Take A Walk ...

All the world’s greatest cities are wonderful walking cities, and Paris is one of the best.

The 6^th arrondisment, posh St.Germain-des-Pres, is my personal favorite. Take a walk down any of it’s leading streets and discover a treasure trove. Rue du cherche Midi, for example, hosts Poilane, one of Paris best bakeries, shoe stores galore and two favorite casual pocketbook places, Groom and Ghinko. When there’s a sale, I stock up on triangular change purses in a rainbow of colors that make great gifts. There’s a chocolatier on the street that will tempt you also.

Other high profile streets in the area: antique heaven on Rue Du Bac and Rue de Grenelle, home to my favorite clothing boutique, Chacock (expensive, but clothes that you will wear for many years).

UPCOMING TOURS

MAY 2013
...Venice Beyond St. Marks May 5-12
…Florence Focus
May 12-18
…Chicago
May 28-June 1st
…New Orleans May 27-31
JUNE 2013
…NY Theatre June 4-8
…San Francisco & Napa June 10-16
…Vancouver & Victoria June 18-24
…Greece June 27-July 24
…Boston TBD
JULY 2013
…Hudson Valley Tours all of July
…Summer Festivals: Berkshires & Hudson Valley July 19-23
…Saratoga Springs
July 23-26
AUGUST 2013
…Hudson Valley Tours
…Greece August 21-28
SEPTEMBER 2013
…New Orleans Culinary Tour Sept 6-11
…Florence Focus
Sept 13-19
…Venice Beyond St. Marks Sept 22-29
OCTOBER 2013
…Pulse of Paris Oct 1-6
…Paris Feast Oct 13-19
…New Orleans TBD
NOVEMBER 2013
…London Theatre
Nov.8-15
…Paris & London
Nov. 9-16
DECEMBER 2013
Christmas in New York Dec. 5-9
Looking ahead…
Sarasota,Florida Feb. 2014
Puglia, Italy April 2014

Keep in mind the time of year you
Choose to travel determines total
Price of tour. Hotel prices fluctuate according to When and where you are going. Final cost of trip will be confirmed when You book.

TRAVEL FOR THE 50+ WOMAN ...
our tour selection is diverse, innovative and personal.

Travel By-The-Book : Senior Women's Travel : Favorite Cities : Theatre Tours
Travel by Knife & Fork : Unique Trips

Pulse of Paris

Oct 1-6, 2013…a 5 night romp through all of Paris’ iconic monuments and attractions

Viva La Difference!

OUR PULSE OF PARIS IS DIFFERENT... We explore HISTORY, ART, LITERATURE, PARIS LIFESTYLE,
The Best Bites, FASHION AND A SOUPCON OF PAMPERING.

HIGHLIGHTS: The Louvre, The Eiffel Tower, Marie Antoinette’s Versailles, St. Germaine-des-Pres Literary Tour, Chanpagne Seine Cruise

THE SWT TOURS DIFFERENCE:

LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!

- Where you stay does matter. And the 6th arrondisment where our hotel is located is our center of the universe in Paris. Convenience is key with the Louvre and other outstanding museums within walking distance plus our favorite shopping and restaurants.

Eiffel Tower tour combines lunch at the Eiffel Tower proceeded by an hour long drive around Paris in a sleek Citroen. No waiting on line at the Eiffel Tour which are usually very long. Our private city tour means we skip the big bus city tour.

Enjoy an hour long drive around Paris in a sleek Citroen

MONMARTRE MOVEABLE FEAST…another combo tour that combines a 3 course lunch at 3 different restaurants with a lively lecture on the fascinating history of the area where Van Gogh, Picasso and Toulouse Lautrec lived and worked. This lunch is an excellent way to try several restaurants, each featuring food from a different region of France, plus appropriate wines.

Our guides for our literary tour and Versailles are expats and friends who have lived in Paris for decades. David leads us to the best jazz in Paris. Beatrice is a former Vogue editor and worked for Dior. Let’s discuss the Paris fashion scene with her over lunch following our Versailes Marie Antoinette morning.

PULSE OF PARIS ITINERARY:

There is a new Wing of Islamic Art at Louvre

Day 1
Arrive in Paris, transfer on your own to our hotel, located in the prestigious 6^th arrondissement. In our opinion, this is the best location in Paris, within walking distance of great restaurants, shopping, and museums (near Musee D’Orsay, a long to the Louvre plus several jewels of smaller museums).

We always keep activity to a minimum on your day of arrival. We’ll visit the Louvre for just an hour where I will show you the museums key masterpieces including the: Winged Victory and the Mona Lisa. You may want to stay longer on your own or come back another time. We recommend a short visit, on your own, to the Musee D’Orsay which is a longish walk from The Louvre.

New at the Louvre…Video guides on portable consoles with commentary on 700 masterpieces. A new Islamic Art Wing is marked by a wavy golden canopy.

Day 2

11am…Pick up for our 1 hour drive around Paris’ monuments, museums and most famous arrondisements in the comfort of our private car.
Noon…Lunch at the Eiffel Tower and entrance to the first floor of the Tower without having to wait on long lines. We enjoy glorious views and a tasty 3 course lunch. Our groups do not go to the top of the Eiffel Tower but tickets can be bought to make that ascent.

WRITERS IN PARIS: David Burke authour of this new book, will lead us on a tour of the St. Germaine des Pres area, chronically many of the writers who hung out in its cafes and lived here including Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, Colette, Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Hemingway,James Joyce and many others.


St. Germaine des Pres	Champagne Cruise on the Seine	Spa at the Four Seasons Hotel

Day 3

Montmartre Moveable Feast… Lunch at 3 restaurants sampling food from 3 different regions of France accompanied by appropriate wines. Plus the fascinating history of the area.

Evening…Possible special event by Paris Insights a company that puts together all kinds of events from movies, author lectures, music and on and on. Not included in tour price. If no event on this night we will switch to another night.

Day 4

Lady Gaga as Marie Antoinette

Versailles is spectacular and seeing it all in one day would be daunting. There are many different Versailles tours: a half day tour of the gardens only , a half day tour of the interiors of the Chateau.

We do Versailles with a Marie Antoinette focus only. Our special guide loves the controversial Queen and her lecture covers all aspects of her history. We take a train from Paris…just a half hour trip, then connect with a shuttle bus that takes us to the Petit Trianon where we see Marie Antoinette’s favorite rooms: a secret grotto and her magnificent dining room.

Then on to the Hamlet, a group of informal thatched roof cottages with a vineyard and a watermill. It was the Queen’s favorite place to escape the demands of court life.

6pm…Champagne Cruise on the Seine…sample 3 champagnes on a 1 hour Seine cruise. Boat is small; not your crowded Bateaux Mouche

Day 5

Morning walking tour of the Marais, one of Paris most intriguing neighborhoods, ending at the beautiful Place des Voges. The Marais chronicles the fascinating history of Paris during the 17 & 18^th centuries.

Afternoon: Fashion Show at the Galeries Lafayette

Late afternoon spa treatment at the beautiful spa at the Four Seasons Hotel. We include a deluxe warm manicure (cost $116) or a deluxe warm pedicure (cost $130). Either is included in the tour price. You might prefer a more expensive treatment such as a facial or a massage. Just figure these treatments are twice the cost of a manicure (you would get a credit of $116 toward another treatment).

PARIS PANACHE: SWT TOURS are all about style - Just some things on our Paris Style meter

Paris' Most Famous Café

Top: Ralph Lauren’s new Paris restaurant. Comfy courtyard dining. Middle: Napoleon holds sway. Color is Paris’ fashion story. A tartine, Paris’ take on the sandwich. Bottom: Manet exhibit at Musee D’Orsay. All over Paris streets, rent A bike.

Day 6

Return home or stay an extra day on your own. I urge you to stay on.

Cost
$3250 (USD) includes hotel for 5 nights. Single occupancy, no signal supplement. Your own private room without an extra charge. Hotel rates are higher in October plus at this time of year the hotel charges $20 for breakfast. We’ve included one breakfast so you can decide if you want to incur that exra charge. There are many places an easy walk from hotel that are more reasonable. We also include 2 lunches: Eiffel Tower and Montmartre Moveable Feast counted as 2 dinners, most activities mentioned in itinerary.

Not included: airfare, airport transports, meals not mentioned in above, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, café stops, wine and alcoholic beverages. Evening entertainments that could include concerts, jazz with David Burke as our guide, lectures, etc. Transportation is by metro(subway) and bus.Several of our destinations are easy to reach by a comfortable bus ride. If the group wants to take a taxi,our preference , the fare will be shared, making the trip more affordable and comfortable. See Paris Feast, a follow up culinary tour that follows Pulse of Paris.