Our private guided Paris Discovery Tour & Cruise will provide you with an overview of the most spectacular and renowned historical sites of the city from the perspective the road and the river. It will help you to get your marks and make your plans for the following days. Your private, licensed driver-guide will pick you up at your hotel in a luxurious, air-conditioned Mercedes minivan, and will tailor your http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&conten... tour to your specific wishes and needs.

After a brief introduction to the architecture of Paris to better appreciate the beauty of the city, you will start your journey at the geographical center of the city, the Opera Garnier (that inspired the “Phantom of the Opera”),drive to place Vendôme ( a jewel of architecture from the 17th century), the Palais Royal, and the Louvre (for an outside visit). You will then continue along the Seine River, passing by the Conciergerie (former seat of the Royal power), the Notre-Dame Cathedral (outside visit), the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall) and the Ile St Louis before arriving to one of the most interesting areas of Paris: the lively Marais district , historical home of the LGBT and jewish communities of Paris. Your guide will take you for a small walking tour along the rue des Francs Bourgeois with its spectacular 16th and 17th century mansions to the place des Vosges (first Royal square).

Following your exploration of the Marais district, your party will then cross the Seine River to continue your journey on the Left Bank, delving into the Old Paris, the scholastic Paris with the Latin Quarter, that houses the Sorbonne University, as well as the Pantheon (resting place of the great men and women of France). Furthermore, you will see the Luxembourg Garden (a most spectacular park in Paris with the Original Statue of Liberty), the Church of St Sulpice, the Saint Germain district (home of many jazz musicians, writers and painters since the roaring twenties). It’s now time for lunch in a typical French restaurant or bistro (not included in the price - your guide will choose a place that will suit your expectations).

Your guide will take you for a guided visit of the Sainte-Chapelle,one of Europe’s finest examples of high gothic architecture,

Built between 1242 and 1248 under order of King Louis IX, the Sainte-Chapelle was constructed as a royal chapel to house the Holy Relics of the Passion of the Christ.

Almost the entire church is made of stained-glass, Sainte Chapelle the stone walls doing little more than serving as framework. 15 stained glass windows , each 15m high that illustrate 1113 scenes of the Bible from Genesis to Christ’s resurrection will mesmerize you.