Alberto was fantastic. So engaging, interesting, and well informed. We're heading for Rome next, we wish you could come with us! Thanks, Alberto, you've given us new insight into the beautiful City of Light Jackie and Todd (Le pompier) read more

I was doing some research about Paris, and came across this free walking tour. They have English and Spanish tour. I signed up for the English tour. It was simple and easy through their website. Meet up location was easy to find. My tour guide is Alberto. He is very friendly and knowledgeable. He told a lot of stories about all of the history monuments we visited. To be honest, I dislike history class, but I like listening to stories. Alberto did it in a nice way that interested me. I paid more attention to his tour more than my history professor in college! Tour was about 2.5 to 3 hours long. It was a very enjoyable experience. Thank you Alberto! read more

Sandeman's New Paris Tours - Tours Near Me - Paris, 75

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We went on a group tour of Montmarte with Fernando. The group was a bit big, but manageable. Fernando did a good job and showed is some street art by Love and Anarchy and the Invader, which we have continued to see during our visit. Fernando offered some recommendations for bakeries and restaurants. A good way to see the high points of this interesting neighborhood. read more

We were in town on Christmas day, all museums and many shops were closed, glad this free tour, tip payment, was available on a national holiday.  Our guide was Francaise? who was very energetic, informative and entertaining.  I learned about the French history as well as their culture from him.   The guides are required to pitch their other paid tours, but done tastefully.  We ended up booking their Versailles Garden Tour which I found well worth the price. read more

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This free walking tour was excellent. Lucie, our guide, had lots of information and made the tour extremely fun. I highly recommend this walking tour. read more

Enlighten yourself with a free walking tour, but tips are suggested! I wish I knew about the free walking tours back in London, which was the first city that I started out from on my EuroTrip! I would have went to that one as well! Anyways, I am glad that I made it to this one for Paris! We had a tour guide named Enrique and he was well versed on his knowledge about Paris' history and its historic monuments! His energetic tone about the significant sites, was very captivating! I learned a lot from his history telling and this tour was so splendid, that I did the Versailles Tour with Enrique as well for the next day! That one costs, however, but train transportation was included as well as a very knowledgable tour guide! Otherwise, I would have roamed around not knowing the significant history that took place in the massive and marvelous gardens! I highly recommend the tour and what great way to know more about Paris when it's free! read more

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Harry was our guide and very knowledgeable. He provided a lot of interesting historical contexts you otherwise wouldn't know about, definitely recommend! read more

Sandeman's New Paris Tours has a FREE (tips requested) walking tour every day at 11 am & 1 pm meeting by the fountain on Place St Michel. On this 3.5 hour tour, our guide Sandra, covered Notre Dame de Paris, Napoléon's Tomb, Académie Française, Tuileries Gardens, Assemblée National, View of the Grand & Petit Palais, Haussmann's Paris, View of the Pont Alexandre III, Latin Quarter, Pont Neuf, Place de la Concorde, View of the Opéra Garnier, The Louvre, Palais Royal, Musée d'Orsay, Ile-de-la-Cité, View of Les Invalides, and finished with views of Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysées, & Arc de Triomphe. Our group was very large so we were spilit in two groups of 20 people each. Our guide Sandra, was very knowledgeable and friendly. It was a tip based tour so it was left up to the individual as to how much we chose to tip. I tipped 10 Euro. Info here: http://www.newparistours.com/daily-tours/paris-free-tour.html read more

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If you have never done a "free" walking tour while on vacation, you must try it. "Free" is a misnomer here. It's not free. They tell you that to lure you in (yet I still give them 4 Stars! Read on to find out why!). A more accurate description would be along the lines of "paying after the tour" as opposed to paying a fixed price when you reserve. You see, at the end of your tour, you are asked to pay whatever you feel the tour is worth. They called it "tipping" but it's not really. Typically, these companies will have a "free" tour but will spend a few minutes to pitch you their paid ones. I did some research and found out that the companies are a little underhanded. They outcompete the bigger tour companies with their "free" tour. In the beginning of each tour, a group photo is taken. The guide will say it's for their Facebook page, but really it's so the handler can charge the tour guide a fixed fee per person (around $2.50). The tour guide keeps the extra money but doesn't get paid otherwise. We've had such good tour guides though, we were more than happy to "tip". I can't knock down more than 1 star despite my misgivings about the company though because our tour guide was so phenomenal, so engaging and charismatic. She spoke to each of us and even though we were a large group, she somehow was able to include everyone in the conversation. She also warned us about thieves that hung around the sites we were going to. She said she would shout THIEF! if she saw them. This August, we were on the free "Intro to Paris " tour given by Sandeman's New Paris, which lasted a good 4 hours. We started around the Seine and ended the tour in the courtyard of the Louvre. Inga, our tour guide, is not a native Parisian, but she has been in Paris for many years and her passion for the city shows! She is fluent in English and she is a great storyteller. She is young, energetic, witty and knows how to engage the audience. She talked about the architecture and some of the famous sites. What I loved is that she told us the background story behind each of the sites and made you feel like you are back in that era. You FELT how powerful Napoleon was and the sentiment of the people of the times. We did a handful of these free tours with different companies and all of them had great tour guides; each of them phenomenal storytellers. They seemed to be college students or recent graduates. While in Paris, we also did a couple of paid tours. Although these guides did their jobs and were knowledgeable, what lacked was the passion and enthusiasm. Quite frankly, they were educational but boring... but these are pre-paid. At least with these free tours, you can choose to leave the tour if you didn't like it and choose not to pay. read more

Dawie was AMAZING!!!!!!! Showed us so much of the city and small details I never would have seen. He talked about the culture and his excitement was contagious. Can not recommend this tour enough. Now searching for Sandeman tours in other cities. read more

I participated in the English free tour when I went to visit Paris on a whim this year. This the first thing I did after dropping off my luggage at my hotel. Registration is easy, and the starting place was quick to find. Our tour guide was excellent-he knew so much history and shared such great insight into each spot. When I found this, I thought it was too good to be true, it it really is free-they do accept tips at the end though. read more

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We went on a Free English tour with our guide Dawie and he was spectacular. He knew everything he was talking about and did it in a way that was very insightful and also entertaining. I loved that he made sure to speak clearly so we would all understand what he was saying as well as have lots of good jokes that kept everyone engaged. The most important thing I think he did well is that he took care of his group by making sure we were protected from pick pockets and I appreciate him a lot for that. read more

As much as Paris is a destination to visit, my partner and I did not plan much on our on day trip nor knew of the hot spots in Paris. So with the power of Google we were able to find a "free" tour and this one was so worth it! If you happen to have Nancy, you are in for a treat! Nancy is one of the best tour guides that we have ever had. During the tour Nancy did an amazing job intergrating the group together. So that it is less awkward to do the tour. The tour took us at the hot spots and less known spots that is worth checking out. I love the history and context provided. Nancy is super knowledgble and please do not be shy to ask all the questions. From recommendations to more navigation tools. At the end of the tour, Nancy taught super helpful and practical skills in Paris. Last thing to know, if you like the tour, tip well. I know we tip pretty well as we were super content with the tour. If you are able to do 3 hours of walking, then this is a worthwhile tour and pay what you are able too. read more

Do NOT take Sandeman's free tour unless you want to spend two hours having their paid tours pitched to you with a little bit of information about Paris sprinkled in. I've taken a ton of free tours all around Europe and the world, so I am used to how they work. Yes, I know that the guides work for tips, and will spend a bit of the tour explaining that. Yes, I know the companies that offer these "free" tours also usually offer paid tours as well. But every other "free" company spent a maximum of five minutes, total, of their tours telling us about these things. Then, they let the quality of their tour decide how many people would tip and/or take their paid tours. Sandeman Paris, on the other hand, took a totally different approach. They spent way more time at the beginning and end selling their paid tours. In fact, at the end of the tour I took, the guide announced that we would all be going to a cafe where people were standing by to sell us attraction tickets and paid tours (can you say high pressure sales pitch???). Then, throughout the tour, it seemed like our guide found a way to relate every stop to one of Sandeman's money-making offerings: "Here is this nice garden, oh, and btw, we offer a Versailles garden tour, here are all the details AGAIN. Here is the Seine river, did you know we sell boat tours on it?" Etc etc etc... I was very happy with almost all the free tours I took in Europe, and paid for a few tours from the best ones. But this tour was pretty much a waste of time. read more

Another amazing free tour. I already tried their London tour and was impressed. This tour is the same. Same as their other cities, it's a great way to see all the must see sights easily. I was already pretty tired when I got to Paris, so this was a great option to tour the main city sights all in a few hours so that I had time to do other things the rest of the days (like rest). read more

We had a tour with Dawie on Dec. 29, 2022 and it was the BEST way to kick off our first trip to Paris. It was informative but lighthearted and Dawie made the whole group feel welcome and connected while showing us some of the "greatest hit" sights of the city. There's obviously endless things to explore in Paris and the additional tours hosted by Sandemans would have been on our list if we'd had more time. Absolutely recommend! read more

Sandemans walking tours are probably the best in Europe. The guides are well educated about the particular city, and if you have questions you can be sure they have the correct answer. Also, they aren't pushy for tips. Which is well appreciated. read more

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I've done a few Sandeman walking tours over the years in many different cities and I can't recommend them enough for any of my friends who travel. Sandeman has tour guides for different languages. We were lucky enough to get a guide from Brooklyn and could speak perfect English so it was very easy for us to understand the tour. The walking tour always starts at some meeting point and lasts a few hours. They walk you through a couple of neighbourhoods of Paris giving you fun commentary about Paris highlighting major landmarks along the way. Part way into the day there is a stop at a restaurant/bar/shop to get some food before the tour continues. At the end of the tour you tip your guide what you think the tour is worth and you're on your way to explore Paris some more! I always recommend this tour to friends before they start deciding what they want to do in Paris and any other city these tours are offered. Why do I do that? Because they cover a lot of ground and a lot of landmarks. Their staff is pretty knowledgeable and always fun. You'll get some damn good exercise in and you get to see a LOT in an afternoon. Some of the places I've planned to spend a day in I saw in less than 30 minutes and even had a chance to find out about some hidden gems. It's really saved me a lot of time not going back to places that aren't as awesome as I thought or somewhere that wouldn't have taken a lot of time to see and had allocated a half day or day to see. You won't see as much as the hop on and hop off bus tours, you might not even see as much as a bus tour that charges 3-10 times as much as your tip but you really can't go wrong with the smaller group walking tours that Sandeman offers. Start your trip with any Sandeman tour and then replan the rest of your trip accordingly! read more

Best way to get a taste of Paris at a fair price. Walking tour is free and I chose to do the paid Montmartre tour as well. Both guides were incredibly knowledgeable about the sites and kept it simple and entertaining. Be sure to bring easy shoes to walk in and plenty of water. The tours do basically leave on time so try to be prompt. read more

Sandeman's New Paris Tours - Nancy (our tour guide) speaking about the Louvre Museum - Tours Near Me - Paris, 75

Paris greeted us with rain when we arrived in March.Our walking city tour was on one of those rainy days. Our tour guide Nancy met us with a big smile. Originally from England, Nancy has been living in Paris for several years and had a lot to say about the city and its people. She informed us that it is common to have such rainy days in March. She gave us lots of good tips for things to see in Paris and cultural tips as well. The whole time during the tour it rained. I don't normally mind the rain but somehow my "rainproof" coat got wet despite having an umbrella and I was shivering the whole tour. If it wasn't for Nancy's cheerful and interesting stories, I wouldn't have made it through the whole city tour. She simply made a grey, rainy, cold day in Paris a lot more interesting! read more

This was a great walking tour. My friend recommended it to me and we did it. Really great for the money (free but you tip the guide). We meet at St. Michel fountain and we meet our guide Alberto. So friendly! He's from Mexico but is now living in France! He's going to become a French citizen. This three hour tour was so detailed and so helpful. You really learn about the major stories about France and the history. In this trip, we went to: * Eiffel Tower * past Norte Same * all the major bridges * led Pont's des art (where my husband and I locked the lock on the bridge and Alberto threw our third key as our guide!) * the gardens near the Louvre * the Louvre * and many more. It was such a good experience that we went to another tour with them! Overall: great! read more

The group at Sandeman's is absolutely incredible. Each guide is allowed to create their own tour so you will most likely never take the same tour twice. I started off with their free walking tour through my hostel with Jake. He was a dream. He shared so much knowledge about Paris's history in many different categories, hit on the major points of the city, and answered any question asked. After our toured wrapped up, he sat down with our group at a cafe so we could individually speak to him about different questions/areas of the city. I loved it so much I ended up going on another of their tours through Montmarte, which was just as spectacular. If you haven't toured with them yet, you're missing out! read more

Our walking tours of Paris were simply phenomenal. Probably the second best thing we did (the first being proposing to my fiancé so that's not a fair comparison). For our first tour: Our guide, Alberto, was second to none. He showed us around central Paris. It was engaging, exciting, and quite informative. We stopped by the louvre, the gardens by the louvre, Notre dame, a famous bridge, and we ended the tour overlooking all of the famous monuments in central Paris including the Eiffel Tower, the obelisk, and the Arch. He gave us brief, well informed and succinct historical perspectives of all these sites. Evidently old Paris is extremely interesting. If only every king was like Henry IV there wouldn't have been a revolution! Alberto did a fantastic job of balancing walking, information, and humor with his tour. I walked away with so much information without feeling like I was in a classroom. In fact, it was so interesting that I'd like to read more about 17th and 18th century France. If a tour guide can make me want to learn more about a subject on my own then they've certainly earned their tip. But wait! That's not all! (Billy Mays voice) We did a second tour with the same company later in the day. This time, we toured northern Paris - Montmartre. Our tour guide - Esteban - was equally as proficient as Alberto. Friendly, hilarious, and informative. He also balanced walking, talking, and humor very well. This tour was more about the Bohemian lifestyle in France, primarily about artists. We learned about the Moulin Rouge and other older cabarets and heard the stories about them. We also learned about the artists of the time and their exceptionally depressing) stories including Van Gogh, Toulouse-Laurtec and others. It seems that from great pain comes great art. Well, except for Picasso who lived until he was 91 and got really famous. Both tours were beyond exceptional and are highly recommended. I would take the same tour in every city I ever visit from now on. Both Alberto and Esteban went well above the call of duty. read more

I highly recommend Sandeman's Free Tour of Paris, even if you've been to Paris previously. After an overnight flight and a strong cappuccino, I met a group at St. Michael's Fountain in the Latin Quarter for the walking tour. (Before the tour, I thought the Latin Quarter implied a Spanish influence, but it's actually named for the University students bound by one common language.) For the next three hours, our tour guide breathed life into stone, sharing the stories behind Notre Dame, the Assemblée National, the Louvre and at least a dozen other spots. Although I'd seen almost all the sights before, I didn't understand their significance to the city; hearing his explanations, I felt like a part of the history that shaped Paris into existence. From now on, I'd like to start all my travels with a guided walking tour to contextualize the sights! read more

Was schedule tour for 1pm on Tuesday. Arrived on time, they cancelled the English tour because there was only ten of us. Seriously -_- waste of time. read more

Highly recommended! I went on the gardens of the Palace of Versailles tour (28 euros, including all train tickets etc) and it was brilliant. We meet in the centre of Paris and then caught the train to the palace (about 30 minutes). The guide bought the tickets, took us on the train together so there was no danger of getting lost. And then he told us all about the gardens and the palace. The best part was that the guide (Billy from Scotland) was a really good storyteller, so he wasn't just reciting the facts. Awesome and one of the highlights of my trip. I would also recommend the free tour of Paris, run by the same company!! read more

Hi, I did the free walking tour with Dawie from South Africa. This could be a good tour for those interested in irrelevant anecdotes from Disney movies related to Paris to how to take a selfie in the Louvre. Those who are looking for information to understand the city, it's people, and history will feel very disappointed. read more

We were visiting Paris with another couple (all in our early 30s) and took a Sandeman's tour 3 out of the 4 days of our visit. I've had experience with their tours in Dublin (which are great too BTW) so we knew we would get a nice overview of the city with their Free Walking Tour (plus you get a small discount on future tours if you book after taking this tour.) Our guide, Arnaud was great. He really displayed a strong passion for the city and definitely conveyed that to the group. Thanks Arnaud for the tip about the horse statues! But be sure to wear good shoes on this tour, because as the name suggests it's a WALKING tour and you cover a lot of ground in the 3 hours. The next day we took their Monmarte tour (14euro) with Filipa. Our entire group agreed that she was a delight. She was fun, animated, and told wonderful stories about the history of this famous district. But be warned, Monmarte is very hilly, so again, good shoes and prepare to walk your baguettes off! Filipa also gave us a great restaurant suggestion in the area, so don't be shy, ask her for tips and recommendations, she's great! On our third day we took the Versailles Tour (30euro) and guess who we had as a guide FILIPA!!! We were all excited to have her lead us through the gardens of Versailles (yes, this tour only includes the gardens, the palace is an extra charge.) The tour price includes your roundtrip train ticket from Place St Michel and admission to the gardens ONLY. The entire trip/tour is approx 5 hours. Filipa did another fantastic job with this tour. Versailles is definitely worth a visit and this tour makes it very easy to see. Filipa did an excellent job making sure our large group all got on the train together and guided us from the station to the palace. Her stories about the history of Versailles and Louis XIV were interesting and engaging. We broke for lunch about halfway through the tour on a beautiful spot along the water just outside the gardens. The only unexpected part of the tour was the extra 7.50 euro PP we had to pay the day of the tour for the "Musical Gardens." Apparently on Tuesdays the "groves and protected areas of the gardens are accessible from April to October for a musical stroll." We all thought this would be great; gardens and live music in the gardens of Versailles!!! Not so much, it was just music piped into the speaker system around the gardens. It did give a nice touch, but in my opinion not worth the extra money. This by no means is a reflection on Filipa, we just should have done our homework on this prior to booking on a Tuesday. Also, don't expect all the fountains to be on either. If you want to see the fountains, book a tour on the weekend. It should be noted that there is also an extra charge of 8.50euro on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays for the ticket of the Musical Fountains Show. There was only one fountain operating during our visit. It was nice, but I would have loved to see all the fountains operating. Guess we'll have to come back. Couple tips if you do plan to do the Versailles tour. It's a long day so come prepared. Grab something for lunch and bring some drinks ahead of time. Filipa did take our group to a nice little sandwich shop with fairly priced sandwiches before we left, but we were a big group so it took awhile before everyone was ready to go. So if you don't want to stand in line, get your lunch before you check in for the tour. Also, if you'd like to have a wine with your lunch there is a little sandwich shop next to the McDonalds across the street from the Versailles Train station that sells little bottles of Chard and Cab Sav. Sitting on the grass, by the water, drinking wine and looking at the palace and the gardens was one of the highlights of the tour. Lastly, and this is just some constructive criticism; our group was delayed from leaving for the Versailles tour because there were a few parties arriving late and I mean well after the meeting point time. Perhaps, there needs to be a cut off time. It wasn't fair for the folks that are able to arrive on schedule to have to wait for the late comers to check in and get their train ticket. I understand unforeseen circumstances can arise (traffic delays etc.) but come on, there was one couple who arrived 30 minutes late just as Filipa was trying to escort us to the train station. A cut off time really needs to be established, especially when you have a large group ready to go. Thanks Arnaud & Filipa for the wonderful tours and for making our visit to Paris one to remember!!! If you find yourself visiting Paris, definitely do a Sandemans Tour. read more

My friend told us about this free tour, and I am very glad that we decided to give it a try. Our tour guide is very friendly and 100% fluent in English. The walking tour last about 2.5 hours, many interesting stories were told during these time, such as how the pyramid was chosen for the Louvre, the story of St. Michel. At the end, both my husband and I were very pleased with our experience. Beside that, we also joined the tour given in the Monmartre area. Our British guide is very passionate. Along the way, we saw Van Gogh's old apartment, heard sad/crazy stories about him. At the end, we arrived at Sacré Coeur. Great way to get to know the city. read more

The tour was much better than expected. We met at the St. Michel fountain. The guides have a red umbrella letting us know where to check in. However, I started to see tons of people walking towards the group and I became very skeptical. There were 2 lines (one for english and one for spanish) with what seemed to be over 100 people in each line. They divide everyone up into smaller groups with about 25-30 people. It seemed like a huge mess at first, but they were semi organized. Our tour guide was very good. Lots of info re: France's history and important events. However, she emphaized the tip a little too much. Of course most of us know that a free tour means that they want a tip at the end but I understand the importance of telling us because some people are rather dense. However, it seemed to come up rather often. We started around 11am and ended around 3pm. It was a long tour and we were exhausted at the end, but I was worth it. We did stop for a quick restroom/snack break. We were tempted to sign up for the other tour to Versaille, but we decided not too. They offer a discount if you sign up with them for 2 other tours. Fyi: Most people seemed to tip 5 euros. We decided on 10 euros each. read more

Glad I listened to Jenn here, who highly recommended this. Not just for the value or entertainment's sake, but the tour guide Bruce did take us to places that the Big Bus, etc wouldn't, such as the Latin Quarter, as well as the stories behind it. Think it was around 2 hours, seemed like an eternity but thoughtful breaks here and there. Did the Palace of Louis, Notre Dame, & my personal favourite, the Louvre. That's serious King stuff, fascinating at how us humans use to be so vicious yet elegant (ironically enough) at the same time. This is apparently the only tour to be free, so a donation/tip is all that's needed. $15 pp is well worth the knowledge & appreciation. They even offered tips on how to skip the line at certain hotspots. read more

We have done the Sandemans walking tours in Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - these are the best ways to see the city and understand the history and culture. We loved all the tours and would highly recommend everyone to use them. You get so much insight about the place and it helps you appreciate the city. Holly was our guide and she was amazing!! read more

We had less than 10 hours in Paris, so we thought doing a walking tour would be our best bet to see as many highlights as we could around Paris. Indeed we did cover a lot of very important spots around Paris, mostly they were just views of them. Our guide Matilda, was very informative and very animative. She kept the tour fun and interesting. I think this tour would be used to it's fullest potential if you had a couple days in Paris to go explore the things we learned about. Make sure you tip your guide at the end. We saw a couple people skip out before the end of the tour and not tip, which is so tacky. read more

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This review is in reference to the bar crawl. Our guide Maria was a ton of fun. She was late to meet which gave me a tiny bit of anxiety because the actual location isn't entirely clear. We went on a Friday night so I was expecting a lot of action but the bars we went to sucked so much that we lost 4 people after the first bar. The group continued to dwindle mostly due to the bar selection and general boredom. The "club" we went to was an irish pub that was empty. Needless to say, not worth the time or money. read more

We highly recommend the tour with Daniel. It was a great opening to our trip in Paris. We all enjoyed the walk and learned a lot!

These tours are phenomenal - the tour guides are young and passionate and give a feel of both the history and current significance of all the locations! At the end of the tour - they have options to purchase the river cruise and palace of versailles tour tickets at discount prices! read more

Saw all of these reviews and HAD to share what I put on tripadvisor, especially since they had a staff member try to email me about the experience and then write a post in response. What I will say is this--yes, there are many positive reviews for these tours, HOWEVER, to act shocked whenever someone gives a bad review (and most of the complaints are the same) means that changes should be made, rather than trying to explain away issues. I've added further context in the story also in regards to his response. My friend and I were recommended to do the free tour--it was well worth it but I wish we had not done their purchased tours. They are basically scams, and they wildly miss-sell their value--likely a tourist trap which allows them to keep running the free ones for major tips the guides keep. Our guide sold us on the fun of the boat tour, and Monmart, but I'm glad we only chose Versailles and the pub crawl because both of those experiences left us totally frustrated with the company. Initially, the guide intimated that he was going on the tour and a bunch of the other young guides (obviously this encouraged us to go to an area we otherwise would not have been comfortable and made it seem especially cool since even the "local" guides seemed to think they were fun). We were told the pub crawl would be four bars and two clubs, discounts on drinks, and free shots with every drink bought. Basically this turned out to be a three bars and one club (and it was still rushed from spot to spot), none of the places were Parisian or French and we had even the same bartender at two spots! All the drinks were way marked up (6 euros a beer) and then get like a 50 cent discount. The discount you could get was on one type of cocktail (their choice) and one type of terrible beer. The free shot was a disgusting shooter which no one around us even drank. I've found these responses to the pub crawls to be consistent with many other reviewers. The limitations were not explained up front. Additionally, I forgot my ticket at my hotel and THE SAME PERSON who sold it to me in the afternoon made me re-purchase one. I even asked if I brought the ticket the next day if I could get a refund. Alas, I had to pay 22 euro for this disaster. On the versatile tour we went on the weekend and when the fountains were open so there was an extra fee. The company charged everyone up front the full cost of entry (8.50 euro) and then purchased a bunch of tickets for the group at group rate which made them 7 euro each and then didn't refund almost anyone in the group. Additionally it would have been much cheaper if we had gone on our own and purchased as students. Again, the issue is here that the guide POCKETED money when it turned out to be cheaper than the sum collected from us. The tour was huge and WAY over booked because they just want everyone's money. It took us forever to get out there, we rushed through and STILL ended an hour late. Also, it's very clear the guides of the paid tours are way less invested than those looking for tips. A guide map and a quick read up on the attractions in gardens would have sufficed and been much less expensive. Overall, my impression is that the free tour is just to suck you in to their over priced other tours. Do free, then do it yourself. I REALLY hope they've improved since I've visited, but I think it is important to address the non-free tours since most people only are reviewing the ones that are. Again, I agree that the free tours are usually worth the cost, but the tours that come with a ticket price ARE NOT. read more

Don't bother doing/paying for the City of Lights tour. There are no lights during the Summer months. My own fault for not thinking that though. Do the "free tour" during the day. It's better. It's cooler outside in the am. It's generally less congested in the am as well. The sun doesn't set till 10pm. No lights on the City of Lights tour. read more

I first went on Sandeman's free walking tour while in Paris in 2009. Sadly, I can't recall my tour guide's name...but he was a wonderful guide! He gave us history of some of the bridges, most of the statues - he even told us a trick. If the statue included a horse, you could tell how the person died by how many of the horse's hoofs were on the ground. We saw Pont Neuf, walked along the Seine, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Invalides, Louvre, Jardin des Tuilleries, Place de Concorde, walked along the Champs Elysees, and the old Nazi headquarters among other main Parisian sites. I was completely dumbfounded at the quality of the FREE walking tour. Of course, we, as well as others, tipped our tour guide at the end of the tour...but still...I figured we'd have a brief, lackadaisical overview for the price we were paying, which was nothing. I was more than pleasantly surprised. Since then, I've vehemently recommended the walking tours when I hear of any of my friends going to a city where Sandeman's offers a tour. Upon returning to Paris, I wanted to go on the walking tour again. It's a great way to see the city, meet new people and maybe I'd learn some new things about the city. It was still a good tour. Our guide pointed out one of Earnest Hemingway's favorite bookstores, which was pretty cool! I was sad that most statues were not mentioned. Right if front of a huge monument constructed by Napoleon (it was a great story...he melted all of the artillery from a defeated country to build the structure) was a brilliant statue of Joan of Arc, which wasn't even mentioned. We didn't walk along the Champs Elysees, walk right along (above yes, but not along) the Seine or by the Invalides. All in all, it was a good tour; however, I found the quality lacking compared to my first experience. In addition to the free tour, Sandeman's has many other paid tours. On this trip, I went on their Montmartre (my FAVORITE neighborhood) walking tour. It was wonderful. It started at Moulin Rouge, weaved up the streets to the cafe where Amelie was filmed, where the famous artist, Mystic had a self portrait, where Van Gough lived, the L'Aupin Agile, Dalida's street, the last vineyard in Montmartre, and the tour climax, Sacre Coeur. Our tour guide, Onno, was informative and humorous. It was a wonderful tour! I enjoyed every minute!!! read more

A few friends and I went on the tour with Jacob through Paris. Not only was he incredibly informative, but quite amusing as well. I can honestly say that this is one of the only tours that I've remembered most of the information. (Most times it's in one ear, out the other.) Great idea and definitely worth it! read more