Hop-on tours outside of Paris
Economical, pre-packaged, door-to-door tours outside of Paris.

Versailles Palace: Morning or Afternoon

Discover the Château de Versailles (30 minutes outside Paris) and the history of the “Sun King”. Visit the State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors on your own. You can rent a recorded commentary device for your visit. Entrance ticket included, no need to wait in line. Royal French architecture and interiors at their most glamorous. After touring the Castle, you’ll enjoy the gardens where you will see the other hidden charms of this magnificent palace and its dependencies: The Petit and the Grand Trianon summer palaces, the hunting lodge, the Queen’s hamlet… These lovely buildings are smaller than the château, but full of charm and fascinating history. Your guide will tell you lots of gossipy stories about Louis the 14th and his wife, Marie Antoinette, and his mistresses. On Fridays and Saturdays enjoy the same tour but with a guide in addition to take you around the Chateau and explain and answer any questions you might have about this magnificent palace.

Famous Musical Fountain Show. On Saturdays and Sundays in the Summer. If you take this tour April through September, you will have the added bonus of seeing and hearing the magic of the musical fountains, a unique and enjoyable experience! A technological marvel dating to the 17th century.

Full day at Versailles with licensed guide

Get away from the city and revel in the grandeur of the palace and gardens of Versailles for a whole day! In the morning you will go on a tour of the château and the magnificent Royal Apartments with a private guide.

Enjoy a three-course lunch with wine (extra) at “La Flottille” restaurant, overlooking the Grand Canal in the château gardens.

After lunch your guide will show you the other hidden charms of this magnificent palace and its dependencies: The Petit and the Grand Trianon summer palaces, the hunting lodge, the Queen’s hamlet… These lovely buildings are smaller than the château, not seen by the rushed visitor, but full of charm and fascinating history. Your guide will tell you lots of gossipy stories about Louis the 14th and his wife, Marie Antoinette, and his mistresses.

Return to Paris around 5 P.M. having had a full day of fresh air and royal French architecture. Entry tickets to the gardens and palaces are included.

Famous Musical Fountain Show. On Sundays in the Summer. If you take this tour on Sundays April through September, you will have the added bonus of seeing and hearing the magic of the musical fountains, a unique and enjoyable experience! A technological marvel dating to the 17th century.

Normandy Landing Beaches (only available in French & English)

Visit the sites where the American, British, Canadian and French Allies fought to re-conquer freedom. Operation Overlord, launched on June 5th, 1944, was the daring initiative to establish beach heads at Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword, opening up a western front in the fight for democracy.

Take an emotional journey through the Pegasus bridge, the Caen memorial, the Pointe du Hoc, the American cemetery and the Arromanches.

Giverny

Giverny is a picturesque little village about an hour outside Paris. You will visit the house of Claude Monet, master of Impressionism, where he created some of his most famous paintings, including the water lily series. You will enjoy the beauty of the gardens captured by the painter. There is also a museum of American Art near his house. After coffee or tea in the garden restaurants, return across the green Normandy countryside. A nice half-day out of the city, in the morning or afternoon, all summer long.

Giverny + Château de Versailles

Discover Claude Monet’s house and Gardens, where the master of Impressionism created some of his most famous paintings, including the water lily series, in the village of Giverny, about an hour from Paris. You can then have lunch, included in your ticket for a supplement or lunch on your own. After lunch, you will continue on to Versailles where you will see the gardens and buildings created by France’s Sun King, Louis the 14th. Visit the interior of the Château on your own. Entry tickets included, no waiting in line. Return to your doorstep in Paris after a deep look at the French countryside and royal architecture.

Auvers-sur-Oise and Giverny

After being picked up from your hotel, you’ll go on a guided tour of the village of Giverny and Claude Monet’s home where he painted his famous pictures. After lunch in a garden restaurant on your own, we will move on to Auvers-sur-Oise, where Van Gogh spent the last days of his life painting some of his most beautiful canvases. Enjoy a tour that tells the “Impressionists’ story”, with a visit to his grave and the Auberge Ravoux where Vincent Van Gogh lived until his death. Tickets included. Return to Paris around 5 P.M. 3-course lunch at Moulin de Fourges.

Disneyland Paris

Pick-up at your hotel (by minibus) and transfer to Disneyland Paris by coach, where there are two parks:

1. Walt Disney Studios Park
The world of how films are made: Lights, camera, action! Go behind the scenes and see how cartoons are made, how special effects are created, the tricks used in cinema today - all the secrets revealed!

2. Disneyland Park
You travel through five imaginary countries: Main Street USA, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Discoveryland. Many rides, gags and lots of action.

With us you will get the “E 1 H ticket”, the One day Park Hopper ticket that allows you to go from one park to the other as much as you like for one day. At the end of the day we will bring you back to your hotel in Paris. Transfer and entry included, no waiting in line to buy your ticket!

Fontainebleau and Barbizon

After crossing through the lovely town of Brie, you will arrive at Fontainebleau for a visit of the famous Château and gardens. All the kings of France lived here at one time or another. On your return to Paris, you’ll have time to discover the charms and history of Barbizon, a town which inspired numerous painters such as Millet and Rousseau.

Champagne: Full day tour

If you are a wine lover you will want to make this pilgrimage. A little over an hour out of Paris, you can enjoy some fresh air, and fresh drinks! After a drive through the vineyards, you will visit the Cathedral of Reims, “traditional coronation site of the French Kings”. Then, we will offer you a fine three-course French meal in a restaurant in Épernay. In the afternoon, wine tasting in Reims! You will visit the wine cellars of Moët et Chandon (or Mercier or Georges Cartier, depending upon the season). You can buy a bottle or two as presents. This includes a visit of the Dom Pérignon’s town of Hautvilliers. A drive through the champagne vineyards, wine cellars, champagne tasting, a nice lunch: a great way to spend a day in the country.

Avignon and Provence in the South of France by fast train… Two days and one night in Avignon

You will be picked up at your hotel and taken to the Gare de Lyon station by a local Paris Guide. There you will be settled in the world’s fastest train for your adventure into deep France, with literature and maps in hand. You will whizz across 700 km in two and a half hours and see the varied and green land of France. Upon arrival, you will be chauffeured to your three-star hotel (breakfast included but no other meals). After lunch on your own you will go on a tour of the the lovely and ancient city of Avignon with a private local guide. Avignon was the home of the Pope in the middle ages and is now the home of the national theater festival every summer. On your guided visit, you will also see the bridge made famous in the song, «sur le pont d’Avignon», and the charming squares of this pretty town.

On day two you have the morning free to explore Avignon on your own. Tickets to the Palais des Papes and a river cruise are included. After lunch on your own, you and your private guide will be picked up for a driving tour of several picturesque little villages in the countryside of Provence. You will see roman ruins, medieval villages, a lavender museum, vineyards with wine tasting at the Chateauneuf du Pape. At the end you will return to Avignon to catch your fast train back to Paris in the early evening arriving back at Gare de Lyon less than three hours later. A truly memorable trip in the lovely countryside of Provence.

Loire Castles: Amboise or Cheverny, Chenonceau, Chambord – Long day out

We’ll pick you up at your hotel and take you on a scenic drive down to the Loire valley. Then your first château will be Cheverny or Amboise castle, where Leonardo da Vinci spent his final days. Next you will visit the gracious Chenonceau castle and the largest of the three, Chambord. These castles are what story books showed us as children. So it is great fun to see the real thing. In the middle of all this we will offer you a fine lunch (drinks not included). On the way back, on Fridays we stop for wine tasting at Monmousseau cellars in Montrichard. At the end of a long day, we bring you back to your doorstep, ready for a good night’s rest and sweet chateaux dreams. For a supplement we can make the dream come true: after your tour, we can arrange a stay for one night in a château hotel near Chambord-Long. You can return the next day by train on your own. We will arrange your hotel accommodation and train tickets.

Hot Air Balloon ride over Château de Maintenon near Paris

You will be whisked from your hotel early in the morning and driven to Maintenon, a hundred kilometers west of Paris. You will enjoy a scenic and exhilarating one-hour balloon flight over château de Maintenon, the Aqueduc, and the lovely green countryside of France. You will feel lighter than air as you float noiselessly over the beautiful scenery: castles, picturesque villages — don’t forget to bring your camera! When you land, you will enjoy a champagne toast to celebrate your flight. After the journey, you will be brought back to Paris and dropped off at your hotel. The flight is confirmed on the night before by the pilot depending on weather conditions. If there is a sudden change in the weather, he may rarely cancel on the day of the flight, because your safety is paramount. You will be insured for the flight but it does not cover personal property. If the flight is cancelled due to bad weather, you will receive a full refund. Price per person: degressive depending on the number of people who book in your party. Minimum booking two persons. See list on right.

If the Balloon ride canot be held we can arrange a nice visit of Castle de Maintenon, Chartres, Fontainbleau or Rambouillet.

Mont Saint-Michel in one day

You’ll be picked up at your hotel around 7 A.M. and taken by minibus across the Normandy countryside to arrive at the coast before noon, an enjoyable four-hour drive with an English-speaking driver guide. There you will visit the beautiful abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, built on top of a tiny rocky island. The monastery dates from the 13th century and was for long a pilgrimage destination. Lunch (drinks not included) will be offered in a restaurant in the quaint village at the foot of the mountain. After a tour with your guide, you’ll have plenty of time to stroll and visit the site on your own. The village, the steep streets, the ocean, and a mysterious monument at the top. You’ll leave for Paris around 4 pm and be dropped off at your hotel doorstep at the end. A great long day out in the French countryside, with a look at medieval France. If the number of passengers requires, the drive to Normandy and back may be by comfortable coach on a few busy days, but we will always ensure doorstep pick up and drop off at your hotel in a minibus.

Day trip to London by Eurostar

You will be picked up from your hotel early in the morning by a hostess and taxi around 6 A.M. You will assemble with other passengers from other hotels and be taken to Gare du Nord in Paris around 7 A.M. The hostess will remain with you until you check into the international train station, with your tickets in hand. You will take your seat on the Eurostar for your two-and-a-half-hour ride to London, departing at 8:13 A.M. Paris time. After arrival at London St. Pancras, at approximately 9:37 A.M. local time, (Note: there is a one hour difference between English and French time) a second hostess will escort you to your minibus, which will be waiting for you to take you around the city to visit the most famous sights. You will see Picadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and the Tower of London, with a recorded commentary in your language. You will have a part of your afternoon free for lunch and shopping, and will then return to St. Pancras station on your own at around 6 P.M. You will be told where and when to meet your hostess, to board the train, departing London at 7 P.M. local time. Return to Paris around 10:30 P.M. French time. Breakfast and dinner on the train included in first class. The tour finishes at Paris Nord station, from where you will make your way back to your hotel by taxi, or public transport. Important: You will need your passport and visa for England.

Day trip to Bruges (Belgium), the Venice of the North

A one-day visit of Bruges in Belgium, the “Venice of the North”, with doorstep pick up by minibus. The trip to Bruges may be by minibus or by comfortable coach and lasts about two and a half hours. Once in Bruges, you will enjoy a guided walking tour, a cruise on the river, and free time for shopping and lunch in the afternoon. Bruges is very pretty and renowned for its lace and chocolates: fine presents to bring back. Return to hotel doorstep around 10 p.m. (Attention: passport needed).