Allegory of tourism in France during the coronavirus

Actually, the picture above represents a 19th Century painted ceiling at the Louvre that I really like. Could it have been prophetic?

Covid-19 generated a tsunami worldwide. Its repercussions were felt during the following years.

But today (February 2026 as I write these lines), I can say that tourism sadly came back to "normal".

Indeed, this is not particularly good news because «normality » before Covid-19 often rhymed with "over-tourism" and I have to admit that, in that matter, we are back to square one.

Some places like the Louvre and Versailles have once again become unbearable at times.

Just take a look at the pictures below, they say it all... Yuck!

But if you come to Paris for the first time, it's quite understandable that you will still want to visit the blockbuster museums/palaces/monuments like the Louvre, Versailles and Notre-Dame no matter what... But don't you worry too much about those crowds, because having your own guide is not only having immediate access to all the answers to your questions, it’s also like having your own coach, assistant and advisor

who will help you to beat most of those crowds and who will make your experience as smooth as possible.  

Important for you to know: if you want to have a guide at the Louvre, Versailles or Sainte-Chapelle,

don't purchase your entrance tickets yourself because those three museums now have their own rules

and they force professionals to purchase special tickets together with an authorization to speak.

If you already bought tickets online for those museums and you want a guide to give you a tour,

you will have to purchase new tickets because, at the Louvre for instance, if their inspectors check us up inside (and they quite often do now, since the big ticket fraud recently unveiled) with regular tickets,

we will be evicted and have to pay a fine of a minimum of 300€! Isn't that crazy?!

2026 Editorial

That's why, the older I get, the less I take pleasure in guiding in unavoidably over-crowded museums

and the more I'm interested in doing quality tours for quality people in quality places.

That's where my signature tours come in! Please check them out and hopefully they'll get your attention!🤞

Versailles - Mars salon - June 2019                            Versailles - Mars salon - June 2023

Mona Lisa fans! - September 2025 - Can you believe this?!

Rule N°1: never visit the Louvre in the afternoon (if you can avoid it).