One of the best ways to explore Paris is by bike! (Image courtesy of Fat Tire Bike Tours)
At the beginning of December our reservations team all gathered together from near and far for our annual meeting in Paris. This is always an exciting time for us (I mean who doesn’t love Paris around Christmas?), but this year was special because we all had signed up to sample the new tours that we had on offer. The first item on our agenda was the always exciting Fat Tire Bike Tour. Some of us started off the tour absolutely terrified at the prospect of riding alongside fearless Parisian drivers (I definitely had flashbacks of my training wheel days), but our very glamorous tour guide in her heels and perfectly coiffed hair quickly put as ease. We all agreed that next year we will have to try more of these and I definitely have my eye on the Versailles bike tour!
The Paris Perfect team hits the streets of Paris on a bike tour!
Our next foray out was for the Chocolate Tour with the wonderful Roberto. I wish someone had told me how absolutely decadent the chocolate on this tour would be so I would have known to wear my stretchy pants. We popped in and out of so many different and unique shops, and each one was punctuated with interesting facts from Roberto that by the end of the afternoon I was about to fall into a blissful sugar coma. He must have known that this was going to happen though because no sooner did our belts get to feel a bit tight and our feet a bit weary that he swept us into a beautiful tea shop where we could relax and unwind.
Oh the temptations!
We also spent one morning with our fantastic private tour guide Olga, soaking in the best of the Marais. Her joy and passion were absolutely palpable, and she helped rekindle the passion for Paris for those of us who had been many times and built a fire under our newbies. From world-class bakeries (really, we ate the second prize winning baguette in all of Paris) to historical monuments to the sordid tales of old royalty, Olga shared every nook and cranny of the Marais with us. We finished off our afternoon by having a private wine and cheese tasting at a quaint, very Parisian restaurant where the owner herself gave us a lesson on the items we were sampling. The Marais Walk with Olga was absolutely the highlight of our week!
Sampling the sweetest flavors of Paris on a walking tour
Beautiful Parisian pastries to sample at every stop on the walking tour
We finished off the trip with a very thrilling Twizy Car Tour. These little cars built for two are a totally unique and fun way to zip all around Paris on your own but are definitely not for the faint of heart! I’m so used to driving the straight and wide highways back home, so I totally balked at the idea of trying to maneuver solo along the streets. However, I ended up having the time of my life! Driving itself was fun but our favorite part was the video recording from the dash-cam that Twizy sent us afterward. The video captured our surprise, excitement, occasional frustration (and one really great jam session to French radio) while we bobbed and weaved through the city.
Click here to read when Paris Perfect founder Madelyn hit the streets of Paris with her son in a Twizy Car. So much fun!
Such a whirlwind week came far too quickly to an end, but we are pleased to have so many memories to keep with us and cannot wait for 2015 to find different and fun ways to explore the City of Light!
If you would be interested in booking any of the above mentioned tours, please contact our tour manager, Lizani, at [email protected].
