Visites privées · Planning guide
A private walking guide, a car with a driver, or a themed walk for your party alone. Which one fits your trip, how the prices really work, and how to check that a guide is licensed.
Updated October 26, 2026 · Prices checked October 26, 2026 · Tour prices refresh daily
A private tour buys you one thing a group tour cannot: the day runs at your pace, on your route, for your party alone. In Paris that comes in three shapes. A private walking guide, a car with a driver (with or without commentary), or a themed walk built around one interest, from couture to Christmas lights.
Below are the private tours we could verify, grouped by format, then what the French guide license covers and how each listing prices its tour. That last part matters: two listings do not say whether the price is per person or per group.
N° 01Short on time
1erPrivateBest private walk
City Unscripted
A three- or four-hour walk with a local host matched to you through a questionnaire, in English or French, for up to eight adults plus children. It is priced per person, which makes it the easiest listing here to budget.
Free cancellation
From$119.96
per person, lowest listed option
2ePrivateBest by car
David Kafari
A Paris-born driver-guide, an air-conditioned vehicle for up to four, and hotel pickup. The listing says it is wheelchair accessible, which makes it the one to look at first for limited mobility.
Free cancellation
From$330.07
private, up to 4; basis not stated
3ePrivateBest themed walk
Ivo
Two hours of fashion history along Rue Saint-Honoré and through Place Vendôme, with the strongest review record of the themed tours here. Read the options: one is semi-private, with up to 15 people.
Free cancellation
From$62.60
lowest listed option; mixes private and semi-private
We may earn a commission when you book through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It never decides our picks. Tour prices are Viator’s US-dollar from-prices, refreshed with ratings every day; they change by date, and Viator may show your local currency. How we make money.
N° 02Privé ou petit groupe
Often, but not always. Private beats a small group in four situations:
Traveling alone or as a couple on a budget, you will often pay less per head for a well-reviewed small-group walk on the same streets; our Montmartre walking tours guide compares both. For evenings, see Paris night tours. If you want photographs rather than commentary, book a private photoshoot instead.
N° 03À pied
The most flexible option matches you with a local host through an online questionnaire, then builds the route around your answers. You meet at the Colonne Vendôme or at a central hotel. There is no vehicle, and transport, tickets and food are extra.
PrivateCity Unscripted
Free cancellation
From$119.96
per person, lowest listed option
If you know the neighborhood you want, a private Montmartre walk is more focused. It meets at Blanche and runs two to two and a half hours, rain or shine. Note that the listing also sells a semi-private option for up to 12, and warns that some sights cannot be visited inside for security reasons.
PrivateBabylon Tours Paris
Free cancellation
From$62.60
lowest listed option
N° 04En voiture
The key question: is the person at the wheel also your guide?
A driver-guide. A Paris-born driver-guide, an air-conditioned vehicle for up to four, commentary in English, and pickup at your hotel 60 minutes before the start. It runs three to five hours and is listed as wheelchair accessible. The listing does not say whether the guide holds the French guide card.
PrivateDavid Kafari
Free cancellation
From$330.07
private, up to 4; basis not stated
A chauffeured car. A Mercedes-Benz V-Class for up to seven, with pickup anywhere in Paris and stops you choose, from two hours (25 km within the city limits) to five, plus Giverny and Mont Saint-Michel options. The listing names no guide, so treat it as a car and driver, not a guided tour.
PrivateWin Transfer - Paris
Free cancellation
From$341.45
private, up to 7; basis not stated
Neither listing says whether its price is per person or per vehicle, so check the total for your party at checkout. For a day outside the city, see our Versailles guide or all day trips from Paris. We have not vetted a vintage-car tour, so none is listed.
N° 05À thème
A two-hour walk from the Comédie-Française on Place Colette to the Place de la Concorde, along Rue Saint-Honoré and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and through Place Vendôme, in English or French. Despite the title, the listing also sells a semi-private option, and the from-price is likely that one. Choose the private option if you want the guide to yourselves.
PrivateIvo
Free cancellation
From$62.60
lowest listed option; mixes private and semi-private
Both private Christmas tours have under 100 reviews, so book on format rather than track record. The first is a three-hour walk with a local host through the lights, markets and traditions, with one mulled wine, hot chocolate or soft drink. It has fewer than ten reviews.
PrivateCity Unscripted
Free cancellation
From$141.77
lowest listed option
The second is an evening tour with hotel pickup, on foot and by taxi, past the lights of the Champs-Élysées, Opéra and Vendôme, the Galeries Lafayette displays and a holiday market. Pickup is 5pm in December. Your own Ferris wheel ride is extra.
PrivateWith Love From Paris Tours
Free cancellation
From$341.45
lowest listed option
For holiday dates, see Paris Christmas markets and Paris in December.
N° 06Guide-conférencier
France’s professional guide license is the carte professionnelle de guide-conférencier.
Under the French Tourism Code, businesses that sell trips may use only card holders for guided visits inside musées de France and monuments historiques. At the Louvre, only accredited people, mainly card holders, may speak to a group, and groups without one are refused without a refund. We found no official source saying every street walk or car tour needs a card holder.
We found no official public register of guides, so you cannot look one up online. Ask the operator whether your guide holds the card, and ask to see it on the day. For a museum visit, insist on it. The rules are on service-public.gouv.fr.
N° 07Les prix
Private tours are often assumed to be priced per group, but these listings are not consistent. Here is what each says. The tour cards show the current from-price, the lowest listed option.
| Tour | Party size | Price basis on the listing |
|---|---|---|
| Personalized walk with a local | Up to 8 adults, 2 children, 1 infant | Per person |
| Private Montmartre walk | Private, or semi-private up to 12 | Lowest listed option |
| Half-day tour with a driver-guide | Up to 4 | Not stated: check at checkout |
| Chauffeured city tour | Up to 7 | Not stated: check at checkout |
| Fashion history walk | Private, or semi-private up to 15 | Lowest option, likely semi-private |
| Private Christmas walk | Up to 8 | Lowest listed option |
| Christmas illuminations tour | Up to 5 adults and 4 children | Lowest listed option |
Read from each listing on October 26, 2026 (Montmartre on October 25; Christmas illuminations on October 19). Prices are in USD as Viator lists them. Enter your exact party size at checkout to see the real total.
N° 08Au musée
Inside a museum, a private guide buys route and pace, not a shortcut. You still need a timed ticket, and the museum’s group rules apply. At the Louvre, a small group is up to six people plus the leader. At the Eiffel Tower, groups of more than nine (guide included) must book online.
We compare every private Louvre option in our private Louvre tours guide. This one includes entry and offers a fully private option in seven languages. Its from-price is for a shared option; the private one costs more, and it is the only wheelchair-friendly option.
PrivateBabylon Tours Paris
Free cancellation
From$71.70
shared option; private costs more
N° 09Good to know
It depends on the format and the pricing basis. Of the tours we compared, those with a vehicle or hotel pickup cost the most, and walks that also sell a semi-private option start lowest. The cards above show current from-prices; enter your party size at checkout for the real total.
Both, and two listings we checked do not say which. The personalized walk with a local is per person. The driver-guide tour and the chauffeured city tour give a maximum party size but no price basis, so check the total before you pay.
A guide holding the French carte professionnelle de guide-conférencier, issued free and for life by a préfet. Businesses selling trips must use card holders for guided visits in musées de France and monuments historiques, such as the Louvre. We found no official rule requiring one for a street walk.
Not on their own. You still need a timed ticket, and the guide works within the museum’s group rules. At the Louvre, small groups with an official guide use the Passage Richelieu entrance. A tour that includes entry handles the booking; see private Louvre tours.
For central Paris, a half day is usually enough, and the listings here run two to five hours. A full day makes more sense outside the city: the chauffeured car offers Giverny and Mont Saint-Michel options, and our day trips from Paris guide covers the alternatives.
The half-day tour with a driver-guide is listed as wheelchair accessible. At the Louvre, Babylon Tours says its wheelchair-friendly tour runs only as a private booking. Confirm your needs with the operator before you book.
Keep planning
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Your own guide in the world’s most-visited museum: which private tours are worth it, for couples, families, and kids.
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Montmartre · On foot
Guided, tip-based, private, and food walks on the hill, compared by group size and what Sacré-Cœur includes.
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Après la nuit tombée · On land
Golf carts, vintage 2CVs, an open-top bus and an evening bike ride past the lit monuments, plus when the Eiffel Tower sparkles.
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Private Personalized Half-Day Walk with a Local