Hidden Gems Tours

12/11/2019

Results of our Green Day !
Nice flowers in the office

12/11/2019

Today is Green Day at the office in Paris 🌳🍀 with some dry flowers to enhance our week day 💐

03/10/2019

Classic poetic writers and beautiful castles... that’s a part of the 17th century in France.

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"A de simples couleurs mon art plein de magie
Sait donner du relief, de l’âme et de la vie.
Mais c’est assez de Vaux pour toucher vos esprits.
Voyez et puis jugez, je ne veux autre grâce."

Le Songe de Vaux, Jean de La Fontaine

(C) Raphaël Gaillarde

01/10/2019

Even under the rain, a private tour can be a success, especially when you team up with a great family.

Thank you Lorenzo for your energy, knowledge and your good manners 😉

Here in the gardens at Versailles.

29/09/2019

Nice day today with Carrie and Steven to le Louvre and Versailles. Here in Versailles, in front of the petit Trianon where Queen Marie Antoinette spent most of her time.

07/06/2019

‪We are glad to have won today travel tickets & invitation to share a day on the cost on June 28th at the lovely Cap ferret for the tourism trophy 🏆 with Travel Insight - Agence Digitale & Les Entreprises du Voyage

‪Thank you for the invitation ❤️‬

22/02/2019

New private tour online. Follow the footsteps of Louis XIV cousin at Chantilly ... https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6504640136343625728

February 22, 2019: Hidden Gems Tours posted an article on LinkedIn

26/01/2019

Episode 6.
Continuing on with our theme of André Le Nôtre, our next introduction is to the Chateau de Chantilly . Le Nôtre designed the stunning French style gardens for the request of the Grand Condé, cousin of King Louis XIV. At the time, these majestic gardens were the venue of great balls and festivities, rivalling the ones in Versailles! Its Grand Canal is bigger than the one in Versailles, showing just how much Le Nôtre was proud of this creation. The elegant, fairy-tale like castle is surrounded by large mirrors of water and grand flowerbeds. Make sure you visit and of course not skipping the castle, home to the 2nd largest collection of antique art, after the Louvre!
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19/01/2019

A beautiful 17th century Hôtel Particulier (city mansion) that belonged to Catherine Beauvais, the 1st mistress of King Louis XIV. She was also the first lady to Anne of Austria (mother of Louis XIV). The wood carved doors are still the original from the Baroque period. Make sure to catch a glimpse of its courtyard, designed in the shape of an instrument! Can you tell us what instrument it is? 😉
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13/01/2019

Where is your most beautiful picture of Paris?

On our side, we love:
* The pont des arts over the Seine - nestled between le Louvre and l’institut de France https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institut_de_France
* L’ile Saint Louis, on Saint Louis Island nestled between the Seine river, developed between the 16 & 17th with its old, peaceful and lovely typical buildings.
* And Place des Vosges, the oldest Royal square in central Paris with its lovely pink/grey facades.

Tell us what s your favorite?

The 22 best photo locations in Paris for capturing the most instagrammable shots of the city

13/01/2019

Not far from Paris, you'll find perhaps a less known chateau, full of history, surrounded by lush forests, famous for having been a royal hunting ground for many centuries. 👑You might have guessed, this is Chateau de Rambouillet, once a Royal residence, owned by King Louis XVI. When the King purchased the land, his wife, Marie Antoinette, couldn't be less impressed. She called it a "a gothic swamp" ! To please the sophisticated taste of his wife, Louis XVI made an delicately decorated dairy built for her (inspired by her hamlet in Versailles), with tasting and relaxation rooms. Do you think he managed to impress her? 😉
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05/01/2019

A library built in the style of a Roman bath with paintings by the famous Romantic artist Eugène Delacroix? Yes, that's right! The Palais Bourbon 🏛️ in the 7th arrondissement hides this and other magical rooms behind its walls. Today this is the seat of the French National Assembly 🇫🇷, the lowest chamber of the French Parliament. But the original palace was built for the Duchess of Bourbon in 1722, the legitimised daughter of King Louis XIV and his mistress, Madame de Montespan. This was the most beautiful palace in Paris, after the King's residences. Later it was owned by the princes of the Condé family, who were also the owners of
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travel

25/12/2018

The Hidden Gems Team wish you a very Merry Christmas! 🎄🎁 🌟
Have a blessed time wherever you are in the world, celebrating this special day. A big thank you to our guides & chauffeurs who are still working passionately for our amazing clients! Warm wishes to you all from the heart of Paris! 💝
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18/12/2018

I m located in Paris, I used to be a palace and I am now one the biggest Museum in the world.

Who am I ?

Photo from

17/12/2018

Episode-5.
Only just joined us? Don't worry, You can always catch up on the previous posts of our mini series on André Le Nôtre, the great French landscape designer from the 17th century. He joined up with Louis Le Vau, the famous architect at Versailles to create these magical gardens in the Chateau de Fontainebleau. Today a UNESCO World Heritage site; this is the only royal palace that was inhabited by all the monarchs between the 12th and 19th century. Its Grand Parterre was once the largest formal garden in Europe, stunningly decorated by water features, statues and a herb garden. These can still be viewed today .
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15/12/2018

The elaborate church & monastery in the 5th arrondissement were built on the request of Anne of Austria, the mother of King Louis XIV, in the mid-17th century. She was a devoted Christian. This beautiful building is a thank you gift to God for the birth of her son, after several miscarriages. Following the French Revolution, the monastery became a military hospital. You can't miss this stunning church when walking by, whose dome is one of the jewels of the Parisian skyline.
📸poggi_emil

12/12/2018

Second to be built of the city's four triumphal arches 1674 (the first one was Porte Saint Denis). It is 18 meters high, made of marbles and limestone, a monument dedicated to the victories of King Louis XIV. Can you name the remaining 2 of the triumphal arches in Paris? 😉💡📘
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10/12/2018

Episode 4.
If you are new to our mini-series, this is about André Le Nôtre, the famous landscape designer of the gardens of Versailles. However Le Nôtre's reputation soared with his 1st creation, the majestic gardens of Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, It's the most harmonious garden complex out of all his gardens. This stunning jewel was carved out of 33 hectares of woodland. What's left behind is a perfect discourse between natural landscape and the chateau. With his play of symmetry, shapes and perspective, Le Nôtre gave a larger impression to the gardens than what they are. It was deliberately designed to be viewed from the palace, getting the most expressive panorama. If you haven't visited the , it's a must. Rest assured, you will not be disappointed!
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06/12/2018

We love this magical moment captured of Porte Saint Denis, by . It takes us on a wander in the 10th arrondissement. This 17th century monument stands on the site of the medieval gateway that formed part of the city wall of King Charles V. The monument you see today was dedicated to the victories of the Sun King, King Louis XIV.

05/12/2018

05/12/2018

You might have seen this stunning building complex if you walked by the Eiffel Tower. The Ecole Militaire located in the 7th arrondissement, founded by King Louis XV in 1750. France won the War of Austrian Succession but many lives were lost. It was recognised the country needed a proper military school, training the country's top service men which still serves this purpose today. Napoleon Bonaparte was one of their famous graduates too!
📸.klioutch

03/12/2018

Episode- 3.
Next on our series of André Le Nôtre, the greatest landscape designer of France, is the concept of "jardin à la française" which is associated with his name. The formal French gardens (see photo for example) are a representation of control over chaos, man's power over nature. They are characterised by themes of order, symmetry and axes with plenty of décor: statues, follies, fountains. New inventions like hydraulic engineering, orange grooves and pavilions were introduced by Le Nôtre, showing his talent across various disciplines. Entertainment and art were always close to his heart, and his gardens are full of surprise elements. The "jardin à la française" eventually spread across European Royal courts, leaving its touch on the Royal Palaces in Caserta, Italy and on the Schönbrunn Palace in Austria.
📸 by of the Gardens of Versailles

01/12/2018

A shame we missed this superb exhibition ! The great couturier, Christian Lacroix mesmerized us again, this time with his magnificent illustrations of Madame de Lafayette's masterpiece: the Princess of Clèves (1678). But have you heard of Madame de Lafayette, one of the greatest French novelist of the 17th century? Her book of is recognised as the 1st French historical novel, with excellent psychological insight into the lives of her characters. Have you read it? What did you think of it?
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29/11/2018

Did you know that the 7th arrondissement of Paris holds many of the city's most prestigious government buildings? This one is Hotel de Matignon, the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. The building is originally an 18th century city mansion that was owned by many different aristocratic families.
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27/11/2018

Episode 2.: our series continues on the greatest landscape designer of France, André le Nôtre. Having learnt painting from Simon Vouet, he had an exceptional eye for the arts and beauty that helped him in his career. With the creation of the gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte his career soared high. It's here where he 1st showed the world his genius in many different areas: engineering for hydraulics, laws of perspective, architecture. His clever usage of optics and topography left a world of illusions in these stunning gardens. Go and see them for yourself
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26/11/2018

Episode 1- André Le Nôtre (painting by Carlo Maratta, in the collection of ), the most celebrated landscape designer of the 17th century France. We decided to share more on him in the next weeks, for the more curious travellers among you 😉 📚 His name is mostly known by the Gardens of Versailles. However, only a few people realise he was the mastermind behind other well-known gardens such as the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, the grounds of or the gardens of Chateau de Chantilly. The concept of "jardin à la française" was developed in France thanks to his efforts and unique innovations. Follow us in the coming weeks to find out a bit more about this great personality and his legacy on French gardens.

24/11/2018

Come with us to explore the 7th arrondissement of Paris! 🚶‍♀️On Rue de Grenelle you'll find this beautiful work of art, an 18th century fountain, executed by Edme Bouchardon, royal sculptor of King Louis XV👑 This was one of the 30 that was built in Paris to provide drinking water to the city. Although this was the most elaborate and the largest, it never produced much water. Make sure to admire its rich decoration if you are there!

22/11/2018

📣SPECIAL BLACK FRIDAY OFFER 📣!! Are you planning a trip to Paris? Get 10% discount on all of our tours! Don't miss this chance! Conditions: must be booked on the 23 Nov. Tours can take place any time between 23 Nov 2018 till 31 Dec 2019. Use Code: BLACKFRIDAY18 on our website to get your 10% discount. Browse our tours here: https://www.paristoversailles.com/