Themed urban excursions in vintage cars
are in vogue across Europe. Berlin has its Trabi Safari tours, in
smoke-belching, Soviet-era Trabant jalopies, while London has
flower-bedecked, hippy-dippy, pastel Karma Kabs.
Not to be
outdone, Paris has 1960s-style jaunts around the City of Light in
classic Citroen cars operated by auto tour firm 4 Roues Sous 1
Parapluie, or, in English, Four Wheels Under One
Umbrella.
The companys five
tiny, low-slung Citroen 2CVs -- nicknamed Deux Chevaux, or two
horses (as in horsepower) -- resemble noisy Volkswagen Beetle
convertibles, albeit with a distinctly French twist. The vehicles
have retractable canvas roofs (the umbrellas referenced in the
companys name) that aid in the sightseeing experience.
Riding low to the
ground, the roofless Citroens offer riders a unique perspective on
classic attractions. The monumental character of Paris architecture
-- from the Louvre and Eiffel Tower to Les Invalides and the Champs
Elysees -- becomes strikingly apparent even to repeat visitors, who
may find themselves gasping in wonder for the first time in many
years.
Pick-up and
drop-off is available at hotels in central Paris. Guests staying at
hotels farther afield may arrange a rendezvous with their driver in
front of the stairs of the Opera Garnier (subway stop:
Opera).
The beret-wearing
driver-guides, fluent in near-perfect English, resemble extras in a
Truffaut or Godard film of decades ago. They take up to three
people per car on one of five road tours of the French
capital:
"
Essential Tour: A swing past top sights, including
the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides, Opera Garnier, Place Vendome, the
Louvre, Notre-Dame, 
Place de la Concorde and the Arc
de Triomphe. Duration: 90 minutes. Price: 50 euros (about $60) per
person; two-person minimum. Departures: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., 1 p.m.
to 3 p.m., 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
" Magic
Tour: Adds sights such as the Moulin Rouge, Montmartre,
Sacre Coeur, the Bastille, the Pantheon and St. Germain des Pres to
the Essential Tour. Duration: three hours. Price: 95 euros (about
$115) per person; two-person minimum. Departures: 9:30 a.m., 1:30
p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
"
Romantic Evening: Dinner at one of 12 Paris
brasseries (appetizer, entree, dessert, one aperitif, half-bottle
of wine, half-bottle of mineral water, coffee) plus a 90-minute
city tour. Duration: three hours. Price: 92 euros (about $111) per
person. Departures: Dinner at 7 p.m. and tour at 8:30 p.m., or tour
at 9 p.m. and dinner at 10:30 p.m.
" Viree
Farfelue: An insiders tour of secret Paris. Participants
visit Place Vendome, Kiosque des Noctambules and the Hotel de
Sully. Duration: 90 minutes. Price: 50 euros (about $60) per
person; two-person minimum. Departures: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., 1 p.m.
to 3 p.m., 8 p.m.to 10 p.m.
"
Flanerie Insolite: Adds yet more hidden sights to
the Viree Farfelue itinerary. Duration: three hours. Price: 95
euros (about $115) per person; two-person minimum. Departures: 9:30
a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
" A La
Carte: Custom itineraries with a choice of departure time
and duration with a three-hour minimum. Price: 115 euros (about
$139) per hour, per person; $36 per person, per hour for each
additional hour.
Drivers are
easygoing about stopping for photos and better looks along any tour
route.
For more
information or to reserve, visit www.4roues-sous-1parapluie.com; call (011) 33-66
732-2668 from abroad or 0-800-800-631 within France; fax (011)
33-14 296-0491; or e-mail [email protected].
To contact
Destinations editor Kenneth Kiesnoski, send e-mail to [email protected].