The last time we've toured with Michael was in September. We enjoyed our days with him and Scott as much as ever.

They are both extremely knowledgeable, entertaining and an incredible value. We plan to use them again in May....and I've been to Paris at least 20 times. They can always show us places we haven't seen or give us more insight into some we've seen before.

Sounds like that's a yes! Thanks Judy. Does he still have the same contact info...parisfinds@aol.com?

I believe it's parisfind....no s.

missed MO on our last trip but my friend who was there a few weeks ahead of us used him for about the 12th tme. He is a treasure!

yes it is parisfind@aol.com , Michael does a great one day crash course tour. My guess is he is very busy this week and next so you may not hear from him right away. Also, if he is already booked the day she wants and he suggests his partner Scott, do not hesitate to say "yes"... he too is a treasure!

Are his rates a fixed price? Last I remember seeing it was ~200E for the day.

How do you taylor the tour, does he have a set group, or do you iterate with him?

I assume also add lunch to the cost.

He is slow answering emails so try to contact him on Facebook.

I though the rate quoted for Michael seemed high, so just checked, his rate is EU 125 plus expenses (museum,transit, food fees).....less than half of most private guides.

Has he got a professional license?

It appears that I may meeting him next week at a cocktail party, so I may try to obtain useful information. Then again, I may refuse to talk to him. Who knows?

(He is probably reading this so I am already in trouble.)

kerouac, you would enjoy meeting Michael!

That's what I am being told.

A private tour guide for 125E a day seems very reasonable to me.

And it isn't "per person". Michael gives you more than your money's worth.
Kerouac, you really WILL enjoy Michael. Now, I may not be able to assure Micheal of that!! LOL No, I'm sure it would be mutual.

Michael is a terrific guide and a joy to spend time with. For his cost you can have him from early morning until late night, if you wish. He wears us out by around 4:00, but he'd keep going if we would He has his own metro/bus pass, likes to use buses to get around, but you'll pay entrance fees and lunch for him. He's not at all extravagant, so don't expect him to take advantage at lunch, for example. He always makes great choices.

My personal favorite: Pare Lachaise Cemetery. Like me, Michael loves cemeteries and PL is, IMO, a treasure. There is so much special to see and I've tried on my own and missed much. Michael knows it (and all the others) like the back of his hand.

If Michael is booked and he offers his partner, Scott, you can be sure of getting the same entertaining and knowledgeable guide.

kerouac, tell Michael I said hello and sorry he didn't get back to me for dinner at the apartment in Paris.

MIchael is a flat rate no matter how many in your group. ANd he will wear you out and still be redy with moe plaves if your feet can take it!

cigale, how can you contact him on facebook? Do you have to friend him first or is there a page? I'm not having much luck.

I think you must befriend him /

Toucan2 - I will be with Michael and Scott Saturday night, I can give him a message if you wish.

Toucon2,

http://www.facebook.com/cigalechanta#!/michael.s.osman

Thank you you seafox and cigalechanta! I have been offline a few days.

Seafox, I just wanted to contact them about availability week of March 10-17. I hope you have a great time with them Saturday.

Thanks for the facebook link cigalechanta!

Toucan2 We missed him last night - he has a bad cold, but we plan on connecting later in the week. I'll mention your inquiry

Tell him Gretchen says hello!!

*jealous*. Love Michael and Scott.

Thanks seafox. I'm back in town now and will start working on more Paris plans this weekend and will probably email him then.

We think Michael is a great guide and hope to see him again in the future. He has shown most of our family around Paris. Seafox, please give Michael regards from Mark and Kay in Florida...

Michael and Scott say "Hi" to everyone!

I've just sent off an email, wish me luck

He's available! yay! To confirm what someone said above, it is 125 euros for the day, which I think is quite reasonable. I'm looking forward to meeting him (or Scott) and spending a day.

Just a side note on his rate, fees associated with entrances and lunch etc. are not included in the 125... not to worry though he strives to find a good deal at all times...unless of course you want to take him to Jules Verne....LOL

LOL seafox!

Yes, I knew that, I should have also mentioned.

You are sure to have a wonderful day with Michael, Toucan.

I wonder, would it be rude to "friend him" on Facebook? I do not know him, and it looks like a personal Facebook page, not a business page..

He's also on linkedin.
Hi to Michael, scott, seafox

Jinky, perhaps rather than friending him, you could just message him first through fb? That way you can let him know you're trying to contact him about availability or tour questions, and he has the option of replying or suggesting another avenue of communication. If it's a personal page and not a business one that can be "liked", that's what I would suggest. Hope you reach him!

We had friends who booked him for two days over the holidays and a business associate who used him for a day a month or two earlier. They all had a great experience.

Thanks! I already emailed him at his aol address, so we'll see what happens with that first.

We will be there for 8 days in April and hope he is not booked already.

I figured this thread deserved a bump anyhow, as there weren't any current posts about him - and I am curious to hear more about his tours.

I have recommended him on a number of recent threads. He really doesn't have "tours", but listens to what you want to do and then arranges a "tour" according to that. I hope you will engage him for a museum day. He took us to the Louvre (short by our request but EXCELLENT) and then the Orsay.

Jinky - give a yell if you do not hear from him in a couple of days and I'll catch him for you....sometimes when he is busy he slips behind on e-mail

A little mor about his tours. he and Scott have done "first day n paris" tours for several of uor frinds and they have loved it...everything from how to use METRO, city orientation and high lights etc. He also does tours that are focused on topics of interest, foodie, militatia, art (he's an artist), portions of history etc. He's got a big repitoire and if you give him advance notice he'll customize for you. He will also takes toours to Giverny and Versailles. Last tour he did for us I asked hime to help us "find Paris" the way it was on Marie Antionette's last day (so in other words find Pre-Hausmann renovation Paris).... he did a GREAT job!

Sounds wonderful, thank you so much.

seafox, thanks, and I'll come back to this thread on Saturday if I don't hear from him by then.

seafox, I have not heard back from him - Can you catch him for me? Thanks!

yu can also contact him on facebook and linkedin.

Bumping the thread and hoping seafox sees it. I still haven't heard anything.

Bumping again. Sorry to be a PITA, but I'm worried he will be all booked up by the time we get there.

Jinky, are you on Facebook? You may have better luck there.

What I mean by that is Michael is on Facebook, and pretty regularly. He may be easier to reach there. Wasn't sure that was clear from my post.

Thank you Toucan. I just messaged him on FB and it said "You aren't connected to Michael on Facebook, so your message will get filtered to his Other folder."

I feel bad sending a message to his personal Facebook page, but I really don't know what else to do.

sorry Jinky - I just sent Michael a note and asked him to check his Parisfind e-mail of he has not in the last few days.

I returned from Paris a couple of weeks ago, and thought I've been there a bunch of times, I asked Michael to arrange a tour of some particular areas and sites that interested me. It was a delightful day.

that should have been "though", not "thought"

Jinky - I heard from Michael yesterday, he's been busy with clients and planned to catch up on e-mails etc. yesterday and today. You should hear from him.

No thanks. Rude, rude, RUDE. It's been two months.

Jinky - I'm confused about your statement of "two months". Based on your 2/19/2013, it's been two weeks. Still too long I'll admit, but I am wondering if you had reached out prior??? Also, are you certain you used the correct e-mail address? The original one provided in this thread was wrong and corrected in a later post.

seafox - I posted here 2 weeks ago, after not being able to reach him. I thought I'd do a search here to see if there was any other info on him. So yes, I've been trying to reach him for over 2 months. I contacted him at the correct email address that he has posted on his website, and was confirmed here. Parisfind@aol.com

And no, I still have not heard from him. Even a quick note that says, "I'm busy with clients now, but I will get back to you by the end of the week to discuss planning a tour for you" would have been great. But to blatantly ignore people? That's something I simply can't abide.

Jinky, I know you are frustrated, and I can understand that. Just keep in mind a couple of things. First, Michael isn't a big company doing canned tours that last say four hours a day. He is one guy, who does highly personalized tours, and he will stay with the people he is taking about as long as they want, so often is out late with them. He also guides when clients want him, and that can be seven days a week.

Add to that that aol is often overly zealous with relegating emails to junk folders. Also, I think we often think that because we are on our computers or smartphones a lot, that everyone else is too. I think I also remember from when I was trying to get in touch with him that his spam filter is overly zealous.

I could be wrong, but I think that when Michael accesses his email he does it from a PC at home, and with his schedule he just doesn't get on his PC often. That's one of the reasons I suggested Facebook to you.

I'm sorry you have a bad taste in your mouth about this, I wish it had worked out. Michael does add a very special touch to a guided day.

It's your loss. Whatever. Sorry it didn't work out. Have a nice trip.

That is a good catch. I have always found Michael quick to say "yay or nay".
You might ask the editors to take your email link out to anonomize it with "at" or you're gonna get a lot of spam, I fear.

Interesting thread.

I'm going to put my head above the parapet here and say that he doesn't deserve your business Jinky (a conclusion it appears you've already reached without my unrequested intervention).

What I find a little odd is people who are completely unrelated to him, bending over backwards to excuse his slow response.

The way I look at it is; if he doesn't want to take your money, I'm sure there are 1000 other (+/- a reasonable amount) of guides in Paris that are as good, if not better than magical Mr. Osman who will respond swiftly and politely to a request to pay for their services.

seafox - can I ask why you've been using him for many years as a guide? I posted a similar question on this board a little while ago, and am just intrigued why people use guides, particularly to places they've been numerous times before.

Jay-G, it's a good question and one I'll try to answer. We've been to Paris over 20 times. So, the regular haunts for tourists are far behind us. What I like about Michael is I can throw out an idea and he is able to mold a fun day around it. For example, one year I wanted to get a sense for what Paris looked like before the Haussman renovation. Last year we exchanged e-mails about grafitti and the mixed reviews it gets (I happen to see it as new art form)... he built a day around exploring grafitti in the city ... not your run of the mill art museum tour. There are also the practical sides, this year he is taking us to Giverny for the day. While I can certainly find my way there and I can certainly read the guide books, having him take care of the details, guide us along and fill us in on info.takes a bunch of stress off my shoulders. Call me lazy, but it makes my vacation easier and more fun.... those are just some examples, I'm sure other can add more.

And I'll add that I used him when we took our whole family and I didn't want to be the "tour guide/director". Ideas come better from a third party,PLUS Michael DOES know more than I do about Paris although maybe not as much as Jay-G does. Maybe he could be Jinky's guide.
In this day of cyber mail, many things can go wrong with getting it, and I thought Seafox ALSO bent over backward to help jinky.
Our family LOVED him, including the son in law that I was sure would opt out of a "tour"--he having lived in Paris for a little while. But he was right up at the front!!
And maybe we are not "unrelated" to Michael, counting him as a friend, more than a guide to be hired.

We do exactly what Seafox does. Over the years Michael has developed tours for us based on Hemingway, Toulouse Lautrec, the Marais, Canal St Martin, etc. He has also accompanied us to the Sunday flea markets and guided us to a vintage Louis Vuitton umbrella a friend wanted.....we never would have found our way through the maze to this particular vendor!
We always learn something touring with Michael or Scott and we find their guidance enriching and fun.

I have not been able to reach him either. I have been following this thread, and have also emailed and sent a message to him on Facebook. We will be there in April. I have only tried twice though in the last three weeks. Seafox, might you ask if he has gotten anything from an email address with a 9 at the end?
Also my Facebook name starts with a G, and is hyphenated. I don't mind being a bit more patient!!

Jay-G, we aren't related to him, but we have used him as a guide. As you can tell, those who have met Michael and spent time with him see value in his services, and yes, we like him too. I answered you on your other thread, my perception is that you just don't care to use guides, and again, that is fine. Different things work for different people. However, those of us who have spent time with Michael have really benefited from that time.

This is an unfortunate circumstance with Jinky, but I don't really think using a paintbrush to say he doesn't deserve her money is fair either.

seafox - thanks very much for your response, laziness is a reason I can get behind!

Your response really makes it clear why it works for you and if you can find anything that helps make your trip more fun, then more power to you.

Gretchen - glad your family "love" your "friend". Does your "friend" charge you for his services? I think how you answer this will let you know if he sees you as a "friend" or a "client".

Judy - thanks for your experience too. I get the impression that Mr. Osman (I don't know him well enough to call him Michael) gives people the feeling that he's tailored his tours individually for them even if he's taking you down a very well worn path. Would you agree with this? Just curious...

springfling - can I ask why you're happy to wait so long for a response?

This is possibly a personal thing, but if I hadn't heard back from a business that I'd been trying to get hold of for three weeks, I'd stop trying.

I met Michael through the AOL Francophile board many years ago. When our family was going I contacted him and Yes, he charged me. I believe people can be friends also. You are quite the hair splitter. It is obvious you have a low opinion of guides and people who use them for any reason. Michael took us on a tour of the vintage clothes shops for our DD. I have been to Paris many times, but because I don't have a specific interest in that, could not have done that.
What does "taking you down a well worn path" mean to you. If you live in a city, yes, there are "well worn paths", but sometimes people don't know to ask for them.

Although I have to say this recent thread about him has me worried:
http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/trying-to-reach-michael-osman-is-ridiculous-any-other-recommendations.cfm


Someone said, "my impression from various things I've read about him is just that he has a lot of business and doesn't care about being polite to people he doesn't intend to do business with (ie, doesn't respond if he doesn't need the work). That's just his business model"


Maybe Jinky has an ax to grind, or maybe this guy really is too busy

Time to say "Nothing to see here folks--just move on".

>>Time to say "Nothing to see here folks--just move on".<<


Why?

I'd still like to reach him. I'm hoping seafox will see my post and ask him for me. I'd be very much obliged. Perhaps his aol is not functioning correctly and I got sent to spam.

I read that thread. Seems rather mean spirited, especially from people who have not met him.

Yes, hopefully seafox will see.

Meanwhile, I, too, am done with this thread. I've tried to offer input and suggestions and possible reasons. People can read them with an open mind or not.

I will say one last thing. One thing that stuck with me from a class I took many, many years ago was why we are mad when people are late and don't call. It's normally because we are worried and start making up scenarios, but one of the scenarios we make up to protect ourselves is that they are just rude (not hurt, dying, bleeding, etc). The point is, we get mad without really knowing what has happened. Better to wait until you know the actual circumstance before getting angry. THEN maybe you can be mad. Until then, reserve judgment.

springfling--I WANT you to continue. Seafox has also tried to get folks connected, and Toucan has offered a great connecting thread. Mine was to those who need to deride. I hope you have a great time with Michael. 'O)

Gretchen - I have neither a low opinion of guides, nor the people that use them. As I said to seafox, if you can find something that improves your holiday, than so much the better.

I am possibly splitting hairs, but your supercilious tone got my back up. I'm assuming that you're being facetious regarding "well worn paths" as well. Areas that were referred to above (such as the Marais and Canal St. Martin) have been attracting visitors for hundreds of years, but the poster that mentioned them got the feeling that the tour had been tailored just for them. If this is the case then I take my hat off to Mr. Osman and his well-honed skills.

>>Time to say "Nothing to see here folks--just move on".<<

Sticking your head in the sand is never a solution.

As with all things, some people will like it (and be happy to wait months for a service that other people can provide) and others won't.

I'm fairly certain that if this was any other service (airport shuttle/bus tour etc.) people would be decrying them from the rooftops about their slow response time and "unreliability"...

Jay_G, poor posting on my part....should have said that we had some specific places we wanted to see in the Marais and Canal St Martin area and Michael was able to fit all of our requests into a very long day. I am aware that those two areas are not unknown to tourists.

Actually Jay, it is YOUR supercilious condescending tone of this thread and your original thread on "why you use a guide" that has gotten my hackles up enough to bother to reply to you. As for well worn paths, some are well known and some aren't to me--as a tourist. And you seem to discount that Michael did a pretty nice "tour" for us, based on what we wanted. As for a friend, yes, he is a friend, and yes, we will pay him for his services. I might even ask him to do a tour for us of the Marais and Canal, since I know very little about them after numerous visits--maybe as Judy did.

My physician and my attorney are personal friends of ours and I certainly wouldn't expect free services from them. I am a friend who also happens to be a patient/client, just as many of us may be Michael's friends but also his clients.

I heard from Michael!

Not sure if you talked to him seafox, but I certainly appreciate it if you did. He sent me a very nice email telling me he has been busy and apologized for the delay. Very sincere. He also said he was glad that I messaged him via Facebook. So if anyone needs to find him, perhaps that is a good option.

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and help. I am happy to book a tour with Michael for myself and we will look forward to spending the day with him.

Now, I will happily write him back and book a day with him. So excited!

Any advice on special things to see? So far we have Père Lachaise Cemetery, The Paris catacombs, and The Louvre as possibilities.

spring - since this is a Michael Osman thread I'll post some of my Paris favorites on your Paris on a Budget thread. I think that's a better way to do it since input may get buried on this thread.

He is excellent in the museums, since he is an artist in his own right--and looks much like Auguste Renoir!! I am not a fan of the Louvre, but he offered his two hour "tour". We did the Davinci Code tour, the current exhibit, Mona, and the hit was the basement to see the construction of the chateau. The tour of the Orsay was sort of a "development of the modern art movement" among other things.
I don't know what he would tell you about teh Catacombs that you couldn't learn on your own, but that isn't my forte. I am sure Pere Lachaise would be good, but again, maybe something you could do on your own with a map.
SO glad you've reached him. you'll have a good time.

Springfling - I did hear back from him, he was having a hard time finding an address ending in 9, but it sounds like he found it! If you do Pere Lachaise on your own beware of scammers who offer free tours (or just start to walk around with you)... when you leave they will demand money - so blow them off quickly ....

What is your deep interest in this, rice cooker!! LOL

There is no requirement that guides be licensed by law.



There is no licensing for guides in Paris. Specific venues may have special requirements for guides, such as requiring that they buy special passes or have specific qualifications, but there's no such thing as a general licensing scheme—if there were, it would be impossible for out-of-town guides to work in the city. As a result, there are no guides (as far as I know) who can walk into any museum or monument without paying. There may be some who spend the money to get a regular pass into certain very popular venues, but this is by no means universal, as it isn't usually cost-effective.




Likewise, they cannot get you in for free. You still have to pay admission. In some cases they may include admission prices in their fees.

"There is no licensing for guides in Paris".

Oh yes there is, and there is a general licensing scheme :
http://pro.parisinfo.com/fr/subventions-reglementations/activites-reglementees/conferenciers-guides-interpretes/dossier/guide-conferencier-la-reglementation_les-evolutions-apportees-par-la-loi-tourisme-2009
They must have a 'carte professionnelle" and a university degree.

"if there were, it would be impossible for out-of-town guides to work in the city".
If they are "guides nationaux" they can work anywhere.
If they are "guides régionaux" they can only work in their administrative region.
They get free entrance to all national museums.

Whatever. There are plenty of unlicensed guides available on the internet. You're talking about a "business" license. Some are licensed guides and some not.

Thanks seafox!! My wife emailed him back yesterday. We actually asked him about taking us to Pere Lachaise, so that will be a lot of fun. It's too big, I think, to navigate on our own. And, because of my interest in it, I'd prefer to have a guide as opposed to wandering around with my nose in a guidebook. We want to have 2 days with him. A day geared for me: cemeteries, art history, etc. and second day geared for the wife: Louvre, music, wine, bakeries, cheese, markets, etc.

Can any of you tell me what he likes to eat/drink? We'd love to have something nice when he meets us at the apartment on the morning of the tours. Coffee, juice, croissants, cheese, pastries?


PS - Cookingrice, have a glass of wine and relax.

LOL.... Michael does not eat meat as I recall.... I've seen lots of pics with pastries so I'm pretty sure he's good with that... and wine later in the day of course!

Cookingrice, you just joined Fodor's and this is the only post you have commented on... seems curious to me.....

Why don't you just report him to whatever French agency deals with it?

We've called you out. Just report him. Be done with it, and stop being such a kvetch.

Still no word from him, so I have given up. I thought maybe since springfling heard from him, I would too. Maybe he saw my thread here, and in that case, I guess I can't blame him for not emailing me. I may have jumped the gun a bit.

Can Fodor's delete that thread? (The one I started that springfling linked to in this thread on March 6) I feel kind of bad now. Especially since others jumped in.

cookingrice - is it a requirement in France to put your SIRET number on your website or any of the promotional items of a business? In the US a business is not required to publish it's tax identification number to anyone except the Internal Revenue Service or a state revenue department. In fact it is discouraged to publish such a personal piece of information due to identity theft. Also, a business may have a legal name of XYZ Business but hold itself out to the public as Susie's Flowers. The legal name and the name the business is doing business under do not have to have anything in common. Perhaps this is how Mr. Osman has his business registered. Therefore it is very irresponsible to suggest that he is not reporting his income. That is a fact that you simply do not know.

I've followed the various threads, and I'd love to have Michael as a guide when we visit Paris in May, hopefully with a French history focus and a little art thrown in. I emailed Michael about a week ago, no reply yet, so I just sent a note to his Facebook page. Crossing fingers to hear back.

Any chance someone could put in a good word for me??

Thanks,
Les Lapins

Still no reply. Curious how he picks and chooses who he answers.

Why did he get back to springfling, yet has ignored me?

Jinky - I can tell you that Michael has told me he does not read this forum. So I remain stumped as to why you have not heard from him - some disconnect I can not explain - it seems he's up to date with e-mails, or close to it... I remain stumped... We see him end of May, I will ask, and talk through technology with him....