Day 1: Hidden Paris: Wine, Cheese & Skyline Secrets
Private, Sommelier-Led Experience in Central Paris. Begin your Hidden Gems journey with a deeply sensory immersion beneath the streets of Paris.
The Ultimate Wine & Cheese Pairing at Caves du Louvre
Your driver brings you to the Caves du Louvre, a boutique wine museum tucked inside 18th-century royal cellars once used by Louis XV’s own sommelier.
Your private sommelier welcomes you into vaulted stone chambers as you prepare for a private tasting designed to reveal France through its terroirs:
- A curated flight of premium wines from Burgundy, the Loire, Rhône & Alsace
- Artisanal cheeses sourced that morning from award-winning affineurs
- Personalised pairing guidance: why certain textures match, how aromas evolve, and how to decode French labels like a local
The experience is unhurried and personal; you may discuss preferred regions, explore rare cuvées, or delve into the differences between ageing styles.
Because it is a private session, the sommelier adapts the tasting to your palate, whether you favour bold reds, delicate whites, or sparkling Crémants.
A behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s interactive exhibits rounds out your visit, including scent tables, vineyard maps, and learning stations rarely explored by casual guests.
Montparnasse Tower: Paris From Above (VIP Access)
After your tasting, your chauffeur brings you to an unexpected Parisian highlight: the Montparnasse Tower Observation Deck, one of the city’s most astonishing viewpoints, and far less visited than the Eiffel Tower.
Your guide leads you past the public queues to the express elevators, rising 200 meters in just seconds. The open-air rooftop terrace presents a 75-kilometre panoramic sweep of the capital:
- The Eiffel Tower rising above the Champ-de-Mars
- The pale stone spires of Notre-Dame
- The golden dome of Les Invalides
- The orderly gardens of the Luxembourg Palace
- As far as Montmartre’s Sacré-Cœur on the northern ridge
Unlike more crowded Paris lookouts, Montparnasse offers room to breathe, linger, and photograph freely in true “hidden gem” luxury.
Your guide can point out urban secrets: the city’s medieval street patterns, Haussmann’s boulevards, literary cafés hidden in Montparnasse, and unusual rooftops used by local beekeepers.
Optional Hidden-Gem Add-On: Private Guided Walk in the Montparnasse Artists’ Quarter
Retrace the footsteps of Modigliani, Hemingway, Matisse, and Josephine Baker through atmospheric cafés, quiet ateliers, and tucked-away sculptures that once defined Paris’s creative golden age.
Day 2: Royal Splendour & Forest Secrets of Fontainebleau
Day two of our hidden gems itinerary gets underway just an hour from Paris: Château de Fontainebleau, a royal residence for eight centuries and the birthplace of kings, queens, and sweeping chapters of French history.
Private Guided Tour of Château de Fontainebleau
Your private driver collects you from your accommodation and escorts you south through forested countryside on your way to the palace.
With your private guide, dive into a richly tailored exploration of Fontainebleau, from the Renaissance splendour of the Francis Gallery.
You’ll step inside the royal chapel and grand ceremonial halls used by monarchs from Henri IV to Louis XV, before wandering through the vast Le Nôtre–designed gardens, where quiet parterres, reflective pools, and centuries-old trees offer a serene alternative to Versailles.
The Forest of Fontainebleau – A Natural Hidden Gem
Surrounding the château is the extraordinary Forêt de Fontainebleau, a protected natural reserve beloved by painters, poets, philosophers, and emperors. Your guide can take you on:
- A private forest walk to unusual sandstone rock formations
- A scenic ride through former royal hunting paths
- A visit to viewpoints used by Barbizon School painters
Optional: Barbizon Artists’ Village
Just minutes from the forest lies Barbizon, the fabled village where 19th-century artists like Corot and Millet founded a movement that later inspired Impressionism.
A stroll through its studios and quiet lanes is a serene, culturally rich addition to the day.
Day 3: The Baroque Masterpiece of Vaux-le-Vicomte
Today, you travel just an hour southeast of Paris to one of France’s most magnificent, yet often overlooked, palaces: Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte. This visionary estate inspired Louis XIV to build Versailles.
Your private chauffeur collects you from your hotel and brings you to the quiet village of Maincy, where the château appears like an apparition of perfect symmetry. Created in the 17th century by the triumvirate Le Vau, Le Brun, and Le Nôtre, Vaux-le-Vicomte stands as the first significant expression of French Baroque design.
Private Château Tour
Your expert guide leads you through the rooms once occupied by Nicolas Fouquet, whose dramatic downfall at the hands of the Sun King only adds to the palace’s mystique.
Explore at your own pace:
- The Grand Salon, an architectural breakthrough with uninterrupted views of the gardens
- Fouquet’s personal apartments, filled with intricate marquetry and early Baroque ornamentation
- The lavish state rooms, decorated with original frescoes and gilded stucco, were designed to impress 17th-century royalty
Optional Extras
- Private behind-the-scenes visit to the dome (panoramic views over the estate)
- Candlelit evening visit (select dates)
Return to Paris in the late afternoon in the comfort of your private vehicle.
Day 4: Chartres: Cathedral Wonders & Medieval Lanes
Your fourth day of hidden gems transports you southwest to Chartres, home to one of the greatest surviving Gothic cathedrals in the world. The drive takes a little over an hour, delivering you from urban Paris into the peaceful countryside.
Chartres Cathedral: Private Tour
Your private tour of Chartres begins inside the magnificent Cathédrale Notre-Dame, where your guide leads you through a rich, story-driven exploration of this UNESCO-listed Gothic masterpiece.
For more than eight centuries, pilgrims have travelled here to admire its extraordinary stained glass, much of which survives in its original medieval brilliance. You’ll stand before the famed Blue Virgin Window, its cobalt tones unlike anything produced elsewhere, and study the Royal Portal, where carved kings and queens seem to step forward from the stone itself.
Your guide may also take you to the cathedral’s labyrinth—once walked by medieval pilgrims as a symbolic journey—and, if you wish, arrange private access to the vast crypt beneath the nave. Every moment inside Chartres offers a rare immersion into medieval imagination, expressed through colour, geometry, symbolism, and luminous storytelling.
Old Town walking Tour
Stepping out into the old town, your guide leads you through the gentle slopes and riverside lanes of Chartres’ historic centre.
Beyond the well-trodden paths, your guide reveals lesser-known corners often missed by casual visitors, peaceful viewpoints, hidden courtyards, and the understated Romanesque church of Saint-Aignan, a favourite of those who seek the town’s more intimate secrets.
Return to Paris by early evening.
Day 5: The Battlefields of Verdun
Your final hidden gem is also the most emotionally powerful. You travel northeast to the Verdun battlefields, the site of one of the most significant and devastating engagements of World War I.
Douaumont Ossuary
Begin at the imposing ossuary where the remains of over 130,000 unidentified soldiers are preserved. Your guide explains the architecture, symbolism, and the immense human cost of the battle.
Fort Douaumont
Explore the largest fort in the Verdun defensive system.
Walk through underground chambers, artillery posts, and garrison quarters while your guide recounts the shifting control of the fort and its strategic significance.
Trench of the Bayonets
Visit this poignant memorial, dedicated to soldiers found with their rifles still fixed upright in the soil, an unforgettable reminder of the conditions at Verdun.
Verdun Memorial Museum
A deeply curated institution that brings together personal objects, letters, uniforms, and multimedia displays. Your guide helps interpret the exhibits, connecting them to the specific sites you’ve visited.
Battlefield Landscapes
See the still-scarred land, hills, and forests where century-old shell craters, collapsed trenches, and eerie silence reflect a landscape permanently shaped by war.
Optional Add-Ons
- Private historian-led deep-dive focusing on personal stories
- Cemetery visit tracing American or Commonwealth ancestor history
Return to Paris in the evening, with your guide available for final reflections on the day’s historical themes.
Day 6: Private Airport Transfer
After a week of exploring France’s most treasured hidden gems, your private driver collects you from your hotel for a seamless journey to the airport.
Your driver will assist you at the terminal, ensuring a calm and elegant end to your stay in France.
FAQs for the Hidden Gems of France Tour
1. How Personalised Is This Hidden Gems Itinerary? Can It Be Tailored To My Interests?
Absolutely. While this tour offers a thoughtfully designed structure, every element, from pacing to focus areas (art, architecture, wine, or history) can be fully customised to match your preferences.
2. What Level Of Luxury Accommodation Is Included?
We hand-select boutique 4–5 star hotels or historic châteaux that offer exceptional comfort, character, and service, matched to your preferred style (classic, modern, romantic, or ultra-luxury).
3. Are All Transfers With A Private Driver?
Yes. A professional English-speaking chauffeur accompanies you throughout the tour with luxury vehicle transport.
4. Can This Tour Accommodate Mobility Or Accessibility Needs?
Most locations can be adapted for guests with mobility considerations. We can adjust sightseeing routes and pace, and arrange VIP access where helpful.
5. Can I Add Exclusive Experiences Such As After-Hours Château Visits?
Yes. We can arrange rare experiences including candlelit evenings at Vaux-le-Vicomte, behind-the-scenes dome access, or private Chartres crypt tours.
