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After Hours Louvre tour is back on, but now question!
I just downloaded my E-green book for our September 2nd tour, and the questioned after-hours Louvre tour is on the itinerary. Yay! (there was a BIG question this spring whether this would take place). So, in order to guarantee us to see it, I bought a private Louvre tour for the next morning (290 euros) through ParisMuse. It's cancellable until 24 hours ahead, except for the museum tickets themselves. Has anyone been on this Tauck guided after-hours tour? Is it good enough for us not-really-into-art-in-a-big-way? Hubbie says he doesn't think he needs to go twice. Advice?
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We did it last Sep as part of this tour. It's about 2 hours with a local guide so you're only seeing the parts the guide takes you to. Included Venus De Milo and Mona Lisa, lots of Greek statues and a couple of other paintings. You can't wander far from the group. Museum staff stayed very close to the group. Because the place was basically empty you really got a feel.for the grandeur of the building and the art. You might want to use the extra tickets during your free time on other days if there is other sections you'd like to see.
You can only decide for yourself. I would certainly take both tours, especially since it could easily take a lifetime to fully appreciate the art that is housed there. I would, however, tailor the private tour to what my preferences are as opposed to what the guide thinks you should see. There is no sense duplicating what you saw on Tauck's visit.
Good luck and enjoy.
I am leaving on the Sept 17th Savoring trip. I have been wondering if they might also include an after hours tour of the Louvre. I haven’t received my docs yet. Has anyone been on this trip recently that can comment. Any info would be appreciated.
Good morning Choc. Ken and I will also be on the Sept. 17th Savoring cruise. I was able to download my final documents from my account overview page here: I'm positive a Louvre visit of any kind is NOT included on this tour, sorry to say.
I think some of the Seine cruises have included it. There was a group from the MS Sapphire coming thru the Louvre behind us.
Thanks Brenda. I am using a TA so she may have them. Looking forward to meeting you.
Just found it.. Thanks
The Louvre was not included when we did the Savoring France tour but will be on the Seine London/Paris tour. You will have a wonderful time "savoring" your way through France!
We were on Savoring France in April. No Louvre tour included…
We were on the Savoring France 4 years ago and the Louvre wasn't included and I don't think it has ever been on that itinerary.
It was a wonderful trip and more than enough to do in Paris, including the Le Cordon Bleu cooking class.
So, back to my original question lol: Will the 2-hour after hours Louvre tour be enough for us or should I keep my reservation for the 290 euro private tour also?
IMO, two hours in the Louvre is more than enough.
Brenda, I don't think anyone can answer it for you. The after hours tour is only going to give you a small taste of what it has to offer. You might want to spend time on the Louvre website looking at what exhibits are part of the permanent collection and special offerings during the time you'd be there. If there are things I didn't mention before that you'd like to see then it would be worth it to go. For the 290 euros you might do well to ask for the tour to be tailored to your interests or just keep the tickets and do it yourself.
Best of luck. We loved this Tauck tour and hope you get our TD Maryanne Radwan.
Thanks, Claudia. We have been perusing the website, and will just have to make a decision one way or another, I know. We have 3 days in Paris on our own between tours. Our personal tour is scheduled for the morning everyone else will be checking out of Le Meurice to go home, and we won't be able to get into our second hotel until later in the day. Decisions, decisions!
We did this tour in May 2022. The 2 hr tour was enough for us since we were also touring a number of other museums with and without the group. Afterwards we choose to go out to a cafe and have French Onion soup and crepes for a late supper. Memorable art, good food and company. A treasured memory. Enjoy it all!
It's a challenge planning extra activities well before a tour. It all sounds wonderful or doable months before then by the end of a long tour you're hitting the "oh god, not another museum/castle/cathedral" stage. So many choices of things to do and see in Paris.
It’s hard to know how to recommend a time frame in a museum. I’m on the slower side getting around, as my hubby says, do I have to read everything! He is faster, we often lose each other. It a while since we were at the Louvre but I’m sure we were there all day.
I’ve only been to Paris once, and that was out of season. My husband has been too many times and we have certainly driven around the outskirts of Paris too many times with a trailer. We went as a side trip from visiting family in England. Paris was not busy. No line for the Mona Lisa. Versailles was quiet though of course the gardens were at rest but you could still appreciate the hard landscaping. I’d highly recommend visiting Paris in the off season as an in-dependent trip when flights and hotels are cheaper too. We stayed in a quaint typical French hotel near the Opera area. My favorite places were the Monet museum, the D’Orsay Museum and inside the Arc De Triumph where you can get great views of Paris without having to go up the Eiffel Tower. For a quick lunch, you can’t beat a real French Croque Monsieur. Cities like Amsterdam, London etc you just can’t rush them.
Brenda Anderson - If you are not much into art then the after hours tour of the Louvre will be enough, you'll have about 2 hours there.
Brenda, I believe I may have mentioned ParisMuse when you thought you wouldn't get the after hours tour. As usual, my comments generally follow Claudia's. For us even though it was our third time at the Louvre the after hours tour was one of the highlights of the trip. You not only get to see the "highlight" pieces up close with no crowds as Claudia said you will never get a sense of the beauty of the infrastructure (floors and ceilings) of the museum with hundreds of people there. Regarding the "close eye" from security when I mentioned I had to go to the restroom security escorted me both ways! There are so many great museums in Paris, L'Orangerie, Orsay (which we got a Tauck tour with a great guide!), Rodin, and often special exhibits, etc, etc. you may want to consider using your Paris Muse guide for another museum(s) to help expedite your time. We also did a tour of the Opera House which we enjoyed very much. Lastly, our experience at Le Meurice was superb, probably the best service we have received from hotel staff for a long time and the location can't be beat.
taxare, yes I believe you are the source of the ParisMuse tour guide information. I may try to reschedule to another museum. We will be doing the Orsay with Tauck, and we may be just tired from the hustle and bustle of the tour. A chocolat, a sleep-in and a nice bistro may be what we will be needing right after our tour. Thanks, everyone for all the great information!
Just an update: We were able to cancel our ParisMuse private Louvre tour for Sept. 14th. We got a 256 euro credit for the tour, but (as their terms state) we did not get credit for the 34 euros in ticket themselves.
Brenda did you actually get the tickets? I wonder if one of your fellow travelers might want them.
Hi Claudia, no sadly we did not get the actual tickets.