6 Ultra-Exclusive Tours in Paris That Let You See the City Like a VIP This Summer

Over 15 million tourists are expected to attend the summer Olympic Games in Paris. For a city with a population of just over two million, that’s going to be quite the crunch. So expect mile long lines at the Eiffel Tower, the Musée d’Orsay, and in front of any cafe selling one of those ridiculously massive croissants.

But savvy summer visitors may never lay eyes on a queue, despite the Olympics hoards. They’ll be tapping into exclusive, customizable, and high-luxury experiences instead.  

VIP tour companies and concierges with all the connections are already busily arranging private excursions to the best museums, restaurants or fashion houses for elite clientele.

Some of the most exclusive tours offer Olympic tickets paired with private meetings with the athletes, commanding price tags as high as $500,000. So whether your idea of the perfect Parisian summer is surrounding yourself with art and culture or rubbing shoulders with the Team USA’s basketball players, these tailored tours ensure that it will be unmatched. 

Designed for Luxury

After-hours visits complete with access to rooms closed to the public at the Palace de Versailles and backstage tours at the Opéra Garnier are just some of the experiences London-based luxury travel company Jacada Travel offers its clients coming to Paris. Its team of Travel Designers creates unique experiences, all of which are tested out meticulously to make sure time is never wasted. “Truly bespoke experiences will always be personal to each client,” says founder Alex Malcolm. “That might mean a baking class at a private Parisian apartment that focuses on the art of choux pastry or a night at the Dior Suite above the flagship store on Avenue Montaigne with a private chef and after-hours access to the Dior Gallery. We go above and beyond to create truly private experiences.” As a part of the booking process, the Travel Designer gets to know each client individually before developing a first proposal of their itinerary, including any tours that match their interests. This includes unlisted experiences, where they can arrange exclusive access to landmark locations. For example, a private visit to the Musée Marmottan-Monet could start with coffee pre-museum opening or after hours with a private dinner right in the gallery.

From $20,000 per person, including hotels, restaurant reservations, and private dining 

Bigger Is Better 

The GR8 Experience is known for giving clients access to the most exclusive experiences on earth. This summer, that means Paris. In addition to the most elite accommodations, dining at Paris’s finest restaurants, VIP transportation, and access to any desired experience in Paris, GR8 is also offering the ultimate Olympics hookup. The Olympics package includes accommodations for 11 nights, and premium seats for the opening ceremony, and though they don’t officially sell Olympics access they direct you to Olympic ticket sellers for the most popular events. Barnabas Carrega, the CEO of GR8 Experience, says the company will also offer access to athletes during the games. So how do you book it? Hit them up with your budget and interests, and the GR8 team “maps everything out just for you, inclusive of accommodations, transportation, dining experiences, etc., and then they direct you to the official Olympics ticket sellers for the actual Olympic access,” a former publicist working for the company told Robb Report. “On the ground, there may be a GR8 experience specialist guiding the journey but again it’s all case by case depending on the request. They can go as big as you want them to within the city of Paris and beyond depending on the client. Their ethos is making the inaccessible accessible for top clients.”  

Ranges from $250,000 to $380,00 depending on accommodations. Meetings with the Olympic athletes are priced from $25,000 to $500,000 depending on duration.

Night at the Museum

For the lover of art, French history, fashion, or a child that wants to see Madeleine come to life (and anything else you want), Anya Firestone, founder of cou-tour company Maison Firestone, is at your service. Her clients want to have museums all to themselves and are willing to spend big money to do so. She offers her services at the most popular museums in Paris including Musee d’Orsay and the Louvre, as well as some of the smaller ones. “To bask in front of a painting without a tour group walking in your vision, a photographer to capture the moment so that phones can be away, to create memories during moments that are entertaining as well as educational,” she says. When they’re done soaking in the old masters, Firestone says her American clients are especially eager to load up on luxury goods. Just don’t call it shopping: Instead she gives them access to a piece of French history. If a client wants a tiara, she takes them to the original jewelry house of Napoleon to see pieces unavailable in the U.S. “It is a way to participate and own a piece of French culture,” she says. Stops at the couture house of Schiaparelli and the UNESCO-protected heritage salons where clients can play on one of Chopin’s pianos while they look out at the place Vandome, are also part of some of her tours. 

Private-client prices from $4,800 per day

Toasting at the Top

Award-winning luxury travel company Kensington Tours is offering the Bridge 360 Package this summer. It allows visitors to watch the Opening Ceremonies with an incredible view from the Alma Bridge while toasting the athletes with the finest Champagne. This package also includes live music and a meet and greet with Olympians. The tour provider has secured top-tier Olympic events tickets for their clients costing between $500 and $1,000 each. On days when they aren’t attending the Games, their clients will get to attend activities like private whiskey tastings at distilleries. 

From $10,300 per package

One-Stop Shop

Paris by Emy is a one-woman show with founder and owner Emelyne Bonnes orchestrating and leading all the tours. Her services include detailed itinerary planning, continuous support throughout the trip, hotel and restaurant recommendations and reservations, skip-the-line museum tickets, and a bevy of leisure activities including baking classes and spa visits. All her customizable packages include driving private tours with a guide. Her biggest client this summer tapped her for a three-week package with five-star hotels, a private driver, gourmet and traditional restaurant reservations, excursions to Champagne and Auvers-sur-Oise for Van Gogh, as well as a private oenology course and private shopping with French Maisons. 

From about $2,723 to $3,812 per package

Gold Medal Travel

Angela Adto Tepper is the founder of New York-based Aza Luxury Travel specializing in France, Italy and Portugal. Want a two-month vacation across seven European countries with private wine tours, helicopter transfers, yacht charters, a balloon ride, and a Sting concert? She’s your gal. This summer she’s designed a program for a family coming to Paris from Hawaii for the Olympics that will include Michelin-starred restaurants, carefully curated shopping guides in the fashion districts, and private tours of the Louvre. The family will also be attending basketball, wrestling, and volleyball games at the Olympics. “Planning for the Paris 2024 Olympics has been an exhilarating experience,” says Adto Tepper. “Paris presents a wealth of opportunities for luxury travelers to indulge in during the Olympics. The energy and excitement surrounding the Games make this a truly unique and special event to be a part of.” The booking process starts by discussing a client’s preferences and requirements to create a tailored itinerary. 

A week-long trip during the Olympics—similar to her Hawaiian client’s plans—starts at about $100,000