I’m not really one for organized tours. In fact, I’m more of a read up before I go and explore on my own type of gal. But, the last time I was in Paris, I made an exception.
On this trip, I was being accompanied by my dear friends Edith and Eric. They had only been to Paris once before and only for 12-hours at that, so I was super excited to be their tour guide for four days. As we were getting closer to our departure, I was conveniently served up an ad advertising tours of France (thanks for spying on me, Facebook). But not just any basic tour…these were customized tours conducted in vintage Citroën 2CV cars that have clear, roll-back roofs and adorable bug-eyed headlights. How cool! A perfect surprise for my friends and 2 hours of afternoon fun for us all.
I kept it vague. I told Edith and Eric I wanted to book us a tour on Sunday and that it would be two hours but that was all I could say. They obliged. So, I was off to book things and was pleasantly surprised to see that you could add champagne to your tour for an extra €29. Uhh…that’s a strong OUAI. *Ajouter au pannier.* The tour I booked was touted as the “Undiscovered Paris Tour,” and exploration of off-the-beaten track sights.
When I booked things in late November, France was striking. What else is new? Our trip wasn’t planned until the end of December so I figured we needn’t worry. Aaaaand of course when we arrived on December 28th, the transit strike was still fully on and fully disrupting life in Paris. Not gonna lie. When we were stuck in snail-paced traffic in the center of Paris for over 30 minutes on our arrival, I grew a little concerned about my planned surprise happening the very next day.
Thankfully, when we awoke, at least something was working in our favor. The weather was gorgeous! Clear skies and plenty of sun. I figured, if the strike was really causing trouble for the tour company, they would have reached out by now…so that, too, seemed promising. We had our morning coffee and were off to Place des Vosges (my favorite petite park in Paris btw). We were due to meet our driver at the far corner at 11:30. Anticipation was building…and after snapping a few shots of the manicured trees and fountains, I revealed what was in store.
“See those little cars over there? We’re getting in and going for a spin! Oh…and there’s champs!”
As if the cars weren’t cute enough, our tour driver put things over the top. Meet Bernard – the perfect cross between a wry, older French man and a touch of aging hipster. He was trop cool, had an adorable accent, and said he used to be a concert photographer.
Bernard suggested we maybe pop up to Montmartre to see all of Paris from above. (I’m assuming because of the strike and less traffic.) Not exactly in line with the “undiscovered” tour I had booked, but I was actually happy to have him take us there as seeing the Sacre Coeur and the views from there was one of the things I had really wanted to show my friends anyway. With the transit strike, there was no way we were hoofing it all the way up from Le Marais on foot. So, this was perfect. We were off. Felt a bit like a clown car…but our trusty Citroën, Charlotte, chugged her way up the hills of Montmartre as Bernard pointed things out along the way.
We arrived at the base of the Sacre Coeur, parked for 15 minutes, snapped some photos, and then popped the champagne. Bernard proposed we save the other half of the bottle and maybe zip down to the Eiffel Tower next. As cheesy as that initially sounded, who’s gonna say no? In the end, it was pretty freaking cool.
Some tour highlights: zipping past the Moulin Rouge and the épicerie featured in Amélie, drinking champagne outside of the Sacre Coeur, seeing Clos Montmartre the oldest (and still active) vineyard in Paris, having more champs in front of the Eiffel Tower, miraculously not getting squished in the giant rotary around L’Arc de Triumph, and breezing down the Champs-Élysées like true Parisians. So much fun!
Interested in trying this yourself? Visit Paris Authentic for tickets. It’s so worth it!