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

The best thing about this tour is the car itself. You glide through Paris in a polished, open-top Citroën DS, a French classic that attracts smiles, waves, and plenty of phone cameras as you pass. Guide Benjamin handles the driving and fills the ride with Paris history, film locations, local stories, and photo stops.

I like the private format, which lets Benjamin adjust the route to your interests. I also like how much ground you cover without spending the day on foot, from the Latin Quarter and Île de la Cité to Montmartre, the Champs-Élysées, and the Eiffel Tower. The main drawback is that this is a sightseeing drive, not an inside tour. Most stops last about 15 minutes, and traffic or rain can affect the pace.

Key points to know

• A classic Citroën DS is part of the experience: The comfortable, heated car has generous legroom and an open-top design that gives you a clear view of Paris.
• Benjamin is your driver and guide: He combines film locations with stories about Paris, and he is happy to stop for pictures when time allows.
• You cover a remarkable amount of ground: The route reaches the Latin Quarter, Saint-Germain, the Louvre, Montmartre, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower.
• It is private for your group: The price is $540.95 for up to four people, with no strangers sharing the car.
• Pickup has limits: Hotel pickup and drop-off are offered in eligible central areas, but not in the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 19th, or 20th arrondissements.
• Plan around the weather: The tour needs good weather, and the best departure times are said to be between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to reduce traffic delays.

Why the Citroën DS makes this Paris tour different

You can see Paris from a bus, taxi, or walking tour. This experience gives you a very different view. The Citroën DS is roomy, heated, and comfortable, yet it feels open to the city around you. You get the pleasure of watching Paris pass at street level without walking from one distant sight to another.

The car also changes how the city responds to you. It is an unusual sight on Paris streets, and people often stop to take pictures. Several guests felt like film stars during the ride, partly because of the car’s old-school shape and partly because the open roof gives you a clear view from the back seats.

The car is a major reason to book this tour, but it is not just decoration. A compact group of up to four people can ride together, talk easily with Benjamin, and move between neighborhoods in comfort. The back seats do not have seat belts, so children under 10 are not accepted under the current tour rules.

Benjamin brings the show and the city together

Benjamin is the self-employed owner-guide behind Classic 60’s Paris Tours. He drives, explains the sights, shares French anecdotes, and takes pictures for you at selected stops. His role is important because this is not a fixed audio route. He can respond to your interests and skip or adapt parts of the ride if you have already seen them.

If you are a fan of Emily in Paris, he can point out filming locations and help you connect the scenes with real Paris streets. Expect stops around Place de l’Estrapade, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Montmartre, and other recognizable parts of the show. The television theme is fun, but you do not need to know the series to enjoy the tour.

I especially like the way the film locations sit alongside ordinary Paris life and major landmarks. You might move from a famous café to a quiet square, then from a television location to a centuries-old church. That mix keeps the tour from feeling like a single-theme scavenger hunt.

Benjamin has also been praised for his driving and attention to comfort. He is a licensed professional driver with passenger insurance, and bottled water is included. Alcoholic drinks are not included.

The Latin Quarter begins the story

The Latin Quarter is a strong opening area because it gives you old Paris, student life, cafés, and major monuments in a small space. Place de l’Estrapade is one of the more personal stops. This quiet square near the Panthéon has classic buildings and a calm feel, making it a good place for pictures and a short break from traffic.

The Panthéon is nearby. Its neoclassical design is impressive from outside, and the building serves as a mausoleum for major French figures. The tour does not include entry, so you will see it from the street during this sightseeing route.

From here, the ride can take you toward the Luxembourg Gardens. The gardens offer clipped plantings, fountains, paths, and plenty of people-watching. You will not have time for a long walk through every section, but the short stop gives you a taste of one of central Paris’s best public spaces.

Saint-Germain cafés and old Paris movie culture

The route includes Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, two famous Saint-Germain cafés linked with writers, artists, and intellectual life. These are working cafés, not museum exhibits, so you can appreciate the façades and atmosphere without having to spend time on a full meal.

The nearby Le Champo cinema is another useful detail for film fans. It is a long-running Paris cinema institution, and its presence adds a more local cultural note to the route. You may also pass lively meeting places where street musicians and singers perform.

The schedule matters here. A 3 to 4 hour tour cannot give you a long café stop, a full garden visit, and inside access to every landmark. Think of this section as a guided introduction with time for photographs, not a detailed walking tour of Saint-Germain.

Palais Royal, covered arcades, and the Louvre

The Jardin du Palais Royal is one of the prettiest short stops on the route. Its formal gardens and arcades offer a quieter setting in the middle of central Paris. The Colonnes de Buren, with their black-and-white striped columns, give you a modern contrast to the surrounding historic buildings.

Place de Valois is another quiet corner near the Palais Royal and the Comédie-Française. I like this kind of stop because it shows you a side of Paris that can be missed if you only chase the biggest monuments.

Galerie Vivienne adds a different mood. Beneath its glass roof, you will find elegant 19th-century decoration, small shops, and cafés. It is worth remembering that the Citroën cannot take you into the arcade, so this is a short walking visit or exterior look rather than a full indoor shopping stop.

Place Vendôme, the Opéra Garnier, and the Louvre then bring the grand scale back. Place Vendôme is lined with luxury names and centered on its famous column. The Opéra Garnier is best appreciated from the outside on this tour, where its ornate façade gives you a quick look at Paris’s theatrical side.

At the Louvre, the Pyramide du Louvre provides one of the clearest photo stops in the city. The tour does not include museum admission. That is sensible for a route this broad, since seeing even a small part of the Louvre properly requires several hours by itself.

Île de la Cité and the Seine

Île de la Cité is the historic center of Paris, and the route reaches several important sights here. Notre-Dame Cathedral is a natural highlight. You can admire its Gothic façade and central position from outside, with about 15 minutes listed for the stop.

Pont Neuf is another good pause. Despite its name, it is the oldest bridge across the Seine in Paris. From the bridge, you get water views and a useful sense of how the city’s central islands connect its two banks.

The route also points toward Île Saint-Louis, Berthillon ice cream, and the restaurants around the island. Berthillon is famous for its ice cream, but the tour does not state that a tasting is included. Plan to buy your own if you want to sample it, and keep in mind that traffic and timing may limit the stop.

The Seine itself is a major part of the ride. Crossing bridges by vintage car gives you changing views of church towers, stone façades, and riverbanks. It is one of the best ways to understand how the city fits together, even when you are not stopping at every bridge.

Montmartre by car, from Sacré-Cœur to the Moulin Rouge

Montmartre is where the tour becomes especially visual. The car takes you toward the hill, its stairs, narrow streets, and old village feel. At Place du Tertre, painters work around cafés and visitors, giving the square its familiar artistic character.

Rue de l’Abreuvoir is one of the prettiest streets in this part of Paris. Its old houses and incline make it a strong photo location. La Maison Rose, the pink café nearby, adds another easily recognized Montmartre image.

The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur is scheduled as a 15-minute stop. You can admire the white domes and look across Paris from the hill. The time is enough for exterior photographs and a quick visit, but not for an unhurried exploration of the basilica and surrounding streets.

Rue Lepic brings more film connections, including the Café des 2 Moulins associated with Amélie. You may also see references to Montmartre’s old windmills and local street life. The Moulin Rouge is farther downhill, where its red windmill façade recalls the neighborhood’s cabaret past.

The Wall of I Love You is another short stop. The phrase appears in more than 300 languages, making this one of the tour’s most playful photo opportunities. It is a small site, so 15 minutes is enough for a look and a picture.

The Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower circuit

The route then crosses toward Parc Monceau and Courcelles before reaching the Arc de Triomphe. Parc Monceau offers a pause from the grand avenues, with paths, statues, and formal garden features. Courcelles gives you a look at an elegant residential part of Paris.

At the Arc de Triomphe, you will have time to see the monument from street level and photograph the converging avenues. Admission is not included, and climbing to the roof would require a separate visit. The advantage here is speed: you can see the arch without giving up an hour or more of the tour.

The Eiffel Tower section includes Rue de l’Université, the École Militaire, and the tower itself. Rue de l’Université is popular for photographs because it leads toward the tower through a classic Paris street setting. The École Militaire adds an 18th-century military landmark nearby.

The Eiffel Tower stop is listed at 15 minutes. That is enough to admire the structure, take pictures, and hear Benjamin’s explanation, but not enough for a summit or second-floor visit. If you want to go up the tower, schedule that separately.

Grand avenues, golden bridges, and the final Louvre area

The latter part of the tour covers some of Paris’s grandest public spaces. You may pass the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French president, and Les Invalides with its golden dome and Napoleon’s tomb.

Pont Alexandre III is one of the most decorative bridges in Paris, with gilded details and broad views along the Seine. The Champs-Élysées then brings you onto the city’s most famous avenue, where luxury shops, traffic, and monumental views replace the smaller streets of Montmartre.

The Church of La Madeleine, Grand Palais, Petit Palais, and Pont de la Concorde follow. These sights show several styles in a compact area, from La Madeleine’s neoclassical front to the Grand Palais’s glass roof and the Petit Palais’s museum setting.

Place de la Concorde includes the Luxor Obelisk, fountains, and wide views toward the Tuileries and Champs-Élysées. The Tuileries Gardens then connect the square with the Louvre. The Musée d’Orsay appears across the Seine, housed in a former railway station and known for its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.

This final stretch is ideal for orientation. You will see where the Louvre, Tuileries, Concorde, Invalides, and the Seine sit in relation to one another. You will not tour the museums inside, but you can return later with a better plan.

Is $540.95 good value for four people?

The price is $540.95 per group of up to four, not per person. Split four ways, that is about $135 each. For two people, the per-person cost is much higher, but you still receive a private car, a driver-guide, hotel pickup where permitted, bottled water, and drop-off at a chosen eligible location.

I see the value in the tour if you want broad coverage and personal attention. A standard private car tour may take you to similar sights, but the vintage Citroën gives this one a clear identity. It also saves energy on a first day in Paris, when walking between all these districts would be tiring.

The value is weaker if your priority is museum entry, long walking stops, or a slow café meal. The route gives you many outside views in a short period. You are paying for comfort, transport, storytelling, flexibility, and the car itself, not for admission tickets.

Timing, pickup, weather, and practical details

The experience lasts about 3 to 4 hours. Pickup and drop-off are available inside eligible areas of Paris, but not in the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 19th, or 20th arrondissements. Le Marais, Bastille, République, and Gare du Nord are also excluded.

If your hotel is outside the pickup zone, you can arrange a meeting point at the Hôtel de Crillon near Place de la Concorde or the Panthéon at Place du Panthéon. Confirm the exact arrangement after booking if your hotel is not clearly covered.

The suggested departure window is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., mainly to avoid the worst traffic jams. I would avoid treating the timetable as rigid. Paris traffic can change the order and length of stops, so focus on the overall experience rather than expecting every sight to receive exactly 15 minutes.

Good weather is required. If rain or poor conditions cancel the tour, you can choose another date or receive a full refund. Free cancellation is available until 24 hours before the start time, but changes or cancellations inside that window are not accepted.

Who should book this Citroën DS tour?

I would recommend it to first-time Paris visitors who want a quick orientation, families or friends who prefer a private vehicle, and Emily in Paris fans who want the show’s locations tied to real neighborhoods. It also suits anyone with limited time who wants to see major sights from the outside without organizing several separate walks.

It is especially useful at the start of a Paris stay. You can mark places for later visits, learn the city’s layout, and get photographs before spending your remaining days on foot or inside museums.

I would choose another format if you want extensive time at Notre-Dame, the Louvre, Sacré-Cœur, or the Eiffel Tower. This tour gives you a wide view of Paris, not a close study of any single monument.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if the idea of riding in a classic open-top Citroën appeals to you as much as the sights themselves. Benjamin’s flexible guiding, photo help, French stories, and mix of television locations with major monuments make the ride more than a simple transfer around town.

Skip it if you dislike short stops or need guaranteed indoor sightseeing. For everyone else, especially a group of four, the private pricing makes more sense, and the vintage car turns a familiar Paris route into a memorable city outing.

FAQ

How long does the Paris Citroën DS tour last?

The tour lasts approximately 3 to 4 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 inside Paris. The service excludes the 3rd, 4th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 19th, and 20th arrondissements, as well as Le Marais, Bastille, République, and Gare du Nord.

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

You can arrange a meeting point at the Hôtel de Crillon at 10 Place de la Concorde or in front of the Panthéon at Place du Panthéon.

Are children allowed on the tour?

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

Is admission to the attractions included?

No. The listed stops are sightseeing visits, generally with about 15 minutes at key locations, and admission tickets are not included.

What happens if bad weather cancels the tour?

You can choose a different date or receive a full refund if poor weather causes the tour to be canceled.