Paris TV Show Tour in a Open Top Vintage French Car Citroen DS

Paris sightseeing gets a stylish twist in this open-top vintage Citroën DS, a car so distinctive that people may stop to photograph you as you pass. Benjamin, your private driver-guide, takes you through Emily in Paris locations, major monuments, old neighborhoods, and quieter corners in one long city circuit.

I like the way the tour covers a huge amount of ground without making you change trains or march between far-flung sights. I also like Benjamin’s flexible approach: he can focus more on the show, Parisian history, photo stops, or places you have not yet seen. The main drawback is simple: this is a view-from-the-car tour, with short stops rather than full museum or monument visits.

Key details that shape the experience

• The vintage Citroën is part of the attraction: You ride in a rare-looking French classic with comfortable seats, heating, and plenty of legroom.
• Benjamin guides the whole outing: He drives, explains the city, shares local stories, and can take photos during stops.
• You cover central Paris quickly: The route links the Latin Quarter, Saint-Germain, Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, and many places between.
• Emily in Paris is optional, not the whole tour: Fans get filming locations, while nonfans still get a broad introduction to Paris.
• It works best for a small group: The car takes up to four people, making the $540.95 group price more reasonable when shared.
• Timing and weather matter: The best departure window is given as 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and poor weather can lead to a new date or refund.

Why the Citroën DS changes the way you see Paris

The car is not just transportation. It gives the tour its personality. A classic French Citroën moving through Paris feels very different from sitting behind a bus window or squeezing into a large group. The open top gives you a clearer view of façades, bridges, statues, and street life, while the compact car can reach areas that feel less suited to a coach.

The car also turns you into part of the scene. Several people who booked this outing described being photographed by passersby, and one person joked that the group felt like celebrities. That attention may be amusing, though it is worth knowing if you prefer to travel unnoticed.

Despite the vintage look, the car has heating and comfortable seats with good legroom. That matters on a three to four-hour ride. Still, the open-top design makes weather a real factor, and the operator requires good conditions. Bring a light layer even on a pleasant day, and remember that rain can change the plan.

Benjamin’s role makes this more than a driving loop

Benjamin is both the licensed professional driver and the guide. He carries passenger insurance, provides bottled water, and handles the route while explaining what you are seeing. The strongest praise for this outing centers on his warm manner, his Paris knowledge, and his willingness to adapt the ride to the group.

That flexibility is useful. If you are devoted to Emily in Paris, you can give more time to the show’s locations. If you have never seen it, you can treat those stops as an amusing extra while concentrating on Parisian history, architecture, and neighborhoods. If you already visited a major sight, Benjamin can adjust the emphasis rather than simply repeating your earlier day.

He also makes room for photographs. At several stops, you can get out for around 15 minutes. Benjamin can help with pictures, which is valuable when you want a group shot with the car or a clean view of a famous place.

The Latin Quarter and Place de l’Estrapade

The tour may take you through the Latin Quarter, one of the best areas for sensing Paris’s student and intellectual side. Cafés, old streets, and landmark buildings give this part of the city a different mood from the grand avenues farther west.

Place de l’Estrapade is a small square near the Panthéon and one of the clearest Emily in Paris connections. The stop lasts about 15 minutes and costs nothing to enter. You can take photos, look at the classic façades, and hear how the area fits into the show and the city.

The nearby Panthéon is a major neoclassical mausoleum honoring French figures. You see it from outside on this tour, not as an interior visit. That distinction matters if you want to inspect the dome, paintings, or tombs, since you would need separate time and admission for that.

Saint-Germain, Luxembourg, and the old cinema quarter

The route continues toward Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots recall the cafés associated with writers, artists, and thinkers. These are working cafés, not museum sets, so the appeal is mainly the setting and the stories attached to them. You may stop for a photograph, but a coffee break is not listed as part of the tour.

The Jardin du Luxembourg offers a calmer change of pace. Its formal gardens, fountains, statues, and chairs make it one of Paris’s best places for people-watching. Again, expect an outside look and a short pause, not an extended garden stroll.

Le Champo, a celebrated cinema for Paris film fans, adds another small cultural detail. The route also includes local meeting spots where street musicians and singers perform. These passing details are part of the tour’s value: you get more than a checklist of monuments, though the exact street activity will depend on the time of day.

Île Saint-Louis, Île de la Cité, and the Seine

Near Île Saint-Louis, the ride brings in Berthillon, the famous ice cream name associated with the island. Ice cream is not included, and no alcoholic drinks are included either, but this is a natural place to note for a later stop on your own.

Île de la Cité is the historic center of Paris, and the route includes Notre-Dame Cathedral, Pont Neuf, and views along the Seine. Notre-Dame receives about 15 minutes from the tour. You can admire the Gothic exterior and the cathedral’s setting, but this is not a ticketed interior visit.

Pont Neuf is Paris’s oldest surviving bridge and one of the best places to understand how the islands connect the city. The stop gives you a chance to look along the river and photograph the bridge, stone buildings, and passing boats. The Seine itself is one of the tour’s strongest visual threads. You keep seeing Paris from changing angles rather than viewing every monument from the same street.

Palais Royal, Place de Valois, and Galerie Vivienne

The Palais Royal brings a more polished side of Paris, with arcades, formal gardens, and Daniel Buren’s striped columns. The tour allows about 15 minutes here. It is a good photo stop, though you will not have time for a long wander through every arcade.

Nearby Place de Valois is quieter, with elegant architecture and links to the Palais Royal and Comédie-Française. Galerie Vivienne adds a covered 19th-century passage with glass roofing, boutiques, and cafés. These places show why the tour is broader than a television-location hunt. You are moving between grand sights and smaller spaces that reward a closer look.

Place Vendôme then shifts the mood again, with luxury shops and its famous column. You also pass the Opéra Garnier, one of Paris’s most ornate buildings. If you want to tour the opera house or see the Louvre’s art collections, plan separate visits. This outing is designed to show you the city from the street.

Montmartre, from the stairs to Sacré-Cœur

Montmartre is the most concentrated part of the Emily in Paris and artistic Paris theme. The route includes the Montmartre stairs, Place du Tertre, Rue de l’Abreuvoir, Rue Lepic, La Maison Rose, and the Moulin Rouge.

Place du Tertre is known for its painters, cafés, and old village feel. It can be crowded, and the narrow streets are not always easy for a large vehicle, which is one reason a compact car helps. Rue de l’Abreuvoir is among the prettiest streets in the area, with old houses and a strong sense of Montmartre’s past.

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica receives a 15-minute stop. The white domes and hilltop position give you one of the best broad views over Paris. You can take in the exterior and surroundings, but basilica entry and a longer visit are not part of the stated plan.

Rue Lepic connects the area to cinema and everyday Montmartre. The Café des 2 Moulins is associated with Amélie, while the street also recalls old windmills and local life. The Moulin Rouge adds Belle Époque cabaret history, though the tour does not include a show.

La Maison Rose is another famous photo point. It is a café and restaurant, not an included meal stop. If you want photographs without lingering over food, the short format works well. If you want to eat in Montmartre, you will need to arrange that separately.

Love, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower

Le Mur des Je t’aime brings a lighter, more romantic stop. The wall displays I love you in more than 300 languages and takes about 15 minutes. It is a quick photo opportunity and fits naturally with the show’s romantic tone.

The route then moves through Parc Monceau and the Courcelles area before reaching the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc receives another 15-minute stop. You can study the sculpture and the broad avenue pattern around it, but climbing to the roof or entering the monument is not included.

The Eiffel Tower section includes Rue de l’Université, the École Militaire, and the tower itself. Rue de l’Université is a strong street-level photo location, with elegant buildings and a clear connection to the tower. The École Militaire provides an 18th-century counterpoint to the iron monument nearby.

The Eiffel Tower stop lasts about 15 minutes. That is enough for photos and a good first look, but not enough for the elevators, summit, or a long picnic beneath the tower. I would use this tour to decide which sights deserve a dedicated return visit.

The grand western and central Paris circuit

The ride continues past the Élysée Palace, the official home of the French president, and Les Invalides, with its golden dome and Napoleon’s tomb. You then see Pont Alexandre III, one of the city’s most decorated bridges, and the Champs-Élysées.

This section gives you Paris at its most formal. The bridge, avenue, palace district, and military monuments are impressive from the car, but traffic can affect the pace. The operator specifically recommends departures between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to reduce traffic jams. That advice is practical, although busy streets are always possible in central Paris.

The route also passes La Madeleine, the Grand Palais, Pont de la Concorde, the Luxor Obelisk, and the Petit Palais. These stops are mostly about seeing the sequence of major buildings and understanding how the city’s ceremonial center fits together.

The Louvre and Tuileries finish

The Pyramide du Louvre is another planned 15-minute stop. You can photograph the glass pyramid, the courtyards, and the meeting point between the old palace and modern design. Museum admission is not included, so this is strictly an exterior introduction.

The final stretch includes Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Gardens, and views toward the Musée d’Orsay. The gardens make a pleasant visual bridge between the Louvre and the square, while the former railway station that houses the Musée d’Orsay is a reminder that Paris often gives old buildings new uses.

This ending is especially useful if you are taking the tour near the start of your stay. You can mark places for later visits and avoid spending your first day trying to understand the city map from a hotel room.

What the $540.95 group price buys you

The price is $540.95 for up to four people. Split four ways, that is about $135 per person. Split between two, it becomes a much more expensive sightseeing ride, so the value improves sharply for a family or small group of four.

You are paying for a private vehicle, a private guide, a licensed driver, hotel pickup and drop-off within eligible central areas, bottled water, and the ability to shape the conversation. You are not paying for museum admission, food, drinks, or a cabaret show.

I see the best value in the amount of ground covered and the personal service. In three to four hours, you can connect places that would take much longer by foot. The tradeoff is that almost all sights are outside views, and 15 minutes is a short visit when you want to enter a monument.

Who should book this Citroën tour?

I would choose it for a first Paris visit, especially if you have only a few days and want a city overview before deciding where to return. It also fits Emily in Paris fans, couples, families with older children, and anyone who wants a memorable way to cross central Paris.

The tour is not suitable for children under 10 because the rear seats do not have seat belts. That rule is important even though one past party enjoyed the ride with a five-year-old. Families should follow the stated age restriction rather than rely on an individual exception.

The car holds up to four people, and pickup is offered at central hotels or another approved location. Pickup and drop-off are not available in the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 19th, or 20th arrondissements, including Le Marais, Bastille, République, and Gare du Nord. If your hotel is outside the service area, you can meet near Hôtel de Crillon at Place de la Concorde or near the Panthéon.

Book early if your dates are fixed. This experience is often reserved well ahead, with an average booking lead time of about 76 days. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before departure, and weather-related cancellation brings a choice of another date or a full refund.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want a broad, comfortable introduction to Paris with a personable guide and a car that makes the outing feel special. It is particularly smart for a group of four, Emily in Paris fans, and anyone who wants help finding photo spots without planning a complicated route.

Skip it if your main goal is to spend hours inside the Louvre, climb the Arc de Triomphe, tour Notre-Dame, or sit through a full cabaret performance. For everyone else, the Citroën DS offers a fun first look at Paris, with enough history and local color to make your return visits more focused.

FAQ

How long does the Paris Citroën DS tour last?

The tour lasts approximately three to four hours.

How many people can join the private tour?

The price covers one private group of up to four people.

Is hotel pickup included?

Pickup and drop-off are offered at eligible locations within the city of Paris. Service does not include the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 19th, or 20th arrondissements, including Le Marais, Bastille, République, and Gare du Nord.

Where can I meet the guide if my hotel is outside the pickup area?

You can meet in front of Hôtel de Crillon at 10 Place de la Concorde or in front of the Panthéon at Place du Panthéon.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes. The tour is offered in English, and Benjamin is the named local guide.

Are children allowed on the tour?

Children under 10 are not allowed because the rear seats do not have seat belts.

Does the tour include admission to the Louvre or other monuments?

No. The listed stops are outside visits and photo stops. Museum, monument, food, and cabaret admissions are not included.

What happens if the weather is poor?

The experience requires good weather. If it is canceled because of poor conditions, you can choose another date or receive a full refund. You can also cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start time.