A wonderful trip that all of us will never forget!
France
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Mar 16 - Mar 25, 2025
Hi KimKim team......thank you all for putting together a fun, educational, interesting, workable, walkable, cultural, meet wonderful people itinerary for us. We all had an amazing time! All of our private guides and tours were definitely the way to go for the 5 of us.....no waiting in lines or having to decide where to go, how to get there, or what to expect. The order of the daily activities was also good...one day built on the next especially learning about King Louis XIV...from the Chateaux Day tour, to the Louvre, to Versailles and finally the covered passages - he definitely got around. It's hard to pick out one favorite activity....each one had its highlight. Joel, our chateaux day trip driver and guide, Laurine at the Louvre, and Chef Dominque were exceptional. We all loved the Louvre teen quest tour- Laurine's stories made the sculptures, art works and history come alive. Since this was my 3rd visit to Versailles I enjoyed seeing the grounds by bike (even though it was a cloudy day and the gardens were not in bloom), but felt a little bad when our time at the Palace was cut short due to the length of the ride. The Opera Garnier was beyond imagination in decor. A special treat was seeing the outside and inside renovation of Notre Dame combined with Sainte Chapelle - our guide was able to go in with us, again a plus for having a private tour. Oh yes....and we all came home smelling very French!
Hotel Review
We had 2 rooms for the 5 of us. The 2 teenagers enjoyed having their own room as did the 3 adults. The adult room had a sitting room with a twin sofa bed (very comfortable) and one bedroom with a double bed ( it would have been nice to have 2 single beds instead). As you would expect, the rooms were small but adequate. The kitchenette was nice for snacks and coffee. The hotel had a breakfast buffet but we did not partake. There was a nice bakery 2 doors down for morning pastries as we headed out early every morning. There was a nice restaurant next door plus small market just down the street. The neighborhood was very welcoming and within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower, Arc of Triumph and Champs-Elysees and close to 2 metro stations. We found taking an Uber or taxi to get across town was expensive since we were about 3 miles from the Louvre area where a lot of our activities took place so walking and the metro were our favorite modes of transportation!
Activity Reviews
We all made it up the 360 stairs to the second floor, then took the elevator to the top. It was a sunny, cool day with clear skies so the view from the top was amazing. Dasha our guide was very personable and had lots of stories to keep us going.
Our window side table was the best.....another beautiful night on a beautiful river! The food and wine was delicious.
Private tour allowed us to skip the lines plus have the benefit of a very knowledgeable and passionate guide.
Great to get out of the city and see the Loire Valley countryside plus 3 very different but beautiful Chateaux!
A private tour and guide with a focus on seeing 15 iconic masterpieces - sculptures and paintings - to uncover a secret code and unlock the cryptex was a fun and learning experience for all of us. The Louvre is just too big and overwhelming to just wander around without a focus!
Learned about the various wine regions and how the right cheese can enhance the enjoyment of the wine.
Fun to go to the market with Chef Dominque and choose the food for our lunch. It was a hands-on cooking class so we all learned some new tips. Oh....and the food was delicious!
Had no idea how many scents can go into one eau de par fun creation. Fun chemistry lesson!
It was fun to see the Palace grounds from the backside and around the canal. The Palace was of course beautiful and rich with history.
Fun seeing another area of Paris with cobblestone streets, historical architecture, art and steep hills leading to Sacre-Coeur and sampling rocks, macaroons, wine and cheese along the way.
The covered passages gave us another view of Paris and French history.....more Louis XIV references. Beautiful architecture and store fronts.
