What if I need to cancel my reservation?
From the date of your booking to 15 days before your tour:
You may cancel and receive a 100% refund, minus the cost of any museum tickets, if applicable.
From 14 days to 72 hours before your tour:
50% refund
Within 72 hours of your tour:
No refunds
What if I need to change the date or time of my tour?
We will attempt to accommodate your change request, but we cannot guarantee we will be able to do so. Museum tickets, especially for the Louvre, are often not available for new dates or times. If we’re unable to change your tour, you will have the choice to maintain your existing reservation or cancel.
From the date of your booking to 15 days before your tour:
Free to change your tour, unless there have been museum ticket costs, in which case you will only be charged for tickets.
From 14 days to 72 hours before your tour:
30% charge to change date/time.
Within 72 hours:
50% charge to change date/time.
What COVID safety measures are in place?
As of March 14, 2022, masks are no longer required indoors or outdoors, except for some health facilities. If you would prefer to take your tour with a mask, our guides will adapt to your needs. Visitors should supply their own masks, however.
What if I want to add to the number of people on my tour after I book?
Contact us as soon as you can! Museum tours, like the Louvre, require named, pre-purchased tickets, so we will do our best to accommodate your request. Please note that due to high demand, we may not be able to acquire additional museum tickets for you.
Our flat-rate family tours (Muse Clues, Quest, Nile Voyage) require pre-purchase of a specific number of adult tickets for the Louvre. Please finalize that number, along with guest names and ages when you book. If later, you choose to add adults (+18) to your family tour, we will do our best to accommodate you, subject to ticket availability.
If we cannot accommodate your additional ticket request, any changes to your reservation are subject to our cancellation and change policies (see above).
My family is larger than the maximum # set for the tour we want to book. What do we do?
Please verify the maximum listed in our family program descriptions. These are due to strict museum regulations, which we must follow. If your family is larger, please contact us at info@parismuse.com and we will try to accommodate your family with multiple guides, offering separate tours at the same time. Please note, however, that if you reserve multiple guides, every group must have at least one adult to accompany each Paris Muse guide.
Can I make reservations online?
Yes, our online reservation system powered by Xola allows you to book and pay for your tour(s). Please note, however, that last-minute reservations cannot be made online. We recommend booking your tour at least two weeks in advance, but can often accommodate last-minute reservations if you don’t see your date available online. Email or call us at +33 (0)6 73 77 33 52 to inquire. If you leave a message after office hours, please specify your available dates and number in your party.
Can I pay with a credit card?
Yes, our online reservation system accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, and Maestro.
Can I pay on the day of my tour?
All tours must be paid for in advance. Sorry, we do not accept US dollars or Euros in cash.
What if I’m late for my tour or do not show up?
Your Paris Muse guide will wait for you for up to 20 minutes at the arranged meeting point. Tours for late arrivals may be shortened so that the tour finishes at the originally scheduled time.
For clients who do not arrive within 20 minutes, we regret that we must treat this as a cancellation and cannot offer a refund. In some cases, depending upon availability, we may be able to reschedule your tour, but we charge a fee to pay for the guide’s time for the missed tour (see above: What if I need to change the date or time of my tour?)
Please note that if your tour is at the Louvre, the tickets are strictly timed, and the museum may not allow you access after 30 minutes. There can be no refunds from either Paris Muse or the Louvre. Louvre tickets are not transferable to another day or time.
If you get lost on your way to meeting your guide, just give us a call and we’ll talk you through it! +33 (0)6 73 77 33 52. No texts please–we may not see them.
What do I need to bring on the day of the tour?
We recommend having a copy of the emailed meeting plan we sent you, so you have all our contact info and address links at hand. Your phone might not work as well, so having a paper copy of the plan is a good idea.
Your guide will have your museum tickets, so you don’t need to worry about those.
We do, however, need the first and last names of all party members, so we can pre-order your museum tickets. These named and timed tickets will be checked against a photo identification on the day of your tour, by museum staff, so don’t forget to bring an ID!
What if I have booked a walking tour, and it’s raining that day?
Our walking tours go ahead as planned, rain or shine. (Our guides are experienced with Parisian weather, and will look for ways to keep you comfy and mostly out of the rain). Refunds are not available for rainy day or inclement weather cancellations. Please be sure to have weather-appropriate clothing, an umbrella, and comfy shoes.
Do you offer skip-the-line tours?
When you book with us, you always skip the line for purchasing tickets. After meeting your guide, your party will use a priority entrance. Please be prepared for an inevitable wait to pass through security screening, which is required for all visitors.
Will other people join my tour?
If your party is less than 6, there is a possibility that another party will be added to yours. If you prefer to be the only party with your guide, you may pay an exclusive fee (50 euros) to ensure this. All of our family tours and Versailles are automatically private tours, however, and no other families will be joined to your party.
Are your tours appropriate for children?
We have several educational programs specifically designed for families. The rest of our tours, however, are designed for adults or young adults with an interest in museums. Please be aware that while our educators are fun and accessible, the content of our tours for adults is relatively sophisticated.
Does my family tour include tickets for the children?
Our museum tours for families include tickets for the adults and anyone over 18 in your party. Children do not require tickets at the Louvre or the Orsay. Please make sure you provide us with the number of people in your family, first and last names, and their ages, so we can be sure to provide the correct number of adult tickets. There is a strict max on all of our family tours, due to museum regulations.
We will be traveling with an agency. Can my tour leader join our Paris Muse tour?
Our policy is to have only one tourism professional (a trained Paris Muse guide) to lead our tours. But don’t worry! We’ll make clear arrangements for you to meet your guide or tour leader after your tour is finished.
What is the Paris Museum Pass, and should I get one?
You won’t need this pass for museum tours with us.
This card gets you priority access to museums and monuments (around 60) in and around Paris. It may be purchased online, or at any of the 65 attractions.
We recommend purchasing this card if you plan on doing at least two attractions per day. Otherwise, it is not such a staggering deal: 42 euros for 2 consecutive days, 56 euros for 4 consecutive days, 69 euros for 6 days. Another caveat is that the card gives you free access only to the permanent collections, not the special exhibitions.
Please note that we do not offer refunds to visitors who show up for tours with the pass.
When should I reserve to avoid the crowds in the galleries?
When reserving some of our tours, we make specific recommendations for times when the galleries are likely to be less crowded. Please consult individual tour descriptions for recommended days and times to reserve. The best time to visit the Orsay, for example, is on Thursday evenings. Wednesday or Friday evenings are ideal for many of our Louvre tours (MARCH 2022: The Louvre is currently not offering its evening hours.)
Do all your guides speak English?
Yes, all of our guides are fluent in English, and you can read more about our guides here.
All of our programs are available in English. However, some of our programs are also available in French, Spanish, Italian, and German. Please contact us if you’d like a tour in one of these languages.
Can we take photographs or videos?
We find that you get more out of the tours when you are not taking photographs, but this is entirely up to you. Some museums, however, may not allow photography.
Do guides accept tips?
Tips are not expected but are always appreciated. Feel free to tip your guide directly in euros cash, or contact us after your tour, to pay by credit card. Standard amounts range from 10-25%.
I really enjoyed my Paris Muse tour(s). How can I help spread the word?
The best compliment for us is a 5-star review on Trip Advisor about the experience you had with our guides.
You can also join the Paris Muse conversation on Facebook, Twitter @parismusetours #parismusetours, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Why isn’t my question answered here?
That’s a good question! Contact us via info@parismuse.com, and we will respond to your question within 48 hours.