Expat Club introduces regular trips to the French capital. If you have been there already, possibly even many times, you know that you can keep coming back and still discover new things. This trip is planned in such a way that you can explore the city on your own or you can join one of the groups to visit a specific part of the city. For this time we have a arranged an exclusive backstage visit (at 15h00) to the world’s most famous monument: the magnificent Eiffel Tower.
Our guide will lead us backstage and reveal its secrets. We will have access to the usually closed to the public spaces: the Champs de Mars Bunker, formerly dedicated to military communications, the engine room which still controls the operation of the elevators. We finish with an ascent to the 2nd floor of the tower, 115 meters high where we will reach the roof of the famous restaurant Le Jules Verne that offers a breathtaking and unique view of Paris. This is great 5* guided tour that will allow you to discover the hidden face of this major Parisian building. But note that we will only have 14 spots! (7 left as of 17 June). Tickets cost €50, including the ascent to the 2nd floor. If you want to go to the top 3rd floor you can buy an extra ticket. Update 15/6: due to extra security measures for the European Championship the visit to the bunker is (most likely) cancelled. The rest of the tour is as planned. According to the guiding organisation the bunker is certainly not the highlight of the tour.
We begin our day in the district of Opera Garnier. This is one of the most famous opera houses in the world and one of Paris’ most opulent buildings, especially from the inside.
If you go in (entrance fee €11), you will see the “Rotonde des Abonnés” (Members’ Rotunda), the “Grand Escalier” (Main Staircase), the auditorium, lounges and foyers. A self-guided tour is available for just a few euro, so you can learn about the building’s history, the architecture and of course about the performances that took and are taking place, as well as the many famous artists that performed here. And not to forget, you’ll learn more about the place where the the phantom of the opera was hiding during the shows.
If you don’t like to join for the opera visit, you can explore the neighbourhood on your own. For instance, why not have a coffee in the beautiful Gallery Lafayette? The dome of this department store is worth a visit alone. We’ll spend about 1,5 hours in this area before continuing our tour along Place Vendôme, Palais Royal, Le Louvre, Les Halles, Centre Pompidou, Le Marais, and Île de la Cité (with Notre Dame).
Time permitted we could also walk towards the Sorbonne and the Panthéon, take a Metro towards Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tour. From there you can optionally join us for a 1-hour glass boat sightseeing tour. See the city from the water, this is superb! Afterwards we will stroll towards and over the Champs Elysées, before heading towards Montmartre with its majestic Sacre Coeur.
Place Vendome
Palais Royal
Le Louvre
Les Halles
Centre Pompidou
Hotel de Ville
Ile de Cité & Sacre Coeur
Université Sorbonne
Panthéon
The Pantheon is a 83-meter high building that origins from the late 18th century and is located in the middle of Quartier Latin at a stone’s throw from the famous Université Sorbonne. Its historic significance is vast (read more here) although it is primarily known for its beautiful interior, the famous Foucault pendulum that proved the Earth’s rotation and the crypt that is the final resting place of illustrious citizens such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Marie Curie, whose influence reaches far beyond the french border and their eras. A visit to the dome gives us an amazing 360-degrees view of the city.
Jardin de Luxembourg
Eiffel Tower
Champs Elysées & Arc de Triomph
The day ends in the lovely Montmartre neighbourhood, known for its many artists and galleries. In the evening you will have a stunning view over the city right next to the Sacre Coeur. We’ll have a last drink in one of the many bars before we are picked up by our friendly bus driver at 22h00 at Place Anvers.
We are travelling by luxury 4* coach with comfortable seats (extra leg space and reclining chairs). The bus has an on-board toilet with running water, air conditioning, DVD system with several screens. During the trip we provide you with some drinks and snacks. We depart at 06h45 from Place Schuman, followed by Louise and Midi (precise locations will be mailed to you a few days before the trip). Of course this is very early, but we need the time to get to the French capital and enjoy our day to the fullest. We leave Paris again around 22h00 and come back to Brussels at about 01h30. Note, you can catch some extra sleep on board. Just recline your seat, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. On the way back we’ll of course dim the lights so you can rest a bit. Please note that besides the departure points we could also drop you at Port de Halle, Porte de Namur, Arts/Belliard, Merode, Montgomery, Diamant and Meiser, and coordinate shared taxi rides.
Expat Club introduces regular trips to the French capital. If you have been there already, possibly even many times, you know that you can keep coming back and still discover new things. This trip is planned in such a way that you can explore the city on your own or you can join one of the groups to visit a specific part of the city. For this time we have a arranged an exclusive backstage visit (at 15h00) to the world’s most famous monument: the magnificent Eiffel Tower.
Our guide will lead us backstage and reveal its secrets. We will have access to the usually closed to the public spaces: the Champs de Mars Bunker, formerly dedicated to military communications, the engine room which still controls the operation of the elevators. We finish with an ascent to the 2nd floor of the tower, 115 meters high where we will reach the roof of the famous restaurant Le Jules Verne that offers a breathtaking and unique view of Paris. This is great 5* guided tour that will allow you to discover the hidden face of this major Parisian building. But note that we will only have 14 spots! (7 left as of 17 June). Tickets cost €50, including the ascent to the 2nd floor. If you want to go to the top 3rd floor you can buy an extra ticket. Update 15/6: due to extra security measures for the European Championship the visit to the bunker is (most likely) cancelled. The rest of the tour is as planned. According to the guiding organisation the bunker is certainly not the highlight of the tour.
We begin our day in the district of Opera Garnier. This is one of the most famous opera houses in the world and one of Paris’ most opulent buildings, especially from the inside.
If you go in (entrance fee €11), you will see the “Rotonde des Abonnés” (Members’ Rotunda), the “Grand Escalier” (Main Staircase), the auditorium, lounges and foyers. A self-guided tour is available for just a few euro, so you can learn about the building’s history, the architecture and of course about the performances that took and are taking place, as well as the many famous artists that performed here. And not to forget, you’ll learn more about the place where the the phantom of the opera was hiding during the shows.
If you don’t like to join for the opera visit, you can explore the neighbourhood on your own. For instance, why not have a coffee in the beautiful Gallery Lafayette? The dome of this department store is worth a visit alone. We’ll spend about 1,5 hours in this area before continuing our tour along Place Vendôme, Palais Royal, Le Louvre, Les Halles, Centre Pompidou, Le Marais, and Île de la Cité (with Notre Dame).
Time permitted we could also walk towards the Sorbonne and the Panthéon, take a Metro towards Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tour. From there you can optionally join us for a 1-hour glass boat sightseeing tour. See the city from the water, this is superb! Afterwards we will stroll towards and over the Champs Elysées, before heading towards Montmartre with its majestic Sacre Coeur.
Place Vendome
Palais Royal
Le Louvre
Les Halles
Centre Pompidou
Hotel de Ville
Ile de Cité & Sacre Coeur
Université Sorbonne
Panthéon
The Pantheon is a 83-meter high building that origins from the late 18th century and is located in the middle of Quartier Latin at a stone’s throw from the famous Université Sorbonne. Its historic significance is vast (read more here) although it is primarily known for its beautiful interior, the famous Foucault pendulum that proved the Earth’s rotation and the crypt that is the final resting place of illustrious citizens such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Marie Curie, whose influence reaches far beyond the french border and their eras. A visit to the dome gives us an amazing 360-degrees view of the city.
Jardin de Luxembourg
Eiffel Tower
Champs Elysées & Arc de Triomph
The day ends in the lovely Montmartre neighbourhood, known for its many artists and galleries. In the evening you will have a stunning view over the city right next to the Sacre Coeur. We’ll have a last drink in one of the many bars before we are picked up by our friendly bus driver at 22h00 at Place Anvers.
We are travelling by luxury 4* coach with comfortable seats (extra leg space and reclining chairs). The bus has an on-board toilet with running water, air conditioning, DVD system with several screens. During the trip we provide you with some drinks and snacks. We depart at 06h45 from Place Schuman, followed by Louise and Midi (precise locations will be mailed to you a few days before the trip). Of course this is very early, but we need the time to get to the French capital and enjoy our day to the fullest. We leave Paris again around 22h00 and come back to Brussels at about 01h30. Note, you can catch some extra sleep on board. Just recline your seat, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. On the way back we’ll of course dim the lights so you can rest a bit. Please note that besides the departure points we could also drop you at Port de Halle, Porte de Namur, Arts/Belliard, Merode, Montgomery, Diamant and Meiser, and coordinate shared taxi rides.
