Paris Museum Pass

Paris Metro/ Subway Travel

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"I am writing to share with you our enthusiasm for our tour with Sandra Hoyois. It (Best Food Tour Ever)was everything you said it would be and much more! I've already given friends your web site so that they may enjoy the same experience. Sandra was well organized, a lot of fun to explore with - and she took us into many varied shops that we would not have found on our own. I just wish I had written down the names and addresses or kept a business card from the various shops that we visited. I highly recommend Sandra's tour!!! 5 *****" - Carol Ann


"We used discoverfrance the last time we were in Paris and were EXTREMELY satisfied with everything..The car service was particularly efficient and CLASSY!"
V. Byrne

"My friend and I did the minivan tour to the D-Day beaches in Normandy, which a another friend had recommended to me. Our tour guide was Sandrine. She was great-very knowledgeable and informative, and the tour was excellent. I would definitely recommend it to anyone I know who goes there (actually, I already have). I would also do the tour again if I have the opportunity. Thanks very much for a great experience!"

"Pierre was our Airport Transfer person and our guide on our day long trip to Normandy. He was polite and extremely knowledgable. We appreciate his attention to detail and his promptness.We will definitely recommend your service to others!"

Sightseeing in Paris is possible in a variety of ways. There are bus tours offered by a number of companies, but typically these larger tours require you to come to a specific location for departure and return; taking more time from your day. These can be booked in advance or in Paris with your hotel.

Also, be aware that booking a Paris tour through your concierge may generate a commission for your concierge and so be sure to get all the info and not just his choice for tours.

The office of tourism in Paris can also help with tour bookings and pass sales if you prefer to book everything in Paris once you arrive.

NEW - ROMANTIC EVENING in PARIS - click for details

Quick Links:

Paris Museum Pass

Paris Metro Pass

Paris Tour - Days Tours

Paris City Tour - Private Cars

Paris Moulin Rouge

Paradis Latin Cabaret

Bateaux Parisiens - Seine River Cruises

Night Club Tour & Fashion Tours

Paris Airport Shuttle Services

Paris Airport Bus Transfer

Paris Bus - Open Tour Bus

With every delivery, you’ll get a FREE map of Paris with Metro and RER maps included, FREE Fashion Show Invitation, and shopping discount as well as a GIFT Offer from Galeries Lafayette or Printemps.

Visiting the Paris region - Ile de France

Paris, with its wealth of monuments, tends to overshadow the richly forested and treasure-dotted world around it. The traveler who gets out of the City of Light into the nearby countryside is usually drawn to one or more of a trio of France's best-known sights, remaining unaware of the region's other remarkable attributes. The fascination of the palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau make a grand gateway to the Ile de France's treasures.

Ile de France is a magical name in the annals of French culture. This "island", framed within rivers, is the heartland of France, and is tied to Gallic history from Julius Caesar through Charlemagne, Joan of Arc and more kings than most of us can remember. It is a green island of forests that were once royal preserves, and now are pleasure spots for all visitors.

As an example of memorable masterpieces to be discovered in the Paris environs there is Vaux-le-Vicomte. Situated a half-dozen miles from Fontainebleau, this art-filled château in a magnificent formal garden is considered among the greatest works of the 17th century.

Vaux-le-Vicomte was created for Nicolas Fouquet, Finance Minister under Louis XIV, by top talents of the day who labored five years with a staff of thousands to put together the most splendid showplace of the period.

The château made a sufficient splash on the 1661 social scene to upstage the King and his country residence in Fontainebleau. Since Fouquet had squandered money at a time when even the royal family was feeling the pinch, His Majesty took over the Vaux-le-Vicomte architectural staff and put the former finance minister behind bars for life. Today, Vaux-le-Vicomte, restored to its former glory, is linked by forest byways as a suitable companion piece to Fontainebleau. Located 32 miles from Paris, the château is open from late March through October, and is set on commanding ground not far from the Seine where it winds its way along the edge of the vast Fontainebleau forest.

The region south of Paris is a great setting for extraordinary excursions. On weekends, mountain climbers test their skills on rocky slopes in the forest. French families enjoy a déjeuner sur l'herbe in pastoral surroundings, where picnicking, hiking, and sport combine interestingly with art and historic discovery. An ideal way to get here from Paris is by car; south from the city on route A6, later switching to small country roads. For those planning a picnic, the charming market town of Milly-la-Forêt supplies the goods - even on Sunday. Nearby stands the exquisite 12th-century chapel of Saint-Blaise-des-Simples, decorated by poet Jean Cocteau, who is buried here.

For a sit-down lunch, Barbizon is a favorite place to go. This pretty-as-a-picture village was favored by painters of the Barbizon School: Corot; Millet; Daumier and Theodore Rousseau. Studios of Millet and Rousseau are now museums open to the public. Cafés and good little restaurants line the main street.

A notable landscape to be explored on a side trip from the châteaux could include Moret-sur-Loing, immortalized in Sisley's paintings, which capture the verdant scene mirrored in the Loing stream.

Day-trips or weekends in the environs are a delightful bonus to the Paris visitor and add another dimension to city sightseeing. As might be expected, gastronomy is part of the package, with the winning combination of sophisticated cuisine and rustic restaurants available throughout the region.

The combination of Fontainebleau-Barbizon can be visited on a bus tour out of Paris. Fontainebleau and Versailles are easily reached by train or RER (Paris' suburban transit system). Other choices are more suited to rental car outings, or obviously the mini van tours we provide at the left.