Paris at a Slower Pace: Art & Culture in the City of Light

Wonnderful seven days spent in the Beautiful city of Paris!

This program is excellent! I have been to Paris several times on my own and love Paris! On this tour, I learned so much from the group leader and tour guide about Paris, the French people, as well as the different sites we saw, even though I had seen many before. Nice hotel, great restaurant choices, perfect transportation. Very good value. I highly recommend.

Paris at a Slower Pace is exactly as stated in the write up, much walking, standing and stairs. It is perfect for the 70-something age group. I feel that had we taken the regular Paris tour, we would have been overwhelmed by the addition of many, many staircases. Our tour did have stairs but manageable for our age, maybe not for ALL 70-somethings!

I request reimbursement for the taxi I had to take from the airport. I could not find the group leader at the airport. The final instructions Road Scholar sent said I would be picked up at baggage. I was told that She was in the middle of the crowd as I came out of passport control. I saw several signs held up for other travel companies out side passport control but nothing for Road Scholar. I tried to call her. Taxi fare was $62.63 Her handouts excluded a Museum pass, eye piece device, her hand written daily schedule for me. Everyone else had them. I had to keep reminding her that I didn’t have them. We arrived at a restaurant one evening an hour early. She said she would arrange for us to eat early. A few of us went into the restroom. When I came out everyone was gone. She changed her mind and took everyone to a shopping mall? I wondered around by myself for an hour before dinner. I loved the itinerary , places we visited,Agatha’s lectures and the people I met on the trip. I have loved traveling with Road Scholar. This time communication was lacking I would appreciate a credit to my charge card for $62.63. I have a receipt, if you need it.

The hotel Jardins de Marais was not a good choice as it was not accessible. The only entrance to the hotel was 2 steps with no railing. On my first day I had fallen while going up the stair; fortunately someone caught me and broke my fall. Although Penny, group leader, had requested that I be assigned to the Ground/1st Floor, my first room was in Duffy and required going up 3 marble steps with no railing. Therefore, I requested and was assigned to a smaller room in the main building. When I informed Penny that the handicapped elevator to the restaurant was out of order, she informed a hotel staff member who told her that it would not be repaired for a considerable period of time. However, when it was repaired, no one informed her that it was working. I found out from another traveler who saw me struggling down a wet (rained all days of program) stairway to the restaurant. Although the guide was very knowledgeable, she did not wait for those in the back of the group before crossing busy Paris streets. This was very scary to me! I found that the group leader Penny was very helpful and accommodating. Prior to this program, I had completed 28 Road Scholar programs in 20 years. By the 6th day in Paris, I was so exhausted that I decided to leave. I contacted the Road Scholar Travel Emergency office, who were very accommodating in booking me the same flights for the following day. Although I am very able and active in the US, I found it to be very difficult getting around in Paris. There is nothing comparable to our ADA in France!

This trip met all my expectations and more! From our tour guide and excursions to all the wonderful people I met, I would do this trip again in a heartbeat!

Slow does not equal less! Paris at a slower pace just means you will have time to enjoy the city without feeling you are in a rush to get places because the Road Scholar Program takes you where you want to go to see the things you want to see, with no hassle or fighting your way through crowded Metro cars and stations.

Hotel Jardin de Marais - some rooms had deep tubs with no grab bars - dangerous for older folks. Also, not able to put on heat in mid Sept. even though evenings were quite chilly. Breakfast buffet was wonderful and rooms were clean. Not really in Marais but rather on the edge on a dismal street, but near a Metro and some restaurants and laundromat.

“Paris at a Slower Pace” provides a great introduction to this beautiful city, and if you’ve not yet traveled with Road Scholar, a great introduction to their wonderful approach to group travel. The lectures by local experts on French history and culture were comprehensive and well presented, and onsite visits to museums and venues such as a farmer’s market and various areas of the city combined to provide a delightful program. The level of activity kept us on the move, but was a pleasant pace. This was my 15th trip with Road Scholar, and I can’t wait for the next trip!

While the Program itself was a great learning experience, the Oganizer and Guides added so much to the experience, making it entertaining and fun.

Fabulous program.

The staff were amazing. I always felt like Susana and Agatha had the best interests of the participants in mind. They did such a good job addressing issues and I felt like we had advocates at our sides throughout the trp. We are already planning our next Road Scholar excursion. Here are several thoughts to consider. 1. The hotel was excellent, with wonderful service. 2. The tubs were much too risky for people with poor balance (which represents much of your clientele). The words, “litigation risk” scream out at me. An easy fix: have bathmats in all the tubs. A more substantial solution is to install grab bars. 3. The lecturer was phenomenal! Truly!!! I am also a university lecturer who provides outreach to the public, and I have never seen a lecturer with so much stamina as Agatha: about four days of lecture during a single week. The most I have ever done myself is one day of sustained lecture; she provided four days, accurately and with a love for French history. Do your best to keep her. She is super! 4. The only consideration I would suggest is to break up the lectures somehow, with maybe short discussion breaks to rest the mind. Agatha is such an intellect that I can foresee her experimenting with new ways of teaching. I suggest the following: https://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/foreducators/TeachingNotes/Pages/InquiryBasedApproach.aspx as something to consider. I would be glad to talk to her by Zoom. I have some ideas that I have worked up over the years. But I also want to acknowledge that classroom teaching is a very different environment than standing for hours in a noisy museum. If she considers the suggestion; and then rejects it, I would cede to her judgment. She knows the task and the challenges much better than I do.

Enjoyable, informative and affordable.

This was a wonderful experience my wife and I will remember for the rest of our lives (We'll always have Paris). The cost was not too much more than if I had been able to plan all of these activities on my own, which I never would have been able to do. The guided tours and VIP lines and meals were memorable. . Breakfast at the hotel, and the hotel itself in Paris, were wonderful.

What a wonderful program! Our group leaders were incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. The program was both intense yet so much fun.

Agathe, our tour guide. was the highlight of this trip. "PaaSlowerPace," a comprehensive perspective on the French, their history, art and psyche. Knowledgeable. Patient. Unperturbable. Whoever recruited her deserves a big raise. From the very beginning she was a total delight. Exhaustive trip in terms of seeing and experiencing so many Parisian delights. So many opportunities to solo and just flaneur. Great if it's your first trip to France or if you've been here many times. The hotel, "Les Jardin du Marais"..literally, Hotel in the Swamp, was a terrible choice. Some people had mobility issues and you had to be pole vaulter to get into the bathtub. All in all PaaSlowPace" is great value and chock full of delightful experiences.

Paris at a Slower Pace was an exceptional program. Everyday was filled with adventures and surprises ranging from dinner on the Eiffel Tower to a private concert from our tour guide. Christopher and Agathe were a formidable team. They were very knowledgeable, engaging, enthusiastic, and lots of fun. We saw many museums and monuments and the use of the motor coach to maneuver through the city helped to keep up my energy level during very busy days. I loved this tour so much I’ve already booked Rome and Florence at a Slower Pace.

Paris is astounding and it was even more wonderful with the leadership and guidance of Christo and Agathe. Merci mille fois!J'ai vécu un rêve.

Just returned from this delightful tour. While the weather was cool and rainy our Coordinator Christopher Roche and Instructor Agathe Godard found rainbows around every corner. The quality of information and sites visited were exceptional. The included meals were good, the group mixed in a very comfortable way and the week seemed too short!

Everything you wanted to know about Paris and more! A great trip for first time visitor and for people like me who are returning after multiple visits. Lost of new places to see and new ways to understand them. A fantastic trip.

Paris at a slower pace was exactly what I was looking for as a first-time visitor. I would follow Penny and Agathe anywhere.

If you would like to see some of the most wonderful classic art ever created and enjoy a historical presentation prior to that viewing while having a narration during the viewing by a wonderfully knowledgeable and competent presenter, this is for you. I believe this is as good as it gets! Thanks RS, JJ.

I just returned from "Paris at a Slower Pace: Art & Culture in the City of Light. If you're interested in a very well organized, thorough, educational and enjoyable program in Paris with participants who have similar interests, this is an incomparable program. The experience was invaluable. I would recommend this without hesitation. Vic

I keep coming back to Road Scholar after each trip. Most of details are taken care of, I enjoyed bunch of friendly well travelers. Michele's jazz piano added special memory to all of us. We had a good diversity and ages in our group and that made our trip more enjoyable. Thanks for Penny, Agathe and all the driver who kept us happy and safe in Paris.

This was one of the best experiences traveling I have ever had. All of the details were taken care of, which left me to concentrate on learning about the history, architecture and art in Paris, eating great food, and enjoying the company of interesting and fun traveling companions. Our guides were knowledgeable, competent and fun to be around. I felt safe and our accommodations were amazing! I will travel with Road Scholar from now on!

C'etait merveilleuse.

This was my first Road Scholar program, and it was everything I had hoped it would be. I will be going on another Road Scholar adventure in the future.

What a delightful experience! Paris is stunning, even when it is unseasonably cold, drenched in rain, and subject to demonstrations. Agathe Godard possesses a wealth of knowledge about French art, history, and culture and shares it without reservation. She and Odile Babault guided our small group through a fabulous week of exploration while always ensuring our safety and responding to every question we posed. Although Paris is a popular destination and filled with tourists, even off-season, our guides did a fabulous job of securing rapid admission to museums and avoiding waiting lines. We glimpsed the plight of most tourists briefly when near the Eiffel Tower and boating on the Seine, but the expertise with which we were guided through the city made us feel like the only visitors the city had. And the food! Fabulous. Every meal was delicious and every sip of wine sublime.

Visiting Paris has been a lifelong dream of mine. I thoroughly enjoyed my travel experience with Road Scholar. I hope to continue learning French and return to Paris and other parts of France soon.

This program provides a great introduction to Paris. My wife and I heartily recommend it. 5 stars!

I enjoyed the program.

What a great opportunity to experience Paris for the first time.

Our guides were witty and wise,caring for our every need. Our friendly band of fellow travelers enjoyed a rich experience, feeling Paris truly loves us!

I came back from this tour with great memories and a smile on my face.

Josephine and Agathe are absolutely wonderful - knowledgeable, patient, thoughtful, helpful, and have a great sense of humor.

Jo, our tour guide, was exceptional. She was wonderful in handling problems and making sure all went well. Jo is a conscientious and personable guide. I'm so glad we had her. Our Hotel, Les Jardins du Marais, was in a prime location, close to several good restaurant and had a wonderful courtyard which our room overlooked. Several times we read in the courtyard after we came back from the touring.

We were not happy campers. It took us a few days to realize that there was a significant discrepancy in the hotel room assignment. Our room was much smaller in a poor location and lacked many amenities that the others were enjoying. I presented these facts to the group leader on May 25, and she made a rearrangement to a larger one with a kitchenette on the following day. The new room was the similar kind where most members stayed. There were big differences everywhere. This was discrimination. All participants paid the same amount of money but we were the only nonwhites. What else could I think?

A wonderful program! We saw so many of the important places and museums of Paris

This program hits the highlights of a short (6-day) visit to Paris. It is "slow and easy" in that you get a good taste of a few sites instead of a small taste of a lot. Though the metro is generally much faster as a method of transportation, buses are used in this program to avoid the many stairs at metro stations and to keep the participants at a comfortable temperature. All of the meals are of good quality, and many take place in interesting restaurants.

Amazing trip! First time in Paris and it will certainly not be my last. We saw and experienced the top museums, sights and churches in the city. The food was great. Penny, the group leader, kept everything running like a clock. James, the guide enriched us with his incredible knowledge about the city and its history. Despite the rain that occurred throughout most of the trip everyone was so friendly and inquisitive on this adventure. Even our coach driver became a part of our Road Scholar “family.” This trip is highly recommended and I gladly give it 5 stars!

Paris is fantastic. Penny James and Mouhi only made it more exciting & vibrant. Roads Scholar should be commended for hiring these 3 to represent them & present one of the great cities of the world through their eyes.

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Road Scholar helped me feel confident as a solo traveler. I felt safe and well cared for and it was easy to make new friends! The program leaders, Emma Leslie & Laurent Guariglia, were fabulous! Their depth of knowledge enriched the experience for me. I’m looking forward to my next Road Scholar adventure!

This program is a superb adventure into the whole of Paris. The program's description is accurate regarding place, time, and amount of physical activity. There is time for individual pursuit while learning as a group. I traveled alone and found like-minded, good-spirited people who were open and engaging. I recommend the program without reservation.

A very nice introduction to Paris - saw more than I expected. Could have used a free afternoon (or another whole day) to do a little private exploring otherwise a good trip. Sylvie Moreau , our Paris guide was excellent as was our Road Scholar Group Leader Penny Old.

After taking Paris at a Slower Pace you'll love Paris even more than you did before!

An excellent introduction to the highlights of Paris

I thoroughly enjoyed and would highly recommend "Paris At A Slower Pace: Art & Culture in the City of Light". Be prepared to be dazzled by the Museums, Gardens, and Sights & Sounds of this amazing City! And the food is so delicious that you'll be glad you're staying so active! Susana and Agathe were wonderful, very knowledgeable and very helpful.

This program is just perfect for those who want to spend a week in Paris, see the great art of the Louvre, and painting after painting from all the Impressionist artists you know. Significant cultural sites are included; it is a nice balance of guided activities and free time, and you can soak up the wonderful Paris cafe culture as well. Highly recommended!

We'll definitely look at Road Scholar for our next European vacation.

A wonderful overview of Paris that goes both deep and broad, led by experts .

An excellent overview of Paris. In just a week, we were able to see most of the high points. The group leader and instructor could not have been better, always ready with advice and insights. We ate well -- Road Scholar chose excellent restaurants. My only wish is that we'd spent less time on the bus, but perhaps this could not have been avoided. A week is a good length of time (we've been on two-week trips that felt too long for a group experience). Overall, a terrific, memorable trip.

I can't say enough about our guide and facilitator. Efficient, positive, engaging. Our bus driver was a gem and amazing.

The pace of this program is fast paced but very doable. Penny and Jenny are outstanding group leaders and our bus driver was very good. Wonderful way to see much of Paris.

An exciting way to see the world for retired clientele. All the fun without the fuss.