Private guided walk, one party only
Paris on foot, from the Marais to Montmartre at sunset: a private walking tour
Paris, Paris and its region
Guided by Erwan
A whole day on foot through Paris, from the Marais over the two islands and the Left Bank, back past the Louvre and up to Montmartre, timed to reach the top of the hill at sunset. Private group, no vehicle, a proper break at a table.
- 7 hours on foot
- 8 to 10 km
- Private group, up to 10 people
- Guided in English
- Steady pace
- Smooth pavement for most of the way, cobbles on the islands, in the Latin Quarter and in Montmartre, and steps and steep lanes for the final climb to the Sacré-Cœur
Full day in the city
350 EUR
for your group, up to 6 people, for 7 hours
- 40 EUR for each extra hour
- 20 EUR per person, for participants 7 to 10
- 90 EUR for the guide to stay at your table, their own cover included
- 30 percent deposit at booking, balance before the walk
- Free cancellation up to 7 days before the walk
The walk
A half day is enough to put the centre of Paris in order. A whole day is enough to see how the city grew outwards: from the islands where it began, to the bank of abbeys and colleges, to the palaces of the Right Bank, and finally up to the village on the hill that stayed outside Paris until 1860.
The line starts in the Marais, at the place des Vosges, and crosses the Île Saint-Louis and the Île de la Cité to the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It comes back over the Pont des Arts to the Louvre and the garden of the Palais-Royal, then heads north to Montmartre: the lanes of the old village first, while the light is still high, then the steps below the Sacré-Cœur, with the whole city below, as the sun goes down.
The day is set backwards from the sunset: in winter it starts in the middle of the morning, in midsummer after lunch, and the long break in the middle is lunch or an early dinner accordingly, always at a table rather than on a bench. The group is yours alone, with no strangers joining and no headsets. One to six people are covered by the price, ten at the very most, and the pace is set around whoever in the party walks slowest.
What you see along the way
- The place des Vosges to start, the oldest planned square in the city
- Notre-Dame from the square in front of it, and the quays of the Île Saint-Louis
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, the Left Bank of abbeys, colleges and bookshops
- The Pont des Arts and the courtyards of the Louvre, then the arcades of the Palais-Royal
- The lanes of Montmartre, a village that Paris only took in in 1860
- Sunset from the steps of the Sacré-Cœur, with the whole city spread out below
Would you rather taste Paris than tour it? See Le Marais, a food walk: a private walking tour of Paris
This walk is for you if
- It is your first time in Paris and you want the whole city in order, not a fragment of it
- You want a guide who answers your questions, not a recorded commentary
- You are travelling as a couple, a family or a small group of friends
- You would rather end the day watching the light go down over Paris than in a queue
- You like walking, and a long break at a table in the middle is part of the appeal
Look elsewhere if
- You want to be taken inside the Louvre or a museum: this walk stays in the streets, on the bridges and in the squares
- You are looking for a cheap seat on a shared tour: the price is per group, not per person
- A whole day on foot with a climb at the end is too much for someone in the party: the half day stays flat and ends at the Eiffel Tower
- You want the Eiffel Tower and Versailles in the same day: there is no vehicle on this walk, and the tower is where the half day ends
Good to know
What the price covers
- A private guide, for the whole day
- A day timed to the sunset, and a route adjusted on the day to the weather and to your pace
- Answers as you go: which tickets are worth it, where to eat, what to do after
- The guide's own meal, if you take the table option
- Monument and museum tickets (the Louvre, Sainte-Chapelle, the dome of the Sacré-Cœur)
- Meals and drinks, the break at a table included, each guest settles their own
- Personal spending
- Metro tickets, the funicular if you take it, and getting to the start and back from Montmartre
Where you meet
Once the booking is confirmed, the exact meeting point and start time are sent as a pin on Google Maps, with walking directions from the nearest metro stations and a phone number you can call or message on the day. It is always on the route itself, never somewhere you have to double back from.
What to bring
- Shoes you can spend a whole day on hard pavement in, and climb steps with at the end
- Water and a hat in summer: the quays and the hill have long stretches with no shade
- A warm layer for the end of the day: it is cooler on the hill at sunset than in the streets at noon
- A card or a little cash, for the meal, a coffee or something to take away along the way
- Your own ticket for the Louvre or Sainte-Chapelle if you plan to go inside another day
If plans change
Free cancellation up to 7 days before the walk
See the full conditions
- Cancelling 7 days or more before the walk: free of charge, and the deposit is refunded in full.
- Cancelling less than 7 days before the walk, and 48 hours or more before it: the deposit is retained.
- Cancelling less than 48 hours before the walk: the full price is due.
- One reschedule is free of charge, provided it is asked for 48 hours or more before the walk.
- If the weather makes the walk unsafe or genuinely unpleasant, the choice is yours: reschedule, or a full refund.
Questions people ask
No, it is for the group. The price covers one to six people for the whole day. From the seventh participant onwards, a supplement per person is added, up to a firm ceiling of ten people.
It depends on the season, because the day is built to end at sunset in Montmartre. In December the sun sets before five in the afternoon, so the day starts around ten in the morning. In June it sets after half past nine in the evening, so the day starts in the afternoon and the break at a table becomes an early dinner. The exact time is sent with the booking confirmation.
It is less than it sounds. The route is flat until the end, the stops are long, and the break in the middle is a real one, at a table. The last climb to the Sacré-Cœur can be done by funicular for the price of a metro ticket. Say who is coming when you book: the distance is cut and the stops are lengthened accordingly. If a whole day is still too much, the half day stays flat and ends at the Eiffel Tower.
No. The walk stops for a real meal at a table, and your guide suggests where; the meal itself is settled by each guest on the spot. If you would like the guide to stay at the table with you, that is an option.
In English. Erwan guides this walk from the meeting point to the last stop.
Light rain is not a problem, and both banks have enough arcades, covered passages and cafés to wait it out. If the sky is closed in, the view from the hill is still worth the climb, and the end of the day can be moved earlier if you prefer. If the weather makes the walk unsafe or genuinely unpleasant, you choose between rescheduling and a full refund.
The walk ends on the hill, a few minutes on foot from the Anvers and Abbesses metro stations, and your guide shows you the way down before leaving you. If you would rather stay for dinner in Montmartre, ask for a suggestion: that is part of the day.
Yes, with the pace set for them. There are benches on the islands, in the garden of the Palais-Royal and on the squares of the Left Bank. A pushchair works, with some patience on the cobbles, and the funicular takes it up the hill instead of the steps. Say how old they are when you book, and the day is built around their breaks rather than the other way round.
Walks are sold by MYWAY SAS, the operator behind Collectif My Way, of which we are a member: registered with Atout France under number IM059190009, it is the company that enters into the contract with you. Its financial guarantee is provided by Groupama and its professional liability is insured by Generali IARD.
Tell us your dates
Write with the dates, how many of you there are and what you would like to get out of the walk. You will get a straight answer about whether a guide is free, and the price for your group.
Ask about this walkGuided by Erwan
Drawn to wide open spaces, I am the team’s nature specialist. A former guide at Mont Saint-Michel and trained ecologist, I know France through its trails and hidden landscapes. I design grounded trips for you, where nature discovery meets local history.