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).

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

SWT Tours updated Pulse of Paris tour:

Viva La Difference…
Not your same old Paris


	Out: Fabled but overpriced café	In: The new petit dejeuner

In: the 30 minute global cooking class includes lunch

Out: The too long mind-numbing walking tour
In: Shorter tours on non-cliché topics, for example, St. Germain-des-Pres history and literati

Out: By-the-book 3 hour cooking classes, complicated recipes
In: the 30 minute global cooking class includes lunch

Out: Tourist exhaustion
IN: Pampering plus the hammam spa experience

Out: No contact with locals
In: Meet with expats who live the Paris dream

David Burke has written an entertaining account of the literary scene in Paris, Writers in Paris. He will lead us on a walking tour based on his book spiked with lots of wonderful anecdotes.

The Louvre

November 2012

HIGHLIGHTS:
THE LOUVRE. EIFEL TOWER, BATEAU MOUCHE, THE RITZ COOKING SCHOOL, VERSAILLES, A SOOTHING
SPA TREATMENT:
That’s EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD DO IN PARIS…
WAIT THERE’S MORE:
NEW:
Literary PARIS: Walking tour with David Burke, author of Writers in Paris.
Paris Insights: a special event hosted by Terrance Gelenter author of “ From Bagels to Brioches”

A new Pulse of Paris trip…5 nights, instead of 6. We have eliminated the Optional Day, the day you can do as you wish. This change in schedule allows us to keep the 2009 tour price

Our Itinerary:

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 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.

The Seine from the Bateaux-Mouche

Day 2
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…Orientation sightseeing tour of the city’s great monuments including the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides and more. . Then a Champagne Tasting Cruise on the River Seine, another view of Paris’ glorious monuments.

Dinner at Altitude 95 at the Eiffel Tower…not the best food in Paris but dining here gets you to the lower level of the Eiffel Tower without having to wait on line.

Day 3

Lady Gaga as Marie Antoinette

Versailles is spectacular. We see Versailles with a single focus, Marie Antoinette, the queen of Louis XVI who has progressed from reviled to revered. See her bedroom, visit the Petit Trianon (if it is open after renovation), and the Hamlet, the informal complex of farm-like structures which was Marie Antoinette’s retreat at Versailles. We finish off our study of Marie Antoinette with a glass of champagne, the favored drink of the Queen, and, of course, cake.

Evening: Insights in Paris event according to their schedule. Otherwise. A shift to the evening where there is an event.

Day 4

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.

Lunch (your dinner) at a 2-star restaurant. You should experience one of the great restaurants of Paris and you’ll be delighted with the service, ambiance and food at Salon Helene Darroze.

Temptations at Fauchon

After lunch a brief stop at Fauchon, the justly renowned food emporium Afternoon demonstration cooking class at the luxurious Ritz Carlton Hotel…It’s wonderful to watch a haute cuisine chef go through his paces. The class is informal, low key and fun and you learn and taste the menu. We always try to gain admission to the Ritz lobby with its long corridor with dozens of vitrines showcasing luxury goods.

If the group wants, we can have a cocktail in the bar (optional and probably 20 - 25 euros).

Day 5

Morning fashion Show at Galeries Lafayette, our pick for the best place to shop in Paris. We stop at the Welcome Desk to get a 10% discount card. Most of the fashion houses have boutiques here so it’s one-stop shopping. We provide ample time to shop.

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).

Day 6
Return home or stay an extra day on your own. I urge you to stay on.

Note: Itinerary subject to changes and adjustments.
PARIS FEAST, 4 DAY CULINARY TOUR - OPTIONAL AFTER PULSE OF PARIS TOUR -LEARN MORE HERE

Cost
$3,100 (USD) includes hotel for five nights (single occupancy, no single supplement), 3 breakfasts, 3 dinners, all activities outlined in itinerary. Price does not include airfare, airport transfers, lunches, café stops, alcoholic beverages, personal expenses, and wine/alcoholic beverages.

Transportation is by Metro (subway) and bus. If the group wants to take a taxi (SWT Tours' preference), the taxi fare will be shared, making the ride more affordable.