Private Hôtel Particulier Tours
How would you like to feel like a true Paris insider? To step into a world – even for a moment – that only true Parisian connoisseurs have seen.
There are hidden courtyards in Paris that lead to doors rarely opened to the general public. Behind those doors are found some of Paris’s most elegant interiors. To enter in is to experience Paris differently, to allow yourself to be immersed in the beauty of what you discover there, and to enter a cocoon where the outside world is momentarily forgotten.
Do you want to join Vendôme Circle for one of our Private Hôtel Particulier Tours?
These hidden gems are calling your name!
What is an Hôtel Particulier?
As some of you may or may not be familiar with the term, an hôtel particulier (‘townhouse‘ in the British sense of the word) refers to a grand urban mansion, the city residence of a noble or other wealthy family. They were built from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century, with some of them standing to this day. Notable examples in the Marais are the Hôtel de Sens, the Hôtel Carnavalet, the Hôtel Lamoignon and the Hôtel de Sully. On our walking tour of the Marais, guests are delighted to discover these architectural masterpieces even from the outside.
As times have changed, few hôtel particuliers have remained in private hands; fewer still serve as homes. Some have become government buildings, embassies, corporate offices, or libraries. Others have become museums and can easily be visited. We encourage you to discover them on a private tour with Vendôme Circle when you are in Paris. We can also do a fine art portrait shoot in or outside some of them to capture on film the memory and emotion of the moment. For our private hôtel particulier tours, read on below.
Two Remarkable Hôtels Particuliers
We currently offer two private hôtel particulier tours: the Hôtel de la Païva and the Hôtel Turgot. Both tours need to be reserved in advance as dates are limited.
Hôtel de la Païva
1 1/2 – 2 hours
Located on the Champs-Elysées, the Hôtel de la Païva stands as one of the few remaining hôtels particuliers on the Champs-Elysées. It is certainly the only one that has preserved its interiors in such a way that you can imagine how it would have looked in the time of the Marquise de Païva.
On this tour discover the story of Thérèse Lachmann (later the Marquise de Païva), who was born in the ghetto of Moscow and rose astronomically to the upper reaches of Paris society.
Further information in French is available on the website of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (in French). Enjoy a virtual tour here (text in French).
Hôtel Turgot
~ 2 hours
The Hôtel Turgot is both an 18th-century hôtel particulier and the home of the Foundation created by art collector Frits Lugt and wife To Lugt-Klever. A visit is an immersion in a unique art collection and the life of a couple who lived for art. Frits, an authority on Rembrandt’s drawings, managed to collect all of the known etchings made by Rembrandt.
Each room is unique and houses numerous gems. We created a visual tour following our first visit. You can view it and read more about the Hôtel Turgot here.
