Hello,
I will be joining a best of Patis tour this fall. I have some friends living in Paris, and am eager to meet with them. One of the dates they suggested is the night of the RS farewell dinner. I'd like to know what time the dinner begins, so I can decide if it would work for me to meet my friends before, after, or work out another day. Thanks!
I took this tour several years ago and don’t really remember when the farewell dinner began or ended. However, I’ve been on 10 RS tours and typically the farewell dinner is a bit more elaborate than other group meals. It’s also a good time to enjoy a last evening with the new friends made during the tour. The tour guides have some latitude for picking venue and time, so it’s hard to predict when and where the meal will be, even based on others’ experiences. Sometimes they offer an after-dinner farewell activity (champagne on a rooftop anyone?)
So I wouldn’t plan on meeting friends after the meal. However, group touring on the final day of Best of Paris consisted of a short morning visit to a museum (check the itinerary) and then considerable free time. I remember that I had plenty of time to have a leisurely lunch, do some sightseeing on my own, and have time to relax at the hotel before meeting for the dinner. So a better plan would be to meet your friends that afternoon and you can adjust the time once you get more information from the guide.