hotel de Beauvais, is rarely open to the public. On very special occasion, the court has no session, this is why some reserved areas will be exceptionally open! On the day of the visit, on top of the overall history of the building, we'll be able to admire the magnificent courtyard, the grand staircase, the main court room and special waiting room as well as the rare medieval cellars. -
Paris is much older than one might at first think, at least twice as old as Notre Dame. Before the year 1000, there was, in this order: a Gallic settlement, a Roman city, and a Frankish royal capital—visited by people such as Julius Caesar, Julian the Apostate, and Clovis the King of the Franks. Many vestiges of this ancient history are buried today beneath the streets of visible, modern part of town. From the île de la Cité to the ramparts of the 12th arrondissment, we will pass through the Roman Forum and baths before completing the tour at the famous Arenes de Lutece (Lutetia's arenas). -
This walk will uncover a unique place: a small village bordered only with Parisian villas, pedestrian and paved walkways bordered by pretty houses. The whole area surrounded by parks and small gardens. The tour will also take you in one of the last Parisian village, little known to Parisian and hidden in the 19th arrondissement. Nearby, the park of the Buttes Chaumont, created in the 19th century, is considered as the most charming and typically Parisian of all the capital's parks. -
This tour is meant for architecture and interior decoration lovers. A first stretch in Western Paris will recall Art Déco's origins and diffusion, highlighted with several houses built in the same street by key architects. One of these houses will be exceptionally open for a visit of the vast workshop on the ground floor. Just a block away, another amazing place, built by leading 1930's architect Le Corbusier, gives another orientation to modernist style. After a short metro trip, a stop has been arranged in one of the most beautiful and typical restaurants in Paris, rich with anecdotes. Across the street, is another example of Art Deco buildings, directly inspired by American high rise. The end of the tour will take place in a fantastic hotel built as a tribute to the great 1925 Art Déco exhibition, filled with the most refined furniture, frescoes, and decors. -
Stroll a few small streets and alleyways around Montsouris park and experience the charm of a neighborhood where one really feel away and far from Paris. Some of the beautiful houses were built for famous artists. Some villas were also used as experimenting new art déco techniques and materials. In a close-by passage, we'll visit the grand house atelier of a sculptor, now turned into a museum after her death (10€ pp). -
Art Nouveau is a new conception in art that will spread out in Europe between the 1880's up till the First World War, not only in architecture, but also in design and furniture. If many countries will develop their own version, a few architects will in France sign several buildings emblematic and prestigious up to our times. Two routes are proposed to experience the best of Art Nouveau in Paris. -
Belleville and Ménilmontant, traditional working class and Parisian areas, have seen a long evolution to now welcome some of the most vibrant and trendy districts of Paris. On top of the most beautiful panorama over Paris, discover artists workshops as well countless street art works. Hidden villas and back alleys lead to pretty squares and architectural beauties hidden behind modern buildings. From the birth place of Edith Piaf to a very colorful food and clothes market, stroll the winding streets of Belleville and encounter a new and true face of Paris.
