VIP Private Access Tour of London and Paris

Everything went well, as planned, with only two minor issues: on the visit to Versailles with a guide, when attempting to enter the gardens with the guide, she noticed that she did not have the proper tickets, but a quick phone call to the travel company and the guide was given the go-ahead to pay for the ticket to access the garden; as we had not received one voucher necessary to enter an abbey on a self-guided tour, we had the vouchers for the audio guides, but not for the entrance to the abbey, and again, a quick phone call to the travel company, the vouchers were sent immediately.

The preparation for the trip went smoothly with a phone call from Paris to our home and then various messages and changes through Zicasso. Payments were made without problems and suggestions were provided in view of our budget and interests.

We had a short but action-packed week: three nights in Rome and four nights in Paris. Our Zicasso travel specialist was terrific to work with, very responsive in planning and execution. Accommodations, guides, and activities were all first class and well balanced. We saw all the appropriate sites (Vatican, Colosseum, Louvre, Versailles, Eiffel Tower) and had some great alternative activities (Vespa sidecar tour, cooking and bakery classes, Paris sewer tour!). VIP service at the airports was a game changer. We'll be back.

Zicasso’s travel company and the travel agent were wonderful to work with and made our Paris trip très magnifique! We were a little last-minute in our planning and the travel company helped us book everything we wanted to do! From a skip-the-line tour at the Musée d'Orsay, a private Seine River cruise, a private biking tour of Versailles, to hard-to-get top of the Eiffel Tower tour tickets, the travel company booked it all for us and made it happen! We had the trip of a lifetime thanks to the travel agent and the travel company!

Overall, we had a wonderful experience. The people were friendly, the sights great, and the food was outstanding. The heat was challenging, especially in Paris. The jet lag also weighed on us the first week. We felt more energetic the second week. Your tour app was very easy to use and I liked having all the tickets there.

Both hotels were great. Especially having air conditioning in the heat. Really enjoyed the very personable staff at our hotel in Paris. Super-friendly all around. Would highly recommend our hotel in Paris. We had a great suite in Nice and everything was excellent at our hotel in Nice.

Paris and Nice were two different experiences - both great. Easy to get rides in Paris. Nice not so much. Greatly appreciated the arrangements you made to get us from airports to hotels to trains to hotels to airport. Removed a lot of stress. The people you arranged were all excellent.

The food was terrific. Really enjoyed your list to assist us. Having breakfast prearranged at the hotel was a great way to start the day. I did not appreciate the amount of time necessary to have lunch and dinner as it is the opposite of American quick eating.

Marie really enjoyed her French cooking class in Paris. The restaurant in Paris was an experience. Very good, but expensive. The restaurant in Paris was a great experience, but a little warm in the evening. We had two charming couples sit next to us that Friday evening: an English novelist and his daughter, and a couple from Australia who are involved in the Grand Prix racing business.

The hotel in Cannes treated us very well. Linda showed the staff pictures of her parents on their honeymoon there in September 1945. The staff presented my wife with a gift bag and we had an outstanding lunch there.

While you may not have viewed the pace of the travels as too busy, my wife thought it was busy, especially with long lunches and long dinners. Her pace at age 78 was much slower than Marie, who is 19 and does hiking.

My wife would have liked another day in Nice to go into the Monaco casino at night.

At Versailles and in the museums, Marie would separate from my wife and me, which caused my wife some anxiety (I ignored it as she is 19).

We did limited strolling in Paris because of the heat and because my wife’s legs got tired. She had more energy in Nice.

The Musée d’Orsay has one floor with Van Gogh, which is mobbed. The other floors were not terribly crowded. We should have started with the floor with Van Gogh. We really enjoyed the museum.

We enjoyed Versailles, but it was very hot that day and we were there in the heat of the afternoon. We did not see the outer buildings as we were whipped by the heat.

We really enjoyed Sainte-Chapelle and did not feel rushed.

We postponed the boat ride until 6:30 p.m. as it was so hot. Good that the tickets were flexible.

We saw the Eiffel Tower during the day and at night (with the dinner at the restaurant in Paris).

On the Sunday drive with our driver (he was charming) it was busy, yet afterward I felt maybe we did not allocate our time the best. Again, having no real appreciation for where we were going or the time to get from place to place, it is easier in hindsight to suggest adjustments. Part of this also was lack of alignment of my wishes, those of my wife and those of Marie.

All three of us agreed that the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild & gardens was a highlight. We loved the lunch and desserts as well. We had plenty of time as well and a beautiful day to visit.

We enjoyed our visit to Cannes, as the hotel visit was very emotional for my wife and they treated us very well. The time went very fast. In hindsight, I and Marie would have liked the boat ride and snorkel from Cannes, but not enough time.

On Wednesday we took a taxi to the neighborhood of the Matisse Museum and nearby monastery and gardens, and then walked down to the Chagall Museum where we had a great lunch under the trees while the museum was closed for the lunch period.

Marie and I also enjoyed going to the top of Castle Hill behind our hotel and walking through the park. We went swimming in the sea twice. Also enjoyed the pool at the hotel.

Thank you for your services in arranging a great trip.

Zicasso’s travel specialist set up a wonderful tour over our 14-night vacation in London. A nice mix of activities and tours. A very nice hotel in central London, with great AC for those record-breaking hot days. Private and small-group tours and nice restaurant recommendations topped it off. Would sign up again with this travel company and use the travel specialist’s knowledge of the places to see, etc.

Every hotel had beautiful grounds and views. We had asked for hotels that also had the ambiance of age and antiquity. One of our favorites was in Chelsea. The staff was especially warm and friendly. We felt very comfortable with everyone! We loved all of the rooms in the entry level. It was cozy and beautiful, even the patio.

The Broadway hotel really blew us away. It was built in 1300 or so. It has an outstanding courtyard and landscaping. The staff were flexible. Theye even helped me to find a secluded area for dinner the last evening. We were mesmerized by every sitting area. There were antiques everywhere; I should say ancient antiquities. The coastal hotel was nautical and charming. There were lovely staff there as well! The views of the estuary were stunning. At high tide, the river came right up to the outdoor patio. It was mesmerizing!

Another hotel was very pretty inside and had compelling views of gardens and sweeping lawns. It overlooked the Jurassic coast, as well as a very large beach and piers. It was very far to walk and straight downhill. We could not get any taxi or bus to get to the harbor for our boat ride, sadly. We tried walking, but it was too far. There was no taxi for the return trip either. We had to walk up steep steps and then along a winding garden path back to the top. It was very stressful for me because I have a damaged tendon in my ankle, which hurt me quite a lot. It was very disappointing. However, my husband was thrilled that I made it up the hill. So was I.

There was a mix-up at the hotel about our room. We had discussed with our agent that we needed rooms on the ground floors. They had us on the first floor and moved us at the last minute to a very small corner room with cheap furniture and no space for two people to maneuver. We were both appalled, but fortunately our agent was able to take our call and we ended up in an apartment instead. It had no view other than of parked cars, but it was spacious and modern. It was the best they could do. This hotel was located in Lyme Regis.

Our next stop was Henley on Thames. The hotel was very nice and the two was pretty, but we didn’t arrive until 4.30. There was no Sunday dinner, so went elsewhere. Then we left the next morning at 9.30. The river was lovely to view.

We had fantastic drivers and driver guides throughout London, the Cotswolds, Cornwall, and Dorset back to London.

We missed our tour of Westminster Abbey due to the time change and lack of sleep. Our concierge tried his best to arrange for us to visit it on our last day. I called our travel company and was given the ticket number by email. Westminster Abbey declined because the company it was purchased through refused to confirm it. We were again disappointed. I tried calling the travel company back, left a message for help, but never got a return call.

We may go back again, but I would arrange for someone to meet me at the airport with a wheelchair. I would have been less stressed. That airport was overwhelming and confusing.

I sincerely wished that we did not have the Chelsea Flower Show and Windsor Castle on the same day. I could hardly walk by the end. Our agents offered to change Windsor to a different day, but it was an additional £350 or so. That seemed very unfair.