Hi, I'm Donna.
I’m here to help you have the best possible Paris experience, just like you would if you were visiting your best friend in Paris and they were showing you around. I’ve been taking friends on tours and exploring the city for many years. I’ve got an adventurous spirit and lots of great stories to share and I love nothing better than showing people around and helping them see the Paris I know.
Scroll down to learn more about me and to look at some of my tour suggestions.
- Something about Me
I moved to Paris in the Fall of 2006, and I don’t think I’ve stopped discovering things about this city since. I love wandering around with or without a purpose.
I was born in Texas and grew up in North Carolina. I graduated from Queens College in Charlotte, North Carolina with a degree in piano performance and later, while living in Washington, DC, completed an MBA from Johns Hopkins University. I’ve had lots of interesting work experiences and lived in some great cities including Asheville, Miami, Los Angeles, Geneva, even a few years in New York.
If you’ve ever met me or toured with me or maybe just followed me on Facebook, you’ll have heard or read something about my Mother, Mary Louise Briggs Morris Shuford. She died at the age of 88 on January 25, 2018. I was fortunate to get home and spend her last days by her side, for which I will be forever grateful. She had an enormous impact on my life and I miss her phone calls and visits. She left me with an adorable studio apartment so expect to see me spending the winter months recharging and enjoying the sun in Washington, D.C.!
Tours of Paris
Generally speaking, I do two tours. One that puts you in front of the major monuments, I call it the "WOW" tour. The other, just "Follow Me", will take you up to Montmartre and wind back into the city. This doesn't mean I can't and don't do other things but these are the two tours that tick most boxes. And Follow Me can always be customized. My tours are available during the months of May, June, mid-September, October and November.
Just Follow Me
My most requested tour
Whether it’s your first time in Paris or your twentieth, tell me what you want to see and then put yourself in my hands. Just “follow me!” to food markets, cemeteries (something I particularly love to do), Montmartre (no, we don't climb the hill to get to the Sacre Coeur), one of a kind boutiques or "Les Grands Magasins", or maybe just explore a particular arrondissement you've read about. You name it, I promise I can find it.
Wow! Surprising Sights of Paris
When you have limited time in Paris
Have you ever been somewhere and all you could think was, "WOW that's beautiful!" Happens to me all the time in Paris. Let me show you the most known and iconic sites in Paris. If your time is limited, this is the tour for you. Don’t forget to bring your camera and wear comfortable shoes!
Day Trip excursions from paris
There are lots of interesting towns and sites a short train ride from Paris. I’ve been to many of them. There's so much more than what I've posted here like Malmaison, Chateau Monte Cristo, Versailles (a lot more than just the chateau!), Maintenot, Saint-Denis, Rodin's Atelier. The list goes on!
Champagne
It’s a quick TGV to get to either Reims or Epernay. Hard to do both in one day but either one gives you a nice glimpse of the champagne mystique. Reims is a bigger town with several nice cathedrals and the museum of the surrender. I'm a fan of Veuve Clicquot and the Brasserie Crayeres.
Fountainebleu
If you’ve already been to Versailles, maybe you’d like to visit the original royal castle? It’s called Fontainebleau and fairly easy to access by train from the Gare de Lyon. Fontainebleau is not as modern as Versailles of course, but the rooms are quite magnificent. The property is immense and you can spend the afternoon walking the gardens.
Giverny
Trains regularly depart from Gare Saint Lazare to the town of Vernon with an easy bus ride to the town of Giverny. And Giverny is much more than Monet's house and gardens. It's also where many of his family members lived and there was a vibrant art community as well. Don't miss a walk through town to visit the church and have lunch on a terrace.
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