After the fun I had on the Urban Adventures “Secret Paris” tour, I was really looking forward to their “Bohemian Paris” tour – something a little different from the food-centric tours I tend to take (i.e. this tour by Flavors of Paris on the Left Bank, the Context Paris Chocolate Walk, the Context “Bobo Palate: New Trends in Parisian Cuisine“, the Context Baguette to Bistro tour, the La Cuisine Paris “Sugar Walk” of the Marais, the “Bellies on Foot” tour, again from La Cuisine Paris) or this food tour of the 7th arrondissments with Localers, just to name a few!), though as the tour did promise we would “learn about France’s heritage while walking the streets, playing petanque and sampling regional fare,” I was pleased to see a snack built into the 4 hour afternoon walking tour (€40 per person).
The day for the tour dawned bright and hot (as in 35˚C) but as the tour was in the afternoon, I was hopeful there might be some cooling breeze by then. Little did I suspect as I headed out in my coolest clothes, water bottle in hand that in the 10 minutes it would take me to reach the meeting point by the stifling RERB train, the weather would have turned completely. As in…
Huddled in a doorway just 50 metres from the meeting point of the Pantheon, we had a phone call from Tim, our Urban Adventures guide, confirming that we should still make our way there as we was optimistic that the rain would pass. Soaking wet, standing under the arches of the Pantheon, looking at this view a few minutes later, we weren’t so sure…
We weren’t a large group and people seemed pretty keen to “wait it out” and lo and behold we set off under light rain but clearing skies just about 20 minutes late, some of us sporting the magic “Paris” umbrellas that seem to appear on every street corner as soon as it starts to even look like it’s going to rain…
As with the “Secret Paris” tour, Tim “read” the group very quickly and was able to tailor the information he was giving us according to our interests – like any mixed group, there was a a wide variety of ages/ interests and knowledge about Paris but Tim made the information relevant to us all. What I really liked about this tour was all the historical information – as I said before, most of the tours I take focus on food (history) so it was a nice change to focus on things like architecture and history this time around. As I told someone else on the tour, when I lived in Paris, those were not really the things I spent a lot of time thinking about – I think you tend to take things like learning about the history of “that building” for granted when you live somewhere or you always think you’ll look it up later but never do. Taking tours like this one in Paris has been great for “filling in the blanks” for me in terms of a lot of historical knowledge about Paris.
By the time we got to Luxembourg Gardens, though, it was raining quite hard again – more of us had purchased umbrellas which were pretty useless against the pounding rain (I do notice now that the tour info suggests bringing an umbrella which I don’t remember seeing on the site before – as a general rule of thumb, I’d carry an umbrella with me at all times in Paris now!) – so we decided to wait it out in a café.
Whilst it wasn’t a designated stop on the tour, it was actually quite nice as it gave us a chance to chat and get to know each other. After another 1/2 hour or so, we set out again, hopeful that the rain might hold off for a few more hours at least.
As we wandered along to St Germain via place de l’Odéon, the skies did look somewhat threatening….
But wait….. could it be… might it be… sun?
In fact it was and from that point on, the weather was gorgeous and sunny.
(No tour of St Germain is complete without a stop at the sweet seller at the Odéon metro stop!)
Under much clearer skies, we headed into the charming streets of the St Germain area, stopping by Paris’ oldest café (founded in 1686)…
I love that alongside gorgeous and/ or historic buildings, there’s always a little slice of the “ordinaire“…
And for the first time in all the times I’ve walked through the Place which is home to Paris oldest church, l’Eglise St Germain-des-Prés, I looked up…
Yes, those are books in the trees! It’s a nod to the area’s history – being home to publishing houses and many bookstores.
Inside the church (also my first time), you’ll definitely want to look up… It’s gorgeous!
Out on the streets again, we passed the extraordinary (unexpected wall paintings) and the ordinary (Paris café life)…
And learned about the colourful history of the Hôtel La Louisiane.
(for those of you not familiar with its famous former residents, you can read the charmingly translated history here)
Moving on towards the Seine through quieter streets, we passed by the formidable Institut de France – encompassing five Académies, the most famous of which is the Académie Française (a body created in 1635 with the aim of protecting the French language – they have a harder time now with all the English that’s creeping into the French language these days!).
Passing by the Pont des Arts, we stole a glimpse of the love locks…
Soon is was time for our snack break as a tiny wine bar in the Place Dauphine. And what a snack it was. Cheese, charcuterie and a little glass of wine.
Followed by more wine and a game of pétanque in the square. Honestly? Best afternoon ever!
After a few games (no, my team didn’t win any!), we strolled slowly to the end point of the tour, Notre Dame, along the Seine, admiring the bouquinistes along the way…
And a bit of “Oh, right, THIS is Paris too” as we strolled by the Gendarmes…
Passing by Paris’ most famous English language bookstore, Shakespeare and Co.
Finally, nearly 90 minutes late (but noone cared at all, we were having so much fun!), we arrived at our destination – Notre Dame…
Isn’t she beautiful?
And we all made a wish to return to Paris as we pivoted around Paris Kilometre Zero.
Fingers crossed we all do 🙂
All in all, even with some “weather challenges”, this was a fabulous afternoon – full of history made fun. Highly recommended, especially as it’s very competitively priced compared to other walking tours. Even if you think you know Paris, there will be something for you to learn on this adventure. If you only have a few days in Paris, this would be a great way to cover a lot of ground in one afternoon, making notes for places to come back to later in your trip, time permitting.
Disclosure: I was a guest of Urban Adventures on the “Bohemian Paris” tour. I was not asked to write about this, nor am I being compensated for doing so. All opinions are 100% my own.
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Great photos and description of the tour, makes me want to go there right now! Maybe next summer.
I’m loving all your posts about Paris Mardi! I’m going to France in 3 weeks and you make me feel like I’m there already! 🙂
Aw that’s so sweet coming from you!
Definitely worth it!
Your photos remind me how much I miss Paris…I am putting it on my list for 2014.
My wish is to spend a couple of months just living in Paris and feeling the vibe that your pictures remind me of. Thank you … it is wonderful to see. Lucky you.
Thanks – that’s why I like going each summer and just “being” 🙂
The rain put a romantic flair onto your pics.
I see you had President butter. It’s my fav!
Yep sometimes the rain has its uses!
I enjoyed reading about this tour. Will add this to the list. Thanks Mardi.
Cheers – I couldn’t recommend it more!
And just like that, you transported me to St-Germain and other areas of Paris. Thanks Mardi!
You’re so welcome!
What a lovely time you had. I think I need to go on one of these tours.
It’s definitely a great value tour!
I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of going to Paris – it’s such a beautiful and exciting city. Love the photos (especially the sweets!)
I will NEVER tire of Paris!
Love your photos!
Beautiful trip, Mardi!
Thanks Gail!
This was a wonderful recommendation for my Paris trip Mardi. I loved this tour and it was one of the highlights of my stay. I would highly recommend this to others! Thanks for the tip. 🙂
So glad you enjoyed 🙂