|
|
|
French Links Menu of Deluxe Cultural Tours
Our aim is to accommodate every type of visitor for our private guided tours, including fun-loving multi-generational families, adventurous single women looking for a different kind of cultural experience, and honeymoon and wedding anniversary vacations. We also pride ourselves on arranging programs for the physically disabled, particularly for persons who have impaired mobility. We believe that when you travel with French Links, British Links, or European Jewish Tours, it should be a life-enhancing shared adventure. Our menu of deluxe cultural tours of Paris that will appeal to all your passions! If the tour you dream of is not in the menu below on this page, design the tour that's right for you directly with Rachel Kaplan. Get the most out of your time here in France. For further information about tours please contact Ms. Kaplan by completing our Tour Request Form or email kaplan@club-internet.fr.
Around France
French Links Tours In Paris
You want to walk in the footsteps of Marie-Antoinette before she was
beheaded? You'd like to see the contorted face of the executioner Fouquier-Tinville
or the snarling head of Robespierre? Or better yet see the list of victims
during the Terror, the keys that were used to lock up the Bastille and
the jail cells for rich and for the poor? Then come on a tour of Revolutionary
Paris, to the haunted Conciergerie Palace, the Tuileries Gardens and
the Palais-Royal where Camille Desmoulins first shouted, standing on
a café table, "To the Bastille!"
Outside of Paris they can walk through a minature map of France containing all her major monuments and cities or discover the petting zoo at Versailles. Come summer, we have a selection of children's activities, including amusement parks and carnivals.
Worried about eating and drinking?
French Links Tours has scoped out restaurants that are inexpensive and entertaining,
yet give kids a chance to discover French food at its best. Homesick
for an ice-cream sundae or a muffin or a swimming pool/health club where
kids can let off steam? French Links Tours has those answers as well.
With French Links, discover the major monuments of Paris in a personalized city tour that is
offered in a chauffeured minivan or elegant limousine. Your guide will take you inside all the
major sites, including Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Sainte Chapelle (known for their dazzling
13th century stained glassed windows), the Arch of Triumph (did you know you could visit the
summit and get one of the best views of Paris?), the 1,000 foot-high Eiffel Tower, the
Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre, and Napoleon's Tomb at the Invalides Church. At each stop, you will
have time to tour and take pictures to your heart's content. A nice alternative to the
never-get-off-the bus tour!
Everyone knows that Paris is the world's leading mecca for writers and always has
been. Our literary tour takes you to the legends of the past, including the homes
of Victor Hugo on the Place des Vosges, the apartment of Honoré de Balzac in Passy,
where he spent his waking hours editing The Human Comedy, or the Museum of
Romantic Life, where you'll discover the domestic and writing life of George Sand.
Along the way, you'll see where Hemingway wrote The Sun Also Rises
and where James Joyce published Ulysses, the studio where Gertrude Stein
held literary court and the elegant apartment where Edith Wharton wrote
Ethan Frome, the book that earned her place in the American Academy of Letters.
These tours, which we have offered since 1996, are geared to those persons with
impaired mobility. Not only does French Links Tours arrange for special access
to the Louvre, the Orsay Museum, and the Eiffel Tower, as well as such sights
as Fontainebleau, Giverny and Versailles, we also make hotel recommendations
for the physically disabled. In addition, we arrange for wheelchair hire and
special minivans that accommodate special disabilities. We do all of this at
no extra cost, because we believe that no one should feel left out when they
visit France.
For those visitors to France who have a unique lifestyle, French Links Tours can book gay-friendly hotels,
restaurants, nightclubs and offer intriguing tours on gay and lesbian history and lifestyle.
We bring to life not only the world of Jean Cocteau, Oscar Wilde, Colette and Gertrude Stein,
but we also introduce you to cutting-edge gay artists and designers who are changing the
international scene today. In addition to our regular cultural tours, we can help you to
network with the gay community in Paris, and make travel arrangements outside of Paris
including to Provence and the French Riviera.
Now thanks to frequent flier mileage and the low cost of flights
to Paris, French Links Tours can arrange lovely three-day and four-day packages to Paris.
Let us help you book your hotel and restaurants and arrange your private personalized
cultural and shopping tours. Or let us create an itinerary of things to do, including
the latest art shows, opera and ballet performances, and take the hassle out of travel
by supplying you with museum passes, metro transport cards, discount shopping cards
and much more.
French Links Tours In and Around Paris
Along the Seine, with
its misty sunrises and blazing sunsets, reflecting in its shimmering surface,
painters such as Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley,
and Edouard Manet found their calling. While they painted their impressions of
the scene before them, the critics scoffed and dubbed them the
"Impressionists." Then came Cézanne and Van Gogh, one who brought
angles and cubes, the other wild swirls and brilliant, eye-popping colors.
As we visit Chatou, Pontoise, Giverny, Vétheuil, Meudon and Auvers-sur-Oise, we
discover the landscapes and houses, museums and restaurants, hills and flowers,
that inspired some of art's greatest masterpieces and changed the way we see the world.
You thought you had to limit yourself to buying antiques and art for three
times the price that you’d pay for them abroad? Think again. French
Links now offers tours of the major flea markets and antique markets
in Paris, as well as on the outskirts, including Chatou, Saint-Germain-en-Laye,
Barbizon and beyond. Not only do we handle translating, negotiating,
and assist in the selection and authentication of merchandise, but we
also oversee shipping to the final destination, so your precious buys
come home safe and sound. We are completely independent and take no
commissions from local dealers – we believe that if our customers
are happy with the prices and value of their buys, that’s the best way
to do business all around.
If you ever wondered where Louis XIV got his inspiration for Versailles, you need look no
further than Vaux-le-Vicomte, the splendid chateau in the Brie, that changed the look of
French castles forever. Not only is this sumptuous palace the largest privately owned
property in France, but it was the first edifice built by Jules-Hardouin Mansart and
landscaped by Lenotre. With French Links Tours, you will discover how this castle came to be
built by the king's finance minister, and how he was to learn the hard way to never upstage
the boss! Following an elegant lunch at the country inn where George Sand met her feckless
husband, we will head to Barbizon, a charming hamlet that was once the center of
pre-Impressionist outdoor landscape painting practiced by Corot, Rousseau and Millet.
We will visit the Auberge Ganne where they lived and ate, and the enchanting studio and
home of Millet, and wander through the town's picturesque streets and fine art galleries.
On our return, we will tour the lovely town of Moret-sur-Loing, and see the bridge and
waterfall immortalized by Alfred de Sisley. (Ideal for groups as well as small parties.)
French Links Tours Around France
On June 6, 1944 to the great astonishment of the German enemy who were prepared for
an Allied landing to take place across the Straits of Dover, five seaborne assaults,
Omaha and Utah beach at 6:30 A.M., Gold at 7:25 A.M., Sword at 7:30 A.M. and Juno
at 7:55 A.M. were the beginning of the biggest land invasion of World War Two,
bringing 150,000 troops and 20,000 vehicles ashore. The Battle of Normandy, or what
is commonly known as D-Day, which would lead to the end of the war, had only just
begun. Our tour relives those extraordinary and consequential hours,
as we drive along
the historic Normandy coastline, stopping along the way to view the recorded
highlights of these events: the comprehensive Caen Memorial for Peace, where
participants experience both the horrors leading to war, and the conditions
needed for a lasting peace; Arromanches, Cinema 360, where viewers can relive
those historic hours thanks to historic film footage fed through nine synchronized
movie projectors; as well as pay tribute to the fallen heroes in the American,
Canadian and British cemeteries dotted along the coast. Altogether an unforgettable
day that gives a new dimension to Steven Speilberg’s movie Saving Private Ryan.
Want to celebrate an anniversary or drink some wonderful bubbly on your
honeymoon? There's no better way to do it than to spend a day in
Champagne, the only region to give its name to the divine sparking wine,
discovered in the 18th century by the blind monk Dom Perignon.
Our tour includes a visit to the splendid Reims cathedral, where most of the
kings of France since Clovis (500 A.D.) have been crowned. To slake your
thirst you will get a chance to taste the champagnes of Taittinger, Moet
& Chandon and Veuve Cliquot – and take home a bottle or two. You may also
want to join us for lunch at the three-star Michelin Restaurant Chez
Boyer, considered to be one of the best tables in France, in what has to
be one of the most regal settings. By the end of the day, you will
understand why they say "Happy as a King in France."
Ever thought you wanted to visit Provence but didn’t
know how you were going to squeeze it in? Well, French Links Tours has created day-trips to
Avignon and Aix-en-Provence that allow you to visit these fabled historic cities in a single
day, provided you take a round-trip on the high-speed train (TGV) and return by early evening.
Our excellent bilingual guides will meet you at the train station and take you on walking
tours of either city or will organize a chateau and vineyard tour so you can sample those
wonderful Cotes du Rhone vintages. We also can arrange for overnight stays at hotels so
that you can enjoy two days in the South of France. Just let us know how you want to
discover Provence and French Links Tours will make it happen.
For those guests who want to enjoy private tours of Normandy’s D-Day
landing beaches, castles and gardens, after your ship docks in Rouen, don’t hesitate to
contact French Links Tours. Or if you want to visit the most exclusive casinos, gardens,
museums and estates on the French Riviera, don’t hesitate to contact us to make these
special arrangements. French Links Tours arranges private transportation pickup to and
from the cruise ship, all tours and meals, and any special services that might be required,
including tours geared to the physically disabled.
Avenue Magazine
France On Your Own
The Jewish Chronicle, London
National Geographic Traveler
CNN.com
Sandra Gustafson’s Great Sleeps In Paris
France Magazine Travel & Leisure British Airways-Business Life Paris Notes Alliance Française
Gayot's The Best of Paris
If you have to cancel your trip one month prior to your scheduled tour, French Links Tours and British Links Tours gives a 75% refund. Two weeks notice before your scheduled tour, we give a 50% refund and for 48 hours or less notice, we give a 25% refund. French Links Tours and British Links Tours are not responsible for any loss or injury incurred before, during and after the tour. We strongly advise you to purchase travel insurance prior to departure and check with your physician on your travel plans if you have chronic health problems.
Contact details at our offices in Paris, France: Phone/Fax: 01
45 77 01 63 For all queries
when calling from outside of France contact:
Rachel Kaplan
at: +331 45 77 01 63 The best way
to reach Rachel Kaplan outside office hours is by email: We answer
all queries in English and in French.
French
Links Tours is run by EVENTS & COMPANY, SARL French
Links Tours: www.frenchlinks.com
We
accept these credit cards:
WebFrance
International Home | Paris In Sites
Newsletter | Paris Insider
Guides | Created by WebFrance International |
Gastronomical Paris Tour
Discover the world of French food markets and gourmet food shops; learn to buy
fine French wines, cheeses, truffles and chocolates; participate in
a cooking class with a master French chef where you'll learn how to prepare
classical and innovative dishes; or if you're feeling lazy, hire one
of our chefs to cook you a fabulous lunch or dinner. If you're feeling
scholarly, learn about the history of wine, crystal and tableware – these are
just some of the delectable choices offered to serious gourmets and gastronomes.
Groups can arrange for private wine tastings and tours of pastry kitchens, bakeries
and gourmet chocolate makers.
Discover the architectural highlights of Paris:
from the oldest known monument in Paris, the Obelisk of Ramses II on
the Place de la Concorde to the 21st century Bibliothèque François
Mitterand to the stunning Mannerist Renaissance Palace housing the Senate
that overlooks the Luxembourg Gardens. Walk through the narrow, winding
streets of the Marais, where you'll see the 800-year-old retaining walls
that once surrounded the city and the splendid 17th-century mansions
that once housed the French nobility and their mistresses. Your tour will also
include a tour of Notre Dame and the greatest Gothic reliquary chapel built for
Saint Louis after he acquired the Crown of Thorns.
Explore and learn the history and culture of the world's fourth largest Jewish community
through a fascinating tour of the Marais, the Jewish Documentation Center
and Holocaust Memorial, the Museum of Jewish Art and History, the synagogues
of Hector Guimard and Gustave Eiffel, as well as the splendid Nissim
de Camondo Museum. We will also introduce you to the best schawarma
and felafel this side of Tel Aviv. Art lovers can discover the studio and home of Ossip Zadkine and the
Montparnasse Museum – home of the School of Paris: Chagall, Soutine, Modigliani...
Tour the city of high-fashion and beauty, whether it's through a prearranged
fashion show, or the elegant showcase stores of Christian Dior, Emmanuel Ungaro,
Sonia Rykiel, Louis Vuitton and Céline. Go on a private tour of the only
museum in Paris devoted to precious jewels, on the Place Vendôme, opposite the
Ritz, or enjoy a private visit of the Hermès Museum. If you have more time, you
might want to view the treasures at the Museum of Fashion and Textiles, where you'll
learn about the history of French fashions from Clovis to the Renaissance,
or the Fan Museum, in the oldest fan-maker's atelier left in Paris. Or then
again you might want to indulge in a day of fashion and beauty, where
you'll be able to treat yourself to the latest in skincare treatment
and haircare, or a makeover with one of the city's leading cosmeticians.
Or hunt for bargain chic with French Links expert shoppers, who will
show you where to find discounted designers, half-price Hermès scarves,
and perfumes that are 20-40% off.
So you’re coming to Paris with the kids, and you’re wondering how you’re going to find fun in the City of Light?
Have no fear: French Links Tours has designed special introductory programs
for families that include not just visits to the Eiffel Tower, the Orsay
Museum and the Louvre, as well as to the city’s major mouments, but also
visits to the Doll Museum, the Magic Museum and the hands-on Science
Museum with its outstanding planetarium and activities specially-geared
to children ages three to twelve. Or perhaps they’ll want to see the
Zoo at Vincennes, or the mind-boggling aquarium in the basement of the Museum of African and Oceanic Arts.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed or scared off by the size and the lines of the Louvre?
Well, with French Links you needn't be. Not only will you be whisked into the museum,
but with our guides you will discover the highlights of its 800-year-old history as a
palace, as well as the stories behind its most famous treasures, whether it's the Mona
Lisa, the Winged Victory or the Venus de Milo. If you love Impressionist and
post-Impressionist art and sculpture, we also offer special tours of the Orsay Museum
and the Rodin Museum, as well the Marmottan, which has the largest collection of paintings
by Claude Monet. If you want to know where this art was made,
French Links Tours can tie in your visit with a trip to Montmartre and the Bateau Lavoir,
where Picasso and Braque founded Cubism, and Montparnasse, where you'll visit the studios,
gardens and cafés of artists who founded the famed School of Paris. And if you wish to
discover tomorrow's Vincent van Gogh, we invite you on our private tour of artists' studios,
prearranged by special request.
For those of you who still believe Paris is the most romantic city in the world,
French Links Tours is happy to organize a customized tour for two for any couple,
no matter what the occasion. We can not only help you find the perfect, quiet hotel
with all the extras, including champagne and chocolates, but we can also make
restaurant reservations, bookings for concerts, opera, ballet or jazz, a shopping
tour for that Pretty Woman in your life, and much more. We will also provide you
with a terrific list of other romantic spots and ideas, including parks and
gardens, atmospheric bars, cruises on the Seine, gourmet picnic baskets, and
secret walks for those times when you just want to get away from it all.
Give us your wish list, and we'll give you the romance of Paris as you have never
known it (great for anniversaries and engagement presents).
Let author/guide Rachel Kaplan take you on a fascinating
expedition through the house-museums and collections that are truly
off the beaten track, from the smallest museum in the world that fits
only eight visitors at a single time, to the homes of such famous artists
as Maurice Ravel, Eugène Delacroix, Gustave Moreau and Ossip Zadkine.
For those seeking something more exotic, then come along to the Museum
of the Institute of the Arab World, the Museum of African and Oceanic
Arts (with crocodiles in the basement and diamond tiaras in glass display
cases on the second floor), or the stunning Cernuschi Museum devoted
to ancient Chinese art. On these tours the rich past in these museums
comes alive, so that you are able to partake in the secret, often surprising
history and culture of France.
Explore the city that women built, fought for and wrote about: the church of Saint-Stephen of the Mount,
where you'll find the tomb of the city's patron saint Geneviève, who saved the city
from Attila the Hun; the Luxembourg Gardens and Fountains of Queen Marie
de Médicis; the mansion of Henri II's illegitimate daughter Diane de
France and the home where feminist George Sand used to visit with Chopin.
Or visit the museum founded by Auguste Maillol's model Dina Vierny,
where you'll discover the great Modernist painters, as well as the entire
oeuvre of Maillol himself. Outside of Paris, we will visit Malmaison,
the home of Josephine both as wife and divorcée, the studio of painter Rosa Bonheur,
as well as the country estate of Nélie Jacquemart-André, the single
most important woman art collector of her time.
With French Links Tours, you will discover
a stunning variety of gardens ranging from the Romantic Parc Monceau
to the ultramodern Parc André Citroen and the Jardin d'Atlantique on
the roof of a busy train station. Not to be forgotten is Paris's answer
to the hanging gardens of Babylon, the innovative "planted promenade,"
which was built above an abandoned viaduct. Outside of Paris, you can
choose from the world's largest rose garden, "La Haye aux Roses" or
the more famous Bagatelle – or spend a day at Versailles with its splendid
musical fountains and playful gondoliers, and pretend you have been
invited to the court of Louis XIV. For those who want to venture further,
we also offer tours to Giverny, Vaux-le-Vicomte as well as to the exotic
gardens of financier Albert Kahn, Sceaux and Fontainebleau.
French Links also organizes private tours to unique gardens in the Ile-de-France
and Normandy on special request.
In 1527, Francis the First began building the most splendid chateau of his entire reign at
Fontainebleau, bringing together for the first time, the leading French and Italian artists
of his time, including the Florentine painter Rosso and the sculptor Primaticcio. The vast
castle - the largest in France - was to be home to kings and emperors, including Napoleon Bonaparte.
With French Links Tours, you will discover the artistic splendors of the School of Fontainebleau,
the apartments of Marie-Antoinette and Josephine, as well as the exceptional Chinese museum.
Still, by 1661, Louis XIV was determined to have his own day in the sun and so he created a
castle worthy of "the Sun King." With French Links Tours you will not only visit Versailles'
magnificent State Apartments, but the entire royal estate and gardens, which include the
Grand and Petit Trianons, and the Queen's Hamlet, where Marie-Antoinette once kept a farm
and dairy. This tour is ideal for groups as well as small parties.
The great French châteaux were first built during the Renaissance in
the lush and fertile Loire Valley, the so-called the fruit and flower
basket of France. Discover them with French Links, whether they be the
splendid privately-held Château de Cheverny with its pack of hounds
that still go to the hunt, the magnificent gardens of Villandry, or the vast
Château of Chambord, brainchild of Francis I, or the Clos Lucé, final resting place of
the famed Leonardo da Vinci. You can also spend
a day at Blois, noted for its splendid architecture and Renaissance art museum, and
follow it with a visit to Chenonceaux, shared by Diane de Poitiers and Catherine
de Médicis. Along the way you'll discover the region's gastronomic specialties,
including its fine Anjou, Sancerre and Saumur wines. French Links Tours can
organize both day trips and overnight excursions, by chauffeured car or bus.
