Guided Tour of Paris: 5 Things I Learned from a Trip to the City of Lights with Friends

For some time since I founded “Francophiles Anonymous,” I have been receiving requests to organize a guided tour of Paris. Since I am a cautious person, I decided to first shave the beards of my friends, who in turn received a series of expensive but free guided tours of the City of Lights and the Loire Valley. Naturally, I greatly enjoyed these tours, but at the same time I also encountered quite a few unexpected challenges, which in turn led me to some insights that I would like to share with you:

Guided tour of Paris Rule One: Don't run

I don't know about you, but when I come to Paris, I turn into a kind of Superman. From a person of average fitness, who spends most of his time sitting (whether in restaurants or in front of the computer), incity ​​of Lights I receive supernatural powers and the moment I land there I can cover 20 kilometers a day without feeling it (I have a feeling that if the Israeli government knew about the “Paris Effect,” they would put the City of Lights under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance and make traveling there illegal).

The problem is that apparently not all the people who come to the capital France We are endowed with these powers. For example, I remember once traveling with a good friend of mine, who in Israel used to go to the gym 3 times a week and run, while in Paris, after 4 days of walking, he simply broke down and said that he had to go back to the hotel to rest or he would lose feeling in his legs (I, for my part, could have continued walking another 15 km with pleasure). So what did I learn from that?

I learned that it is true that time is short and there is so much beauty to absorb, but a good trip is one that is enjoyed, and not necessarily one in which you manage to see everything. Therefore, the pace of the trip must be adjusted to the people you are traveling with. Hence, sitting in a cafe, suddenly in the middle of the day, is not a waste of time but rather an integral part of the trip experience, which at the same time provides us with the strength to continue absorbing all the beauty that the streets of Paris provide us.

Guided tour of Paris Rule Two: Don't dig.

As you all probably know, every corner of Paris, every palace, every portrait in the museum reminds me of a spicy story or two. And honestly, that's the great fun of traveling with me in Paris because just walking around the City of Lights, a great activity in itself, can be done without me.

Indeed, at the beginning of the trip everything goes great and the friends eagerly swallow the stories of food, violence and sex that are found in almost every corner of Paris (at least in the places where I hang out). But then a certain saturation comes and all the counts and countesses get mixed up in their heads and instead of thinking about Louis the… (insert a number from one to eighteen) the only thought that remains in the travelers’ heads is “Louis, Louis, if only there were a little peace.”

So what did I learn from this? Sometimes, the greatest fun for both parties is to bring the travelers to a charming little square, a beautiful building or a magical garden and simply not say a word but let them absorb all this beauty on their own. After the beauty is absorbed, the questions will come, and with the questions, the stories will come, and with them the counts, the countesses and some Louis will once again come to mind.

Guided tour of Paris Rule Three: Shopping is a legitimate thing

Paris is filled with dozens of Museums, palaces and churches (and we haven’t even started talking about its charming streets and squares yet). Even if you wander around it for months, you won’t be able to exhaust all the beauty it has to offer. Then, after a museum and 2-3 churches, the break comes and suddenly the question arises, “Where can I buy a nice pair of pants/chocolates for work/perfume at a good price (delete the unnecessary).”

And I, all elated by some beautiful garden we saw or an organ we happened to hear in a church, asks with great composure and politeness, “Shopping???? Now????!!!!”. So what did I learn from this? That the answer to this question is “Yes, shopping, here and now”. Boutiques and shops are an integral part of French culture (especially patisseries, chocolatiers and other shops where we can enjoy the flavors of French cuisine).

Therefore, it is very worthwhile to incorporate them into every trip so that we do not get “art poisoning” from all this beauty that we are exposed to. And no, a visit of an hour or several hours to your favorite shops is not a waste of time, but an integral and inseparable part of your act of love with France.

Guided tour of Paris Rule Four: Be open to new things

For as long as I can remember, whenever I would see modern art of any kind – I would not understand why everyone around me would nod in admiration at the particular piece. Yes ladies and gentlemen, I am one of those who really, really dislike contemporary art. Therefore, I have usually excluded places that display modern art from my travels.

In July 2014, when I was guiding with Noli Omar in Paris, I was forced to visit (or rather, I was dragged on the floor screaming, kicking, and crying) one of the buildings I most despise in Paris – Center PompidouTo my surprise, the experience wasn't that bad. The art inside wasn't as bad as I expected it to be (in fact, some of it wasn't bad at all), the view from the top floor of the center was amazing, while the entrance floors of the place made me feel like I was in some kind of giant video game arcade, which gave me a burst of nostalgia.

So true, I still hate this building and would love to see it disappear from the Parisian landscape (or become a museum of video games and amusement rides). On the other hand, I really enjoyed the visit and I thank Noli for making me go there. So what did I learn from it? As the artistic cliché says, “There is no such thing as no such thing.” It is highly recommended to get out of your comfort zone, open your mind and try new things every now and then, even if they don’t exactly touch on your areas of interest. And remember, you often fall in love with things you didn’t like before thanks to someone else’s enthusiasm.

Guided tour of Paris Rule Five: Don't suffocate the people you're traveling with in anger 🙂

Did you think you knew your friends well, after all, you grew up with them, went to the army with them, and studied endlessly for university exams with them? Well, you didn’t. Until you travel abroad with someone, you haven’t really gotten to know them, because only there do you discover all kinds of new angles of that person, and not necessarily positive ones.

And so suddenly the friend you knew as a loving person suddenly turns into a misanthrope who complains all the time. From here to the blowup of the trip and back on two separate planes, the road can be very short. So what did I learn from this? If you want to travel with someone, you must equip yourself not only with clothes, a toothbrush, and another suitcase for shopping (see section 3) but also with tons of tolerance and a willingness to compromise.

So from trip to trip I added more and more patience to myself and slowly I turned from Gandhi (Rehoboam Zeevi) to Gandhi (Mahatma) until today I can hardly be taken out of my vehicle in Paris. And you travelers, remember that even if the guide takes you on a beret journey of dozens of kilometers (or should we call it an art journey) and even if he digs, leaves you no time for shopping and takes you to a museum that you certainly won't be interested in, he does everything out of love and a desire to convey some of the French magic to you. So don't suffocate him, he's just a nice guy 🙂

These were my five main “I believe.” If you agree with what I wrote, you are welcome to enter to the following link And book a boutique trip to the City of Lights (if I'm there, of course). 

The post was made as part of the “Bloggers’ Parliament” course. Ionit ZukWant to read more posts about experiences from traveling with friends? I highly recommend reading Michal Larkin's experiences fromHer trip with a friend in Barcelona, are youInspiration that Efrat Hasson received from a trip with a friend in Amsterdam And finally, theMichal Ben Ari-Manor's recommendations for cities where you can travel with friends.