©Dominique Couineau – La grande galerie sur le cher / Courtesy of the Château de Chenonceau
About
Vendôme Circle is inspired by the past for transformative experiences in the present. Its sources of inspiration are many: the lives of writers, artists and historical figures who have shaped the French landscape; the literary and artistic salons of Paris; the cultural explosion that occurred during the reign of Louis XIV; but most of all the French Renaissance.
Each Vendôme Experience is an opportunity to have one’s life enriched by exposure to the depth of French culture and history.
Curated travel
Vendôme Circle is a luxury small group and bespoke travel agency that offers unique and exclusive experiences in Paris and in select regions of France. It places authenticity, culture and art de vivre at the fore.
Visit the Château de Chenonceau after hours and experience something of the magic of the Renaissance that lingers. Take a guided walk through the Marais in Paris and learn about the neighbourhood's aristocratic and literary past. Enjoy a private tour of an historic townhouse or the private apartments of Marie-Antoinette. Have a private dinner in a gallery surrounded by art and historic objects…
Every Vendôme Experience is tailored to the individual traveller, couple or small group who are guests of Vendôme Circle.
Learn more about our Bespoke Experiences here.
A private club
For a select few, Vendôme Circle is a private club based in Paris that brings together aesthetes, creatives and intellectuals for regular gatherings, events and excursions.
Twice a year—in October and February—candidates are able to join us for a candidacy period before becoming entry-level members.
Once someone becomes a member, there are multiple levels of membership, the structure of which takes its inspiration from Ancient Greece...
Products for the home
In line with our mission, Vendôme Circle offers an ever-increasing range of products for the home in order to extend the Vendôme Experience for guests and members as well as to offer that same experience to others around the world who share our vision.
Most recently, Vendôme Circle has created a set of table linens around an Ancient Roman motif from the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina that also appears on an iconic Parisian building.
The Founder
Douglas Arthur Pierce decided to create Vendôme Circle out of a desire to offer unique and exceptional experiences to the curious and discerning traveller, eager to both discover the rich literary, artistic and intellectual history of France and immerse oneself in an art de vivre that leaves one renewed and transformed.
Originally from Minnesota (USA), Douglas moved to Paris in 2013, after having visited numerous times. He has also travelled to 21 other countries in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia and visited 40 of the 50 states in the US. He has accompanied groups in Italy and Spain and worked for a time as a personal assistant to the vice-president of a major university, coordinating his travel plans and visits for his personal guests.
Vendôme Circle flows out of all these experiences and very much represents Douglas’s vision of travel. For him travel—just as much as life—is something to be savoured. He believes that travel is about memorable and unique experiences: enjoying an excellent meal in good company, visiting the places once inhabited by one's favourite authors and artists or simply watching the sun set over the Mediterranean.
While travel has always been a major component of Douglas’s life, prior to founding Vendôme Circle he also spent part of his life in academic pursuits. Indeed, it was his decision to pursue graduate studies in France that led him to move to Paris. He is currently writing a dissertation on the literary portraits of Jean-Paul Sartre at The Sorbonne, where he also did a Master’s in Contemporary Philosophy. His academic and cultural interests now provide the cultural vision for Vendôme Circle.
He lives on the Left Bank, a short walk from the Luxembourg Gardens, The Sorbonne and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, his neighbourhood of choice.
‘One of the values that I was raised with is a relentless pursuit of excellence. And one of the things I appreciate most about French culture is a passion for a savoir-faire and a savoir-vivre that, I believe, is unparalleled in the world.’Douglas Arthur Pierce
