Ferris Wheel Ride, Private Tour

Private evening tour of Paris Christmas illuminations and local festivities, about 3 to 4 hours, with a guide from With Love From Paris Tours.

Overview

The tour starts at your hotel door, and by the accounts of past guests it plays out largely after dark. This is a private outing run by With Love From Paris Tours: a guide collects your group, covers the city on foot and by private car, and returns you to the hotel about 3 to 4 hours later. Galeries Lafayette Haussmann comes first for the famed Christmas window display, with the rooftop added when it is open. The route then threads the Jardin des Tuileries, Place Vendôme and the Champs-Élysées, all lit for the season.

Snacks and drinks are folded in: seasonal sweets, mulled wine for guests 18 and over, and hot chocolate or another warm choice for younger travellers. An optional Ferris wheel ride at a holiday market is offered, with that ticket at your own expense, and skipping the ride is allowed. Since only your group takes part, the plan can bend, and reviewers describe the guide slowing for photos, swapping in requested sights, and holding the attention of teenagers right to the end.

It suits first-time visitors, since landmarks like the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower appear along the way, and repeat visitors too, because reviewers say the plan shifts to fit what a group wants to see. Families are catered for, with wheelchair and pushchair access and infant seats, and children must come with an accompanying adult. Warm clothing is a must: the tour runs rain or shine in a French winter.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Hotel pickup in ParisThe guide collects your group at your hotel anywhere inside Paris city limits. Pickups are not offered outside the city, which rules out the airports and Disney.
2. Galeries Lafayette Haussmann30 minutes here, with the admission ticket included. The stop covers the famed Christmas window display and the decorated store, and the rooftop is visitable subject to availability.
3. Jardin des Tuileries30 minutes, admission free, walking the gardens between the festively lit sights.
4. Place Vendôme15 minutes, admission free, a short pause at the decorated square.
5. Champs-Élysées illuminations45 minutes, admission free, along the avenue and its light displays.
6. Holiday market Ferris wheelOptional stop with an extra fee, at a holiday market. The ticket costs 20€ per adult and 12€ per child, and the guide's own ticket is included in the tour.
7. Hotel drop-offPrivate transport returns you to your hotel within Paris city limits.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical details shape the night: it is winter, a good share of it is on foot, and one ticket sits outside the booking price.

• Dress for cold. The listing tells guests to wear warm clothes and comfortable shoes, and the tour runs rain or shine. Gloves, a hat and a proper coat earn their place.
• Mostly on foot. Travel happens on foot and by private car or taxi between areas. Comfortable shoes matter, as the listing itself advises. The full outing runs about 3 to 4 hours.
• Ferris wheel costs extra. The wheel sits at a holiday market, yet the ticket is not in the tour price: 20€ per adult and 12€ per child, while the guide's own ticket is included. Skipping the ride is fine, and the market around it can still be enjoyed.
• Drinks and ages. Seasonal sweets and a hot drink are included. Mulled wine goes only to guests 18 and over under French rules. Younger travellers get hot chocolate or another drink of their choice.
• Ask for what you want. Because only your group takes part, the route can bend. Reviewers reported the agenda being adjusted to their interests and extra time added at stops they cared about. Naming your must-sees early pays off.
• Photo opportunities. Reviewers mention time for photos and a guide happy to take pictures on request. Bring a camera or a well charged phone, since the illuminated stretches invite constant shooting.

Common issues. Nothing in the booking covers the Ferris wheel: budget 20€ per adult and 12€ per child, with the guide's own ticket already included. Galeries Lafayette shuts on December 25 and January 1, when only the outdoor displays are available, and its decorations can come down right after New Year's Eve, although the city illuminations and Christmas market stay up until January 7. Pickup works only inside Paris city limits, so airports and Disney are out. The tour is maintained rain or shine and a good part of it is on foot, so winter weather and walking are the main practical demands.

Choosing Your Christmas Tour