Get to know the City of Light through the eyes of a local on this full-day tour packed with tantalising treats and cultural gems! This full-day tour combines two of our top-selling Paris tours (Secret Paris and Gourmet Marais), giving you one epic adventure. Start your Paris tour right in the heart of one of Paris’ most expensive and fashionable areas, where luxury, elegance, and beauty are around every corner. Stop in at an illustrious food store and take the chance to sample a mouth-watering macaron, a delicious French speciality. Your Paris city tour continues towards the iconic Louvre, home to some of the world’s most celebrated art, and the Palais Royal, opposite the Louvre, unknown among tourists but possibly even more beautiful than the Louvre. Learn about this palace that got turned into a hub for prostitution in the 14th century. We’ll then take you to some of Paris’ most beautiful passages – these covered arcades were once known to be the best places for shopping in Paris. Next on this Paris food tour, head to a lively Parisian market to indulge in one of France’s most popular gastronomic pleasures: cheese! Perhaps taste some smooth, mild Brie or sample a slice of pungent Roquefort – known as the ‘King of Cheeses’. Afterwards, amble through Paris’ secret arcades to discover quirky shops, unique boutiques, and one of the oldest buildings in Paris. Here you’ll have a few hours of free time to wander and explore on your own. You could grab a drink or lunch in a French Bistrot (be warned, though, there’s lots of food still to come in the afternoon!). Or, you could head up to the top of the Pompidou for the best free view of Paris. Your second leg of the tour will start opposite the Pompidou centre and we'll take you to explore the medieval neighbourhood of the Marais. Full of sweet shops, pâtisseries, boutiques, and cafés, Le Marais offers insight into French culture and the secret Paris local way of life. We’ll move on to the Hôtel de Ville, the city’s town hall, on the square where public executions were once carried out. You’ll learn about the horrible death of Robert-François Damiens, the infamous man who tried to assassinate King Louis XV. We’ll then move on to the little tangled streets of the Marais to spot beautiful medieval churches, corbelled houses, and narrow lanes. We’ll also pass by an iconic bakery whose baguette was elected one of the best in Paris and will try our first pastry, a delicious meringue-based merveilleux. Next, we’ll visit Rue Saint-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, one of the oldest streets in the Marais, and today the centre of the French gay scene. You’ll learn how this part of city, once sordid, became synonymous with trendy Paris, and a shopping hub for fashionistas and the core of “bobo” culture. While we’re here, we’ll stop and sample a delicious macaron from one of Paris’ most famous pastry chefs. Just a street away is Rue des Rosiers, the heart of the Jewish community. It’s a vibrant pedestrian street full of falafel stands and delicious Jewish-influenced delis. We’ll enter a fabulous chocolate store to taste a butter-filled pastry, called Kouign Amann, a specialty from Brittany. Our Paris tour will then take us back to the South Marais, where stands the longest remaining piece of the 12th-century defensive wall of Paris. After a walk through impressive Saint-Paul’s church, we’ll stop in at a local wine bar, where we’ll get a professional wine tasting. We’ll sample as well some iconic French liqueurs like Cognac and Armagnac or “Old Plum” brandy. To accompany our drinks, we’ll also taste some delicious French cheese or charcuterie treats. From there we’ll move on to Paris’ oldest and certainly most beautiful square, la Place des Vosges, home of France’s national writer, Victor Hugo. From there, it’s only a short walk to our final destination, la place de la Bastille, the former prison that was captured on July 14, 1789, triggering the French Revolution. The area nearby is full of bars and restaurants, leaving you with plenty of options for carrying on with your evening in the City of Lights after a whole day discovering Paris!
