France · SELF-GUIDED TOURS
The 15 best self-guided tours you can book today, with the price, the running time and who each one suits. Number one is first for a reason.
Travel from Paris to Giverny by air-conditioned coach and visit Claude Monet’s house, flower gardens, and famous water-lily pond. Choose a live guide, audio guide, or independent visit. Guides such as Agnes and Alex add useful context, but the five-hour schedule leaves little time for lunch or the village.
“wonderful day out your buses and guide was excellent.”
Travel by comfortable coach from central Paris to Giverny, where you’ll see Monet’s house, Japanese bridge, water-lily pond, gardens, and Japanese prints. Choose a 10-language audio guide or a live art historian, with priority admission and free time to explore.
“Be prepared fair amount of walking, mostly on flat sidewalk-type surfaces. Be prepared to figure out where you need to be at end. We had difficult time finding "meeting spot" and although not late, we were afraid to be left behind. Recommend the tour on a nice-weather day.”
Visit Paris’s underground ossuary with a timed Catacombs ticket and audio guide in English, French, German, or Spanish. Afterward, take a one-hour Bateaux Mouches cruise from Port de la Conférence. You set the pace below ground, then enjoy classic Paris views from the river.
“The Catacombs was very exciting and interesting while the river cruise was OVER crowded for the cost of the ride.”
Ride from central Paris to Versailles with an English-speaking host, then explore the palace at your own pace with an audio guide in 11 languages. See the Hall of Mirrors, royal apartments, chapel, and gardens. The four-hour schedule suits a quick visit, but a full day gives Versailles room to breathe.
“You need to know if you want to see the gardens, and get there on the trolley, it cost around $25 euro. For a family of 4, that is another hundred euro”
Walk 20 meters underground through Paris’s quiet Catacombs with a self-paced audio guide in English, French, Spanish, or German. Add a one-hour Bateaux Parisiens cruise from the Eiffel Tower for recorded commentary and views of the Louvre, Notre-Dame, and the city skyline.
“The catacombs are a MUST see in Paris, one of the best sights I’ve seen while traveling. If you can, book with the actual sight as the tickets are the same but less expensive. However, this is a good last minute option if all official tickets are sold out.”
This 90-minute ParisCityVision tour carries you past the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Place de la Concorde, Les Invalides, and more. You ride in an air-conditioned double-decker bus with multilingual audio on your own device, plus a hostess and optional interactive Histopad features.
“Efficient and helpful staff when we arrived at the office. Tour bus clean, comfortable and air conditioning perfect temperature. Audio guides clear and informative. Bus driver careful, given heavy traffic at times. We were able to get good views of all the sites.”
Travel from Paris to Bruges by air-conditioned coach, then explore the medieval center with a guide or multilingual audio app. The guided option includes a canal cruise from April through October. Guides such as Steve and Dimitri are praised for clear, entertaining commentary, but the long drive leaves limited time in town.
“We had a wonderful time in Bruges. Just wish the weather was better. Our two tour guides both speak very good English. The whole trip was smooth without incident. The river cruise was a nice experience. The captain was friendly and knowledgeable in history of Bruges.”
Travel from Toulouse to Albi and Cordes-sur-Ciel by coach, then explore both towns independently with a downloadable audio guide in English, French, or Spanish. You get four hours in Albi and about two and a half hours in Cordes-sur-Ciel, but plan for a steep walk up to Cordes.
“A. Excellent trip..enjoyed not having a guided tour… just wandered around”
Enter the Louvre with a timed ticket, audio guide, and access to permanent collections and temporary exhibitions. You can see the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Egyptian antiquities, and seven other departments at your own pace. Tickets arrive through WhatsApp, with admission promised within 30 minutes of your time.
“It was an amazing experience to go inside the louvre and see all the artworks”
Meet an English-speaking host outside the Benlux Duty Free Shop on Rue de Rivoli, receive Louvre entry, and head inside toward the Mona Lisa. Your phone-based Masterpieces audio guide covers major works including Venus de Milo and Winged Victory. Bring headphones, arrive early, and keep your schedule flexible.
“De gids is niet komen opdagen. ik heb ter plekke moeten bellen naar een noodnummer (dus internationaal gesprek) en dan kreeg ik de tickets door via whatsapp. We mochten dan zelf zoeken waar aan te schuiven, op goed geluk. Het betere TUP: trekt uwen plan.”
See Paris from an air-conditioned coach, then board a glass-sided trimaran near the Eiffel Tower for a narrated Seine cruise. The 3-hour outing uses audio commentary, music, 3D scenes, 360-degree views, and before-and-after images. It ends at the Eiffel Tower.
“the audio guided bus tour was very interesting and exciting to explore Paris as a first-time visitors. Guide had pleasing personality and quiet friendly however Seine River cruise was almost the same and duplication of sight-seeing what bus tour had provided. Instead visiting Eiffel tower inclusion would do better justice.”
Ride through Paris after dark on a 90-minute open-top, air-conditioned coach tour. An onboard app offers commentary in nine languages as you pass the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs-Elysées, Opéra, Invalides, and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. A host helps at departure, but the audio system requires your own headset.
“Ballade de nuit dans Paris en autocar dont la finalité est de déposer des clients devant le Moulin Rouge... L énoncé du descriptif de vente n est pas à l image de l heure et demie passée dans le car avec quelques commentaires audio sur les quelques monuments aperçus. Rien sur le Moulin Rouge... Bref, décevant. Touristes passés votre chemin...”
Travel from Paris to Giverny with a guide and driver, then explore Monet’s house and gardens with an audio guide in your language. You’ll also visit the Museum of Impressionism and have free time for lunch, galleries, the village church, and Monet’s grave.
“I so enjoyed this experience. I will forever treasure my time in Monet's studio, his gardens, and the village there. Make sure to book the full day tour and experience it on your own, that way you can make your way around on your own time. The food at the restaurant was delicious, I had the vegetable soup, the fish, and the apple tart with hot tea and water to drink, all included in the all day tour. I also got a treat and more tea later in the day, the muffin was delicious. I came back with visions of new paintings to be created, a full belly, and many…”
Travel from Nice by air-conditioned vehicle to Cannes, Antibes, and Saint Paul de Vence. This is mainly a self-guided outing, so expect transport and short stops rather than a full walking tour. Guides such as David, Alessandro, Rodrigo, and Melanie have been praised for adding useful history and local tips.
“Saint Paul de Vence was spectacular and a must see. There were more people on our tour than mentioned in the description and a miscommunication on pick up. Cecil our guide didn’t offer much more than a taxi ride. Playing her radio and taking personal phone calls on route. Very different than previous tour guide we had the day prior.”
LocVelo’s self-guided e-bike hire lets you ride from Bayeux toward Omaha, Juno, Gold, Utah, or Arromanches. Pascal and Justin explain the bikes and routes, then send you off with GPS, bags, a lock, helmet, repair kit, water, and extra battery support.
“The American cemetery at Omaha beach. Reflective of lessons we havent learned from past wars. Only the memories and the silence of the victims remain.”
Pick a city, a coast or a cellar.
