Back from the 7 day tour of Paris

Hi! I also just did this tour, the one on April 24th. Was Rolinka your guide?

I do disagree about a couple of your do aways, but everyone is different. I enjoyed the tour, but don’t need to do it again.
When you say you don’t need to do it again, did you mean returning to Paris or doing the tour?

Curious? As the group activity appears to have ended in Montmarte, why didn't you just stay to see the artists with your rest-of-afternoon free time? I'm thinking if you were interested in Père Lachaise, you would have found Cimetière de Montmartre - not all that far on foot from Place du Tertre and the Sacré-Cœur - interesting as well, as we did. Anyway, hope you got to Père Lachaise, as I know it was high on your to-do list? LOL, I took WAY too many pictures there.

Yep, we're all different sorts of tourists, and while we didn't do Paris as an RS tour, we greatly enjoyed exploring the neighborhoods and a few of the churches (Sainte-Chapelle, Saint-Sulpice, Saint-Séverin, etc), and would not have enjoyed a dinner cruise or Disney. No right or wrong to it, it's just different strokes for different folks, eh? 😉

Yes, lots of stairs in Paris, and in other European cities as well!

Estimated Prophet, we did get a quick gander at Mona some years ago and felt as well that there are better things to see at the mighty Louvre. I should say that we sort of got a look at her as you're kept much too far away to observe the brush strokes and other details. We weren't jazzed about the mob involved, either. On the other hand, Johannes Vermeer's "The Lacemaker" and "The Astronomer" took our breath away.

Wait I am confused, didn't you go with RS Tour?

Agreeing with Kathy, on our tour, after the walk through Montmarte we had free time to do as we liked. The walk ended at the Sacre Couer so if you wanted to spend more time in the square watching the artists you could. It was so crowded when we were there, I got out of there real quick!

Responding to Alexander:
Rick Steves Community guidelines states:
Be unfailingly polite. Comments that contain inappropriate language, harshly criticize, or disrespect others' opinions are not allowed. New travelers should be shown extra patience. If you can't write politely, this forum is not for you.

You don't know anything about me, these were opinions I stated based on my experiences and how I like to travel. I have traveled abroad before, this was my second Rick Steves Tour. Your comments were mean.
I don't have to like Paris because you do.

I did get to Pere Lachise and loved it. I did it before the RS tour and glad I bought a guided tour, I could not have found all those cool people without a guide. The problem with Montmartre was yes we could have gone back up, but I had so many other things on my list and so little time. I ended up using that afternoon to do the Pantheon and Napoleons tomb, so I had to get back.
Everyone travels differently, I am a tourist I want to see cool tourist stuff. While I appreciate Architecture I have seen many gothic churches and don't need to see any more, that is just me. If I do another RS tour I will opt out on that. We were RUSHED and I mean run through the Louvre so that was kind of not cool. I know I missed a lot. I did spend a LOT of time at the Orsay and loved it. I also went to the Picasso Museum which is not on their list. It was GREAT.

Meanwhile I am still begrudging the time I spent in the Picasso Museum six years ago -- and Iive in Paris !!

Indeed, we all value different things.

Kim, have you been since it reopened? I think it had quite a transformation.

This thread is hysterical.

But... you do know you could have read the tour description before you went? Sounds like you didn't like anything about it so it may not have been the right tour for you.

CK,
Thanks for your perspective. I started traveling in 2015. I think that people I have known prior to that time that were always talking about traveling to "Europe" and "Paris" and "Rome"......etc..... kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I am not sure why this was. I just didn't understand the appeal and I interpreted it as snobby. I have been to Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Italy (Rome and north) and Turkey. I only went to Italy because my husband sort of insisted that I needed to see Florence (he was right). I have been avoiding Paris. Well, 2020 was supposed to have been my trip to Paris. I begrudgingly began to plan. Now my trip will be September, 2022. So I have had a super long time to plan. I couldn't help it, I have fallen in love with Paris and I haven't even been there yet! We will see what happens when I get there. My plan is 2 days on my own, RS tour, another 7 days on my own. I wonder if you would have had an even more enjoyable time if you didn't have to squish everything you wanted to see in that short period of time. I am very curious about how I will feel about things after my trip.

One thing I know for sure....I am now that person that is rubbing someone else the wrong way because I am gushing about "Paris" and "Istanbul" and "Prague".......

Geez Carol, lighten up.

Individuals that read ck's review may learn valuable information. I did not see it as that critical.
Don't worry, I don't think RS is going to change the tour based on one review.

You don't need to go to Paris again or on the Tour Again?
I could go to Paris 10 times and not see it all, have been twice and I just scratched the surface of what I want to see, do, go back to.
I agree on Hotels/lodging close to a metro, makes a huge difference on getting around, but I call close within a mile or a 20 min walk. One of our favorite memories is our morning walk to the Metro, talking about our days adventures, taking in the sights, stopping for a coffee and croissant.
7 days in Paris, yea we usually get in at least two walking tours, and a walking food tour!
I would never even think of putting Disneyland on our list of must sees (We do Disneyland in LA, a short drive) but we are heading to the Champaign region next trip, we all have different priorities as has been stated.

I suspect some comments have been deleted/removed, as some of what is there is hard to follow

I really wasn’t trying to be mean. But it really does sound like the original poster did not enjoy this tour at all there’s nothing positive so it sounds to me like maybe this was a bad choice of a tour for the person not necessarily a bad tour.

I I know that I have read some of the descriptions of some of the tours and went I would rather stay home then do that but others sound great It Is nothing against him it’s just it’s not the right tour for the person. And considering how overwhelming like negative this tour apparently was for this poster I wondered if he’d really looked carefully at the tour description before he signed up because it obviously was not a good match

I am a she not a he and It was not a negative review you read that into it, it was a here is what I would have done different.

I think the fairly long list of changes you recommend makes it sound like you didn't enjoy the tour, though your last line says you did.

You may not know that they tweak tours based on the info you provide in the review you are requested to provide after the tour. Hopefully you have filled out a review.

Thank you for sharing your impressions, it can be helpful for others! Not sure what spurred such a debate on this thread...

ckeenan9192, I'm happy you made it to Père Lachaise! Not a thing wrong with taking a tour but we did both that one and Montmartre cemeteries with maps, and those worked well enough. Just thought I'd throw that in for anyone needing to watch the pennies or preferring unstructured wander time (I am a hopeless dawdler).

https://www.api-site.paris.fr/paris/public/2018%2F9%2FCPLMapEN.pdf
https://fr.map-of-paris.com/plans-monuments/plan-cimetière-montmartre
https://fr.map-of-paris.com/plans-monuments/plan-cimetière-montmartre-2

LOL, this conversation is probably an example of how challenging it might be for the RS Mothership to construct itineraries which hit the majority of places/experiences on group wish lists? Obviously we all have different preferences and interests! What trips my trigger may not trip someone else's, and vice versa. It has to be especially challenging for these initial post-COVID-lockdown adventures: different sorts of stuff to have to take into consideration than before The Bug. EEK.

On the flipside, I'm curious what were your highlights of the tour? Also curious if you meant you never have to go to Paris again or just the tour?

I think this was perceived as a complaint because people are used to reviewers also including what they liked about their trip. To each their own…..

I do think that everyone will find at least one thing on a tour that he/she may not have chosen to do if he/she were planning the itinerary. Sometimes that is a plus. It pulls one out of the usual interests and expands experience in a positive manner. Sometimes, it is just what it is. For me, it is usually the wine tastings. I could give these a pass, but they are part of the tour. Instead I just focus on the social aspects and watching other tour members for whom this same event is a highlight. I have also learned about wine making.

Finally, there is almost always an “opt out” choice you can make. Simply communicate with the guide.

Hi ckeenan, appreciate the time you took to post this review. Paris in 7 Days was the first RS tour I took in 2007. I was traveling solo for the first time, and a friend recommended that I go someplace I really really wanted to visit so even if the tour didn’t go well for me, at least I’d be where I wanted to be. I love France, always have, and I enjoyed the tour. I felt the itinerary was rushed, but we packed in a ton of stuff, and I learned a lot. I liked having a museum pass and transportation pass and did some exploring on my own time.

Maybe the make-up of people on your tour was off, maybe the itinerary wasn’t interesting to you, maybe Covid still looming over our heads made it difficult to relax and enjoy yourself. Maybe France is just not for you. I’ve met people who don’t like France but love Italy (go figure :)). In any event, don’t give up on travel.

PS - just read Carol’s input (above). I love wine tastings! I’m not a big drinker but I always look forward to the fun experience! For me, it’s the military stuff that I don’t look forward to. But I always learn something and I’m glad that I did it (ie Oradour).

In Paris especially I always stay in a hotel very close to a Metro station as well as a bus stop for several lines. ....much more flexibility that way.

I am taking this tour in July and was excited to see your post. I found with every reply there was something I agreed with and something I disagreed with. That is what makes traveling in a group so interesting. Not always being with like minded people. I take my tours alone so I can meet people and experience different views but be able to walk away if there is something I really don't want to do or stay longer at a place I love. THAT is what I have learned from taking RS tours. I really want to stay and see the artists in Montmarte but I will not hang around if there is a crowd. I cannot Wait to see Sainte-Chapelle's windows and marvel at their beauty. I may change my mind on the Pere Lachaise if there is someone there so excited about going and won't mind a tag along. Otherwise my free time will be adjusted depending on energy I have left. I am excited about the Cluny Museum because we will be in the latin quarter already when we get free time and the Rodin Museum because it is close to the hotel we are staying at. I always plan but don't worry if it changes.
I DO have tickets to Giverny and the Eiffle tower on the days prior to tour starting. These are must do's for me.