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France

Luxury travel in Paris

France’s capital: the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, the Palais Garnier, the banks of the Seine and the tables of the Left Bank and the Marais. Avelia plans private, tailor-made time in Paris, as a stay of its own or as the start of a wider journey through France.

Plan your Paris trip Explore Paris

Paris at a glance

Recommended stay
Four or five days, and a day more for Versailles or Champagne
Best seasons
May and June, September and October
Getting there
Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, and Eurostar from London
Best for
Art and architecture, the Seine, the table, and Versailles
In a wider trip
Pairs well with Nice, the French Riviera or Provence
World Heritage
The banks of the Seine, listed in 1991, and Versailles, in 1979

A trip with us typically includes hotels, private transfers, guided days and restaurant reservations, and always support while you travel.

Plan your Paris trip

On this page

  1. Experiences
  2. Hotels
  3. When to go
  4. Itineraries
  5. Planning
  6. FAQs
Plan your Paris trip

01Inspiration

Experiences in Paris

Each of these is arranged privately for your dates, subject to availability.

  • A stone bridge lit at blue hour, its parapet lined with ornate lamps and gilded winged statues on tall columns at either end, bronze cherubs on a lamp post in the foreground and a gilded dome above a long lit façade across the river

    Art, architecture and the Opéra

    The Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay with an art historian, Charles Garnier’s opera house, a couture atelier, and the Paris of Haussmann’s boulevards and the Left Bank writers, on foot with a specialist.

    More of the art and the architecture
    • The Louvre — the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace with an art historian; or the museum to yourselves once it has closed, with one of its curators, on request and subject to availability.
    • The Musée d’Orsay — Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh in the railway station of 1900, a museum since 1986, with a private guide; we reserve the visits to both museums as soon as your dates are fixed.
    • The Palais Garnier — Charles Garnier’s opera house of 1875 with one of the Opéra’s own guides, or on its quieter evening visit, once the doors have closed to visitors.
    • A couture atelier — a private visit to a haute couture workshop, or an embroidery lesson in the craft the great fashion houses use, on request and subject to availability.
    • Haussmann’s Paris — the grand boulevards and squares of the 19th-century city, with an architectural historian.
    • Saint-Germain-des-Prés — a literary walk through the Left Bank of Hemingway and the writers of the 1920s, its bookshops and its cafés.
  • The Eiffel Tower lit gold by a low sun against blue sky and grey cloud, with the long lawns of a park running away beneath its arch, trees in blossom at its feet and a bridge busy with traffic in the foreground

    The Seine, the table and the evenings

    The Seine at sunset on a boat of your own, a tasting menu at one of the city’s Michelin-starred tables, a market morning and a cooking class, pastry with a pâtissier, and French wines and cheeses with a sommelier.

    More of the table and the evenings
    • The Seine by private boat — at sunset, past the monuments of both banks, with Champagne on board.
    • Michelin-starred tables — a tasting menu at one of the city’s starred restaurants, for lunch or dinner; we reserve the table.
    • A market morning and a cooking class — the stalls of a Paris street market with a chef, then a lesson in a kitchen above the Seine, and lunch at the table you cooked for.
    • Pastry — croissants or macarons, made with a pâtissier in a class of your own.
    • Wine and cheese — French wines and cheeses paired by a sommelier, in a 17th-century cellar near the Louvre.
  • A formal garden of grass scrolls and clipped yews on pale gravel beside a round pool, below a long arcaded stone wall, with the cream façade of a vast palace stretching along the terrace above under a blue sky

    Versailles, Giverny and Champagne

    The Palace of Versailles with one of its own guides, Monet’s house and water garden at Giverny, and the cellars of the great Champagne houses, each a day out from Paris with a driver.

    More days out
    • Versailles — the palace of the kings from Louis XIV to Louis XVI and Le Nôtre’s gardens, on the World Heritage List since 1979: the State Apartments with a palace guide outside the public opening, or the kings’ private apartments on a private visit, on request and subject to availability.
    • Lunch at the palace — at Ore, Alain Ducasse’s restaurant in the Pavillon Dufour, looking onto the Royal Courtyard; we reserve the table.
    • Giverny — the pink house where Monet lived from 1883 until 1926, and the water garden he painted, its Japanese bridge hung with wisteria above the water lilies, with a licensed guide and a driver for the day.
    • Champagne — the cellars of Reims and Épernay, on the World Heritage List since 2015, with a private visit at Moët & Chandon on the Avenue de Champagne; Reims is 45 minutes from Paris by TGV, or a morning’s drive.

02Featured hotels

Where to stay in Paris

A selection of hotels we recommend in Paris. We can also arrange other properties to suit your preferences and travel plans.

  • The hotel's stone façade, its balconies spilling red geraniums under red awnings, against a deep blue sky

    Champs-Élysées

    Plaza Athénée

    A Palace on Avenue Montaigne, with the Dior Spa, La Grande Table's classic French cooking and the Art Deco Relais Plaza.

  • The Salon Proust at the Ritz Paris: panelled walls, glass-fronted bookcases, orange velvet armchairs and a table of cakes for tea

    Place Vendôme

    Ritz Paris

    César Ritz's hotel on Place Vendôme, with Espadon, the Bar Hemingway, the Ritz Club's pool and a French garden.

  • The hotel's pale stone building with red flowers in its window boxes and pavilions on the roof, above trees on a street corner, with the Eiffel Tower beyond

    Champs-Élysées

    Four Seasons George V

    A Palace just off the Champs-Élysées, with three restaurants — Le Cinq, L'Orangerie and Le George — and an indoor pool in the spa.

Explore where to stay in Paris

03Seasons

When to go

Late spring May and June

Mild days and long evenings: highs of about 20°C (68°F) in May and 23°C (73°F) in June, with rain on eight or nine days a month. The parks and the terraces at their best.

EventsThe Fête de la Musique on 21 June, every year since 1982, with music in the streets across the city.

Summer July and August

The warmest months, with highs of about 26°C (79°F), nights near 16°C (61°F) and rain on seven or eight days a month. Long evenings on the river.

EventsBastille Day on 14 July: the military parade down the Champs-Élysées, and fireworks from the Champ-de-Mars.

Early autumn September and October

Highs ease from about 22°C (72°F) in September to 17°C (63°F) in October, with rain on about eight days in September, one of the year's drier months.

EventsThe European Heritage Days, every year since 1984 on the third weekend of September, when buildings across the city open their doors.

Winter and early spring November to April

Cool, then cold: highs of 8–9°C (46–48°F) from December to February, 11–13°C (52–55°F) in November and March and 17°C (63°F) in April, with rain on nine to eleven days a month.

04Shape your trip

Routes and itineraries

Each route is a starting point, tailored to you.

  1. 4 days

    Culture and cuisine

    Places
    Paris
    Suits
    A first visit built around the art and the table
    What the route includes
    • An evening in the Louvre with a private guide, once the museum has closed, where it can be arranged
    • A morning at a Left Bank market with a chef, tasting as you go
    • Le Marais, its mansions and their courtyards, on foot with a historian
    • The Seine at sunset aboard a private boat
    • Dinner at one of the city’s Michelin-starred restaurants

  2. 7 days

    Art, fashion and quieter corners

    Places
    Paris, with a day in Giverny
    Suits
    A slower week for art, craft and the city's quieter streets
    What the route includes
    • A private visit to a haute couture atelier, where it can be arranged
    • The Palais Garnier on the Opéra’s own evening visit
    • A pastry class with a pâtissier
    • Montmartre’s old artists’ streets and its quieter gardens
    • A day at Giverny, in Monet’s house and garden, with a private guide
    • A picnic lunch with wine, laid out for you in one of the city’s parks

  3. 5 days

    Paris and beyond

    Places
    Paris, with a day in Champagne
    Suits
    The Île de la Cité, then a day among the Champagne houses
    What the route includes
    • The Île de la Cité on a historic walk, and Notre-Dame, open again since December 2024
    • A day in Champagne, with private visits and tastings at the houses
    • Art and antiques at the Saint-Ouen flea market, with a guide who knows the dealers
    • An evening in Montparnasse, with the view over the city from above
    • A morning on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré with a personal shopper

Itineraries that include Paris

All our France itineraries

Beyond Paris

  • A harbour from above: tall ochre, orange and yellow houses along the quay, yachts moored in turquoise water, and wooded hills covered in villas behind

    Another stay

    Nice

    A short flight from Orly or Charles de Gaulle, with flights all year: the Riviera's city by the sea, and the starting point for the coast.

  • A bay of turquoise water scattered with yachts and two cruise ships, a town of orange and ochre houses along the shore beneath a wooded headland, and pink bougainvillea in the foreground

    Another stay

    The French Riviera

    Through Nice, a short flight away: the coast from Cannes to Monaco, its old villages above the sea and the bays between them.

  • Rows of lavender in flower running towards the setting sun, a ruined stone hut among them and low hills along the horizon

    Another stay

    Provence

    By direct TGV to Avignon in around three hours: stone villages, vineyards and a country hotel in the Alpilles.

05Planning with Avelia

How we plan your time in Paris

We help you choose the right hotel, balance guided visits with time to explore, and fit Paris into your wider journey — or shape a stay in the city itself.

  1. Share your plans

    Tell us your dates, who is travelling and the pace you like, and whether Paris is the whole trip or one part of it, with the Riviera or Provence.

  2. Shape your trip with us

    Before any payment, we send a written proposal with a quoted trip price and what it includes — such as a grand hotel on the Right Bank, an art historian for the Louvre and the Orsay, and a driver for a day out to Versailles — and refine it with you.

  3. Travel with our support

    Once you approve the proposal and complete the agreed booking requirements, we confirm your arrangements. We coordinate the details and support you while you travel.

Peace of mind

Financially protected. Your payments for a package trip are covered against our insolvency by a guarantee with AXA. Plan with peace of mind

What we can arrange

Your proposal sets out the arrangements included in your trip.

  • Hotels matched to you — a grand hotel on the Right Bank, a smaller one on the Left Bank or in the Marais, and not only the ones featured here.
  • Private transport — chauffeur-driven cars from Charles de Gaulle, Orly or the Gare du Nord, a driver for days out to Versailles, Giverny or Champagne, and fast trains on to Provence or the Riviera.
  • Private guides — art historians for the Louvre and the Orsay, the palace’s own guides at Versailles, and specialist guides for the city’s architecture and its literary Left Bank.
  • Experiences — the Seine by private boat, cooking and pastry classes, wine and cheese with a sommelier, and a couture atelier where one can be arranged.
  • Tables and tickets — reservations from Michelin-starred dining rooms to neighbourhood bistros, and the tickets for the museums, the Opéra and Versailles.

Paris guides

  • Paris travel guide

    How to choose a Paris stay: the nights, the quarter, the hotel and the month.

  • Things to do in Paris

    Fourteen places, each with why to choose it, how long to allow and what it pairs with.

06Questions

Questions we are asked

What does it cost to have a tailor-made trip designed by Avelia Travel?

Every trip is priced individually. After discussing your plans, we prepare a tailored proposal with a quoted trip price and a clear outline of what is included.

How many days should we spend in Paris?

We recommend four or five days, enough for the great museums and the quarters between them without rushing, and a day more for Versailles or Champagne.

When is the best time to visit Paris?

May and June, and September and October, when the days are mild: highs of about 20–23°C (68–73°F) in late spring and 17–22°C (63–72°F) in early autumn. July and August are the warmest months, at about 26°C (79°F); winter is cold, with highs of 8–9°C (46–48°F), and rain falls on a few days in every month.

Can I combine Paris with other places in France?

Yes. Provence is around three hours by direct TGV, Nice and the French Riviera a short flight, Champagne within an hour by train, and Chambord and the châteaux of the Loire Valley two hours by car. Our France page covers the rest of the country.

Do you only plan full itineraries, or can you help with just a hotel?

Both. We plan complete trips, and we also arrange a stay on its own: a hotel matched to you, with transfers, a guide or a few reservations added if you wish.

Is Avelia right for me?

Avelia suits travellers who want a private, well-paced trip planned around them: the right places in the right order, hotels chosen for them, guides who know the ground, tables and tickets taken care of, and one point of contact from the first conversation until they are home.

Start planning your time in Paris

Four or five days in Paris, and a day more for Versailles or Champagne: tell us your dates and who is travelling.

Plan your Paris trip

Usually answered within one business day.

Paris in pictures

The glass pyramid of the Louvre lit gold at night and mirrored in the still water of a pool, with the lit stone façade of a palace pavilion on the right under a dusky sky
The Louvre