Paris tour guide recommendations

moi of course..lol! But seriously, what sort of guide do you need.. most of us DIYs.. but there are some great walking tours ,, and there are some reputable big bus tours... but there are also a few pricey private guides. depends on what you think you need.

JR, What type of guided tour are you considering? One possibility you might have a look at is Destination Paris Prestige or France Tour Guide. I've toured with Arnaud and he's an exceptional Guide! You could also easily plan your own touring with the Paris or Pocket Paris Guidebook. I used the Pocket Paris when I was there in July, and it was an excellent reference for planning touring while "on the go". Happy travels!

Take a look at Paris Walks http://www.paris-walks.com/. They do scheduled walks in specific areas, usually small groups, no reservations needed, high quality and enjoyable. We've done several and always been happy with them. Another possibility is Paris Greeters http://www.parisgreeters.fr/?lang=en. We haven't used them but we might on our upcoming trip. They are locals who volunteer to show you around neighborhoods they know. You have to arrange in advance to meet them. Sounds like a fun way to learn about Paris and fraternize with friendly French folk.

JR, we did a mix of both DIY, impromptu tours and paying for private tours. We enjoyed them all for different reasons. We took advantage of the 1st Sunday of the month free admission to museum day and went small museum hopping, especially enjoyed Rodin and some in the Marais area. Our favorite impromptu tour was Discover Walks (http://www.discoverwalks.com/paris-walking-tours/) of Montmartre. It is a "free" tour with an expectation that you tip the guide at the end. Our guide said the average is between 12 and 16 Euros per person. Well worth it for the stories, laughter and neat people you meet! We used/pre-paid Localers (www.localers.com) for several private tours of the Louvre, Orsay,and Eiffel Tower Food Tour (HIGHLY RECOMMEND their Eiffel Tower Food Tour of the Rue Cler area). The guides were great! If I had it to do over, I'd have done more Discover Walks tours.

Thanks everyone for great suggestions!

We did a Fat Tire bike tour. They offer a morning one and a night one. We booked both and saved something like 15 euros. Both tours were AMAZING. So much fun! On the night tour, you also get to go on a river cruise.

We did a Fat Tire bike tour. They offer a morning one and a night one. We booked both and saved something like 15 euros. Both tours were AMAZING. So much fun! On the night tour, you also get to go on a river cruise.