As I wandering back to our apartment one afternoon during a recent week in Paris, I spotted a charming-looking Citroen 2CV driving down our street and took a quick picture of it with my new camera. When I got home and looked at the digital photo more closely, I realized that it wasn’t just someone stopping casually in front of the gardens at the Swedish Cultural Center on rue Elzévir, but rather a new, innovative way to tour Paris. I immediately went to the website indicated on the side of the car and discovered that Florent Dargnies is the leader of this inspirational little company that is just about to earn its 2nd bougie.
Imagine being picked up at your apartment or hotel whenever you want. The top of the 2CV is rolled back and your English-speaking guide (with a French accent, bien sûr) sporting a checkered driving cap is ready to show you Paris. Instead of being blocked on the main boulevards, you are able to flaner on little side streets everywhere. Your driver is typically a university student who knows Paris like the back of his hand. He’s happy to stop along the way for photo opportunities or a quick hop into a bakery or shop. Not only do you have the ultimate Paris experience, but everyone who sees you smiles and waves, such is the effect of the 2CV on the French psyche. Citroen stopped making the 2CV in 1990, so they continue to accrue feelings of nostalgia. So, what does a tour look like?
Pictures from our tour
We took the tour insolite, which was adapted to the fact that we’ve been to Paris a lot. The tour started promptly at 1:00 p.m. with Julien’s picking us up at the Opéra Garnier (we were early so we had a coffee at Café de la Paix). Julien is in his final year of international business law, studying for the Paris bar, and had a good command of English thanks to interning at an American law firm.
We motored off to the Louvre, past the glass pyramid, and then along the Seine as a warm-up. Soon we were meandering through the part of Le Marais near the quai, driving slowly by the oldest houses in Paris on rue François Miron and past hôtels particuliers from the 16th and 17th centuries, and then we cut across rue de Rivoli towards our neighborhood. We zigzagged through various streets, past the Musée Cognac-Jay, Musée Carnavalet and various gardens, including Julien’s favorite, Place des Vosges.
We then cut back across the Seine and onto Ile de la Cité, zipped around Eglise Notre- Dame and dashed along the
tiny side streets of the islands. Exiting the islands towards the left bank, we took some small streets deep into the 5th arrondissement until we came upon an ancient Roman arena. Julien waited patiently while we walked into the arena for a photo. Back in the car again, we signalled to rejoin traffic and realized the blinkers make a sound akin to someone snapping their fingers to music. It almost felt like the car itself was smiling! We then rolled past the Jardin de Luxembourg and took a small street to the front of St.-Sulpice church, recently made famous by the bestseller The Da Vinci Code. After passing by the church’s fountain, we took a right and passed Les Deux Magots café, then a quick right down the charming rue Jacob and back towards the Seine on another cute side street.
At the end of the rue de Seine, we passed the Académie Française and merged onto the quai, crossing over to Place Concorde, followed by a quick Parisian right-of-way move across traffic to the Champs-Elysées. We had the full experience of going around the multi-lane Rond Point at the Arc de Triomphe (every novice driver’s nightmare) and then headed to Trocadéro for a great view of the Eiffel Tower. We then went downhill to the see the tower up close and back along the Seine to Pont Alexander. Along the way, groups of smiling, happy people continued to wave at us, even a stern policeman. We were starting to feel like 1950’s movie stars.
Just for fun, Julien showed us the miracle of the 2CV suspension by going over the speed bumps in front of the American Church. He mentioned that the suspension was designed to not allow an egg to break if someone was crossing a field, and I believe it met its mark. Sadly, this was the last phase of our tour and Julien dropped us off at Aux Printemps for some afternoon shopping.
Florent and his team have a couple of standard tours, but are also completely willing to create something special. During the hot summer days, they typically do the tours in the early morning or evening, while during winter they provide a nice warm blanket so you can still have the Parisian equivalent of a carriage drawn by two horses (pardon the pun). I can’t think of anything more fun and more French than seeing Paris by chauffeur-driven 2CV! For more details, you should visit their web site and watch their cute little video:
staging.bonjourparis.com/publications/4roues-sous-1parapluie.phpAs I wandering back to our apartment one afternoon during a recent week in Paris, I spotted a charming-looking Citroen 2CV driving down our street and took a quick picture of it with my new camera. When I got home and looked at the digital photo more closely, I realized that it wasn’t just someone stopping casually in front of the gardens at the Swedish Cultural Center on rue Elzévir, but rather a new, innovative way to tour Paris. I immediately went to the website indicated on the side of the car and discovered that Florent Dargnies is the leader of this inspirational little company that is just about to earn its 2nd bougie.
Imagine being picked up at your apartment or hotel whenever you want. The top of the 2CV is rolled back and your English-speaking guide (with a French accent, bien sûr) sporting a checkered driving cap is ready to show you Paris. Instead of being blocked on the main boulevards, you are able to flaner on little side streets everywhere. Your driver is typically a university student who knows Paris like the back of his hand. He’s happy to stop along the way for photo opportunities or a quick hop into a bakery or shop. Not only do you have the ultimate Paris experience, but everyone who sees you smiles and waves, such is the effect of the 2CV on the French psyche. Citroen stopped making the 2CV in 1990, so they continue to accrue feelings of nostalgia. So, what does a tour look like?
Pictures from our tour
We took the tour insolite, which was adapted to the fact that we’ve been to Paris a lot. The tour started promptly at 1:00 p.m. with Julien’s picking us up at the Opéra Garnier (we were early so we had a coffee at Café de la Paix). Julien is in his final year of international business law, studying for the Paris bar, and had a good command of English thanks to interning at an American law firm.
We motored off to the Louvre, past the glass pyramid, and then along the Seine as a warm-up. Soon we were meandering through the part of Le Marais near the quai, driving slowly by the oldest houses in Paris on rue François Miron and past hôtels particuliers from the 16th and 17th centuries, and then we cut across rue de Rivoli towards our neighborhood. We zigzagged through various streets, past the Musée Cognac-Jay, Musée Carnavalet and various gardens, including Julien’s favorite, Place des Vosges.
We then cut back across the Seine and onto Ile de la Cité, zipped around Eglise Notre- Dame and dashed along the 
tiny side streets of the islands. Exiting the islands towards the left bank, we took some small streets deep into the 5th arrondissement until we came upon an ancient Roman arena. Julien waited patiently while we walked into the arena for a photo. Back in the car again, we signalled to rejoin traffic and realized the blinkers make a sound akin to someone snapping their fingers to music. It almost felt like the car itself was smiling! We then rolled past the Jardin de Luxembourg and took a small street to the front of St.-Sulpice church, recently made famous by the bestseller The Da Vinci Code. After passing by the church’s fountain, we took a right and passed Les Deux Magots café, then a quick right down the charming rue Jacob and back towards the Seine on another cute side street.
At the end of the rue de Seine, we passed the Académie Française and merged onto the quai, crossing over to Place Concorde, followed by a quick Parisian right-of-way move across traffic to the Champs-Elysées. We had the full experience of going around the multi-lane Rond Point at the Arc de Triomphe (every novice driver’s nightmare) and then headed to Trocadéro for a great view of the Eiffel Tower. We then went downhill to the see the tower up close and back along the Seine to Pont Alexander. Along the way, groups of smiling, happy people continued to wave at us, even a stern policeman. We were starting to feel like 1950’s movie stars.
Just for fun, Julien showed us the miracle of the 2CV suspension by going over the speed bumps in front of the American Church. He mentioned that the suspension was designed to not allow an egg to break if someone was crossing a field, and I believe it met its mark. Sadly, this was the last phase of our tour and Julien dropped us off at Aux Printemps for some afternoon shopping.
Florent and his team have a couple of standard tours, but are also completely willing to create something special. During the hot summer days, they typically do the tours in the early morning or evening, while during winter they provide a nice warm blanket so you can still have the Parisian equivalent of a carriage drawn by two horses (pardon the pun). I can’t think of anything more fun and more French than seeing Paris by chauffeur-driven 2CV! For more details, you should visit their web site and watch their cute little video:
