The difference between a good guide and a great one is not knowledge — it is judgement. Knowing which three rooms of the Louvre are worth your morning. Knowing when to stop talking. Knowing that your fourteen-year-old will remember the workshop, not the lecture.

We work with licensed guides chosen for that judgement, and we brief them on you before you meet.

Where we guide

• Paris — the Louvre, Orsay, Versailles and the lesser-known collections, with entry timed to avoid the worst of the crowds.
• Provence — Roman sites, hilltop villages, artists’ landscapes and market towns, at the pace of a day rather than a checklist.
• The French Alps — mountain heritage, alpine architecture and the villages behind the ski resorts.
• Specialist subjects — art history, architecture, gastronomy, military history and photography, with guides who genuinely specialise.
• Family touring — itineraries built so children stay engaged, which usually means shorter, more active, and with something to do rather than only see.

Built around you

We ask what you have already seen, what you care about, how much walking suits you, and how long the group’s attention really lasts. A first visit to Paris and a fifth are different trips, and multi-generational groups need a different shape again.

Language

All guides work in English. Where a specialist speaks only French, we say so in advance and propose the alternative rather than surprising you on the day.

Frequently asked questions

Are your guides licensed?

The guides we use for museums and monuments hold the French national guide qualification, which is a legal requirement for guiding inside state institutions.

How long is a typical private tour?

Half-day tours run three to four hours and full days six to eight. For most visitors two half-days beat one long day, particularly with jet lag or children in the group.

Can a guide travel with us between regions?

Yes. For longer itineraries a single guide accompanying you from Paris to Provence or the Alps gives the trip continuity, and we can arrange that.

To plan private guiding in France, contact Elite France Journeys at [email protected] or +33 2 57 58 80 29.