Paris needs no introduction. It “comes to us second-hand,” in the words of Ian Littlewood, because “our imagination has been there first, worked upon by the imagination of others.” This is why the City of Light is also a psychiatric syndrome – and for visitors with sky-high expectations, the symptoms of Paris Syndrome’s disappointments include acute delusional states and even hallucinations.

But Paris is also the home of the flâneur and flâneuse, who rejoice in strolling without aim or expectation. “The only, the true sovereign of Paris is the flâneur," wrote Anaïs Bazin, and for the flâneur, there is nothing more valuable than independence and curiosity – other than absinthe, maybe.

We believe VoiceMap’s self-guided audio tours show you the storybook City of Lights without stealing your spontaneity. They immerse you in the art and literature Paris has inspired, and help you follow in the footsteps of its larger-than-life painters and poets, but they also let you stay footloose. They’re walks as much as tours, not just tours you do by walking, and they make you the sovereign of your first-hand experience.