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Why Booking a Private Tour in Paris is a Good Idea
I believe we can all agree that crowds are not ideal because they mean longer lines, lots of noise, no privacy when trying to get a great selfie and worst of all the judgmental stares you get when trying out different poses. Who really needs this during their vacation? Private tours are a better alternative because you get to experience your tour by yourself or a limited number of people.
Private tours, also known as “tailor-made” tours, are all-inclusive travel experiences, led by an expert local guide following a well-crafted and balanced itinerary. The participants of private tours tend to be limited so that the guide can give undivided attention to each participate, or it can just be you alone.
Majority of the private tours require you paying the guide who will accompany you during your tour.
Vacations are meant to be relaxing experiences where you discover new and interesting cultures, architecture, history and monuments and booking a private tour is the best way to experience the best of the City of Lights, Paris.
Below, we discuss why booking a private tour in Paris is a good idea.
1. This is why it is not expensive
Hand stretching out Euros – Pixabay
What do people really mean by expensive? We can all agree if you buy any pair of Louis Vuitton shoes you’ll have to part with a large amount of money, they are expensive. However, this expense is justified by the shoe’s high quality, durability and prestige associated with it. On the other hand, if you buy a pair of shoes from the Dollar Tree at the same price as a Louis Vuitton, then that’s expensive as there is no justification for it.
In the same way, paying an additional amount of cash to book a private tour is not per se expensive because you get value for it. Your private guide will try to cater to your every want and need to make the tour as successful as possible. Your experience will be magical, you will get Instagram worthy pictures, and you will be well-informed in regard to the places you visited.
Also, by booking a private tour, you are saving cost because to attract many clients private tour companies try to offer cost friendly tours. They are able to achieve this as the companies are able to negotiate with the different tourist attraction sites a discount on the different fees they impose on tourists.
An advantage that Paris has is that you can book a free private tour. For free private tours, you are encouraged to pay as much as you want, depending on the value of service you have received. If you are unhappy with the private guide then you don’t pay them, which is very unlike as the guides are well experienced professionals, and if the tour was great you pay them.
2. Make your own rules
Young woman taking a break, drinking coffee sitting outdoors at the traditional French café – Unsplash
In the words of Barbara de Angelis, “No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore, you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change.” Private tours allow you to customize your tour for the best experience possible.
With Private tours you decide on where you want to go, how you want to go, when you want to go and if you want to change it midway, you do it. You are the boss and there are no limitations.
When planning out your private tour, describe to your tour guide what you exactly want to see, the things that you find interesting and what you dislike. With this, the guide will be able to recommend additional places and plan a perfect tour for you. They will share with you the day’s plan in advance so that you are able to approve it is to your liking.
Also, along the tour, if something not included in the tour strikes your interest, inform your guide. He/she will mostly like to be flexible to accommodate the change and even advise about the new interest. To truly enjoy your private tours, don’t be shy or afraid to speak your mind.
In this category while in Paris it is highly recommended that you pick Customize your Half Day in Paris tour where you tell a team of local experts about your interests, and they customize an itinerary for your best possible day in Paris.
To help you pick further, have a look at the 10 Best Private Tours to take in Paris.
3. Time saving
Clock of the Tower of the Horloge, Paris – Wikipedia
Time is one of the most precious resources, if you can save any of it then take full advantage as their so much to do but very little time available to do it. Private tours eliminate time-wasting on online researching on the best places to visit, planning your itinerary, figuring the best routes to take to explore each place and in case you get lost the time needed to find your bearings.
Avoid this time-wasting and the stress that comes with it by allowing a local professional to plan out your day. Simply tell them your interests, your expectations of the tour and your preferences, and they will figure out the best places for you to visit, how you will reach these places and also prepare a cost-effective tour for you.
To save time while visiting Paris, it is highly recommended you try the skip the line tours that are available throughout the city like Skip-the-line Orsay + Montmartre tour. This tour will give you special access to both the Orsay museum, holds the largest number of famous paintings in the world by Monet, Manet, Pissarro, Morisot, and Renoir, and a tour of the Montmartre area, picturesque district is where these painters and more lived.
Check out the 25 must-see Art Galleries in Paris while at it.
4. Safety
Safety first road sign – Unsplash
The greatest challenge when it comes to travelling is security. You are in a foreign country where you don’t understand nor speak the language and don’t know how the country works. True, you can spend time researching online on areas to avoid, but private tours elevate your safety by provide you a guide who will ensure your safety.
Local professional guides will be able to guide you on the safest paths to take, the areas to avoid, the people to avoid and in case anything happens they will know how to react. Just to illustrate, the emergency number in Paris is not “9-1-1″ but “1-1-2”. This guides also understand the local language and are able to translate anything to you in your preferred language.
In Paris, Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, Paris Flea market, is a must destination for all visitors. This market has the largest concentration of antique dealers and second-hand dealers in the world. Unfortunately, the market is very hard to navigate around and there are many pick picketers and conmen. A private tour to Les Puces de Saint-Ouen will greatly reduce the risks of you getting lost or losing your money to conmen or pickpockets.
5. In-depth understanding
Understanding sign – Unsplash
Private tours give you the opportunity to truly immerse yourself into new surroundings. They provide you ample time to view, admire and examine the local landmarks and monuments. Your guide provides you with in-depth information about where you are and answers every question you may have satisfactory.
Many of the guards who offer private tours are well-trained and well-informed about the different attractions within their countries’. They are taught how to make their content exciting and fun to different groups, children, teenagers and adults. Some of them are also able to communication in more than one language, making the tour inclusive to tourists speaking different languages.
Paris is primarily a French-speaking city, however their private tours are available in other languages including Kiswahili, English and more. This encourages inclusivity during the tour, as no one is left out.
The city of lights is also known to provide in-depth tours to specific tours. For all those who love baking, they can try the Paris: Macaron Bakery Class at Galeries Lafayette tour. During this private cooking tour, you will uncover the secrets of the macaron under the guide of a French pastry chef.
What’s more? You can even learn a skill or two while at it. On that note, check out these 10 Best Cooking Classes to do in Paris.
6. Relaxing, and do something random
This is for all the free spirits who do not really care much for planning out their day and are ready to face whatever is thrown at them. Randomness is very critical in awakening your system when you feel uninspired and unmotivated in life. It gets your heart pumping, your braining strategizing for unexpected events and your whole body buzzing with excitement.
Online, there are millions of private tour packages from all over the world, including our Paris Private tours. For a unique and unexpected experience, you can randomly select a tour of your choice and let nature take its course. Private tour packages are a great to pick on a wimp as you are guaranteed a guide who will ensure your safety and an epic experience.
This experience will be unplanned, unlike any other, and unforgettable. Where are we heading, what will I see, what should I expect, and so many more questions will be crossing your mind.
Paris is one of those cities that never disappoint, thus any random private tour you pick on it will definitely leave an impression on you. Be ready for anything, including eating a frog. If feeling a little adventurous, try Paris: The Ultimate Food Tour. This tour will take you to different eateries where you can sample various classic French cuisines.
Touring Paris is an endless adventure of discovery, marvel and thrill. With so much to see and do, whether on a private tour or not. Perhaps to start you off should you be wondering where to begin, check out our Ultimate List: Here are the 100 Best Things to do in Paris.
Happy travel!
