Paris: Private 2CV Tour of City Highlights & Hidden Streets

4.72

(206 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

"Is that really our car?" I asked, half-laughing as the little blue Citroën 2CV sputtered up to the curb outside our hotel in the 7th arrondissement. Our driver—Mathieu—waved like we were old friends already. The city felt busy but not rushed that morning; you could smell fresh bread somewhere nearby, and honestly, I was just excited to see Paris from inside something so... well, French. The seats had this squeaky vinyl texture and I kept fiddling with the window latch because it never quite stayed put.

We zigzagged through the 6th and 3rd arrondissements while Mathieu hummed along to Charles Trenet on the radio. He pointed out a bakery he claimed had the best pain au chocolat (I didn't get to try it—next time), then told us about how his grandmother used to sneak into Montmartre for jazz nights. At Place de la Concorde, he slowed down so we could actually see the details on those fountains—water glinting under a patchy sky. Sometimes he'd switch into English mid-sentence or laugh at his own stories; it made everything feel less like a tour and more like being shown around by someone who genuinely loves this city.

Honestly, I lost track of which arrondissement we were in after a while—the streets just blurred into one long reel of cafés, flower stalls, and people waving at our car (the 2CV gets attention). We rolled up through Montmartre where an old man tipped his hat at us—no idea if he knew Mathieu or just liked the car. The whole thing was two hours but it felt quicker than that; maybe because there was always something happening out the window or some new song playing softly behind us. When we finally stopped near a garden in the 8th arrondissement, I didn’t really want to get out yet. There’s something about seeing Paris this way—I still think about that view over the rooftops as we rattled past Sacré-Cœur.