France · SELF-GUIDED TOURS
The 15 best self-guided tours you can book today, with what each costs, how long it runs and who it actually suits. Number one is first for a reason.
See Paris lit up from the Seine on a 1-hour cruise from the Eiffel Tower, with audio commentary and a smartphone app for landmarks.
“Really enjoyed the ride and the illuminations on the various landmarks. Well worth to do the tour during the evening. The guide was quite tricky to follow from the mobile though, but it was sufficient once you get the hang of it.”
Skip the long ticket lines at Musée d’Orsay with a flexible entry time and a digital audio guide for 300+ artworks.
“The Musee d’Orsay is an old railway station, the architecture of the building is amazing, the display of Impressionist art is a must see. The only negative was the volume of tourists which distracted from the enjoyment. I recommend an early visit as possible.”
Air-conditioned Paris coach to Giverny for Monet’s house and gardens, with live or audio guide and ticket-line skip.
“My mom and I enjoyed the trip. Everything was well organized, and Steve was very nice, making sure we heard everything we needed to hear. There's no tour of the house itself; you're free to explore the grounds and lily garden. We thought it wouldn't be as beautiful in the fall, but there were so many flowers, and the gardens were still colorful. It would have been great if there was an audio guide in Ukrainian. I recommend this trip if you want to visit Giverny from Paris.”
Half-day trip from Paris to Giverny to see Monet’s house and gardens with priority entry, by coach, plus audio or art historian options.
“Money’s gardens are even more beautiful than his paintings. We visited late October I imagine earlier in the year is even better we enjoyed the smaller crowds.”
Air-conditioned bus from Paris to Versailles, skip-the-line entry, audio guide in 11 languages, and gardens time with optional shows.
“It was nice to comfortably travel via bus out to Versailles and skip the lines right into the Palace. It was a nice mix of audio tour and unguided discovery. I would recommend the full day so that you have enough time to visit everything - The Palace, Estate of Trianon and the The Garden. Wear comfortable walking shoes.”
Open-top minibus tour of Toulouse’s Ville Rose with multilingual audio, covering Saint-Sernin, the Cathedral, and the Canal du Midi for $19.
“Love the tour and it was worth our money when we didnt much time we could see alot.”
90 minutes on an enclosed air-conditioned double-decker bus, with multilingual audio, sweeping views of Paris icons, and great value.
“Breathtaking experience so much to do and see in such a short space of time..id love to come back and most likely will...”
Paris to Bruges by luxury coach with a UNESCO medieval walk and, in season, a guided canal cruise plus free time for food, lace, and chocolate.
“Dimitri was a great guide. Friendly and knowledgeable. What a quaint and beautiful city. Lots of shops and eateries. Very friendly”
A one-day bus trip from Toulouse to Albi and Cordes-sur-Ciel with a 3-language audio guide, free time in both towns, and cathedral views.
“It was an easy way to see both towns. Visited March 8th, so there wasn't a lot open in Cordes sur Ciel. Not even the touristy train to get there, so had to hike for 15 min which was still worth it because of how beautiful everything was around me.”
Louvre hosted entry plus the Masterpieces audio guide app, starting at Mona Lisa, with phone-based artwork commentary and practical tips.
“Nous avons payé un audio guide ....que nous cherchons encore les explications sont incorrectes et ne vous présentez à l'audio guide du musée : ils vous envoient " bouler" 1ere utilisation de ce site .... et la dernière”
Caen Memorial Museum ticket with optional audio web guide. WWII to Berlin Wall, D-Day films, memorial gardens, value at $24.
“I thought I had purchased the audio guide and was disappointed to find out I hadn’t. The description on the website was not clear.”
A 3-hour Paris coach tour plus a narrated Seine cruise from the Eiffel Tower, with app audio, tablet visuals, and 10 language options.
“Thankfully we had a closed bus for the ride around the city as it was raining and snowing a little. The audio guide skipped a few times and you couldn’t get back to the right section but that was ok. We chose not to do the river cruise yesterday due to the freezing wet weather … we have 12 months in which to do it which is good”
See Paris illuminated in 90 minutes on an air-conditioned open-top coach with app audio in up to 10+ languages.
“The audio guide didn’t flow you had to select each recording when you got to that area but the guide got off the bus half way through the tour so you had no idea where you were and no1 to tell you which recording to listen to. Nothing against the driver or the guide but there needed to be a guide for the whole tour and the bus itself was uncomfortable. Not good value for money.”
Audio-guided Giverny day trip from Paris to Monet’s house and gardens, including the water-lily pond, plus the Museum of Impressionism.
“Alex was very supportive and made an effort to find out what we were interested in, and then she worked to help address those interests. We spent a whole day in Giverney and were glad we did.”
Visit Musée des Arts Décoratifs for a self-guided decorative-arts tour plus an audio guide to Paris landmarks, all in about 2 hours.
“bon musée, intéressant. expo sur l'orient express apprecié. circulation pas fluide avec "cul de sac". bijoux dans la petite aile non mis en valeur, poussiereux”
Pick a kind of day and see what France does best.
