Paris Walks are short guided tours in English and we found them to be fantastic! I’ve done three in Paris (they’re also in London) and I highly recommend them for new visitors and old hands alike! Most tours cost €10, last about two hours and do not require reservations; you just show up at the designated meeting point.
During our latest trip, we did the Da Vinci Code and Montmartre tours. Our Da Vinci guide, (a rumpled Brit in a trench coat, how appropriate!) was very entertaining and knowledgeable, giving us tons of information and anecdotes about the numerous points of interest we passed from St. Sulpice to the Louvre, and not just mentioned in the book, either. On our tour of Montmartre, we saw landmarks related to the many artists who lived there, including a studio that housed many impressionists and modern artists. The guides were able to answer most other questions thrown at them, and were truly interested in the facts and fiction of Paris and the stories that contribute to its fascinating history!
The walks are scheduled once a week or more, with more tours in the summer. The current topics include Hemingway's Paris, The French Revolution and The Historic Marais. The price and convenience, not to mention the entertainment factor, are unbeatable!
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http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pariswalking/)