3 qualities that a tour guide must have

Coming to Paris is always a great experience, especially because Paris is so full of wonders to see. The problem is that most of the tourists coming to Paris only spend here a few days, or a week: and according to me, it is hardly enough time to discover all of Paris with its monuments and also its secret streets and squares.

So now you are probably wondering how it would possible for you to have a good look of Paris if you are only here for a few days: well, guides are a very good solution to anyone wanting to have a complete look of Paris in a short time. But the thing is how do you chose your guide, which are the qualities of the good guide. To make it easier for you I will give you my top 3 qualities that a tour guide must have.

Culture

First of my top 3 quality that a tour guide must have: Culture. Of course you’ll tell me, this is obvious. But culture is not only knowing the history of Paris: of course it is important because Paris is an old city with a huge historical background. But actually culture is also having a full knowledge of the secret places is Paris and their anecdotes: the old house of a famous painter, the smallest or oldest cafés in Paris, the romantic squares.

Guide must be a local

Second in my top 3 quality that a guide must have: the guide must be a local. Actually as I said before, history and culture are both very important but the guides should also be able to tell you about the French and Parisian lifestyles. We Parisians, love to go out, hang around in cafés, discover new restaurants and new cuisines, re-discover our own Parisian cuisine, and also go to exhibitions. Well, to make a long story short, Parisians love to be out and for that reason, they can give many tips and addresses of the best bars and restaurants in Paris or the best exhibitions, whether you want student bars, or trendy restaurants or rare exhibitions, your guide should be able to tell you all about it.

Funny

Third in my top 3 quality that a tour guide must have: the guide must be funny: there is nothing more terrible than a boring tour with a boring guide and there is always a way to make history interesting and funny, especially if you come to a tour with your kids. So telling jokes about history and funny anecdotes about Paris, is a great way for you to discover a quality that Parisians have: humour and specifically self-mocking sense of humour.

That is all for my top 3 qualities that a guide should have. So yes Paris is great, but it is even better when you know its history and anecdotes, and also when you get to discover it with a Parisian guide who will tell you all about how it feels like to live in Paris and most importantly to be a Parisian.