Can you add a certified guide to your private day in Alsace?
Updated on
Yes. Your FJ13 driver handles the road, the timing and the parking, and shares local tips along the way. If you want real commentary on history, architecture and art, you can add a certified guide in Alsace to your day: a certified guide-conferencier who joins you for the visits. It is a paid option for full days, subject to availability.
Certified guide-conferencier, option
+400 € per full day
All taxes included, tips not included, on top of the price of your private van.
What is a guide-conferencier, and why not your driver?
In France, guiding visitors is a regulated profession. When a travel company sells guided visits of French museums and historic monuments, it must use a guide-conferencier who holds the national professional card (French Tourism Code, article L221-1). The card is issued only to people with specific qualifications, such as a professional degree in guiding. FJ13 drivers are professional drivers: they share local tips, but they do not give site commentary.
Keeping the two jobs separate gives you the best of both: a driver who knows the roads and the quiet hours in each village, and a specialist who can explain what you are looking at.
What does a certified guide-conferencier add to your day?
A certified guide-conferencier turns a walk through a village into a visit with context. Travelers usually ask for the option in the places where the story matters most.
- Strasbourg Cathedral (Notre-Dame de Strasbourg), its facade and its astronomical clock, explained in detail.
- La Petite France and the Grande Ile of Strasbourg, with the history behind the half-timbered houses.
- Colmar old town and its museums, with time to understand what you see rather than just photograph it.
- The wine villages of the Alsace Wine Route, from their fortifications to their winemaking past.
How does the option work on the day?
You ask for the option when you request your quote, by ticking it in the quote configurator or mentioning it in your message. FJ13 checks the availability of a certified guide-conferencier for your date and confirms it before you pay.
The guide-conferencier rides in the van with your group for the whole day, and joins you for the visits. Commentary is in English. Ideally, book the option 3 weeks ahead, especially in December.
How much does the option cost?
The certified guide-conferencier is offered on full days only, priced per day on top of the price of your van, and shown in your quote before you pay. The amount is the same whatever the size of your group, up to 7 passengers per van.
Entry tickets to monuments and museums are not included. If you want the guide-conferencier to go in with you, the guide's entry ticket is paid by the group.
Frequently asked questions
Can the guide-conferencier explain Strasbourg Cathedral in English?
Yes. The commentary is always in English. Ask for the option early, ideally 3 weeks ahead in December, so FJ13 can confirm a guide-conferencier for your date.
Is it worth adding a guide for the Christmas market day?
It depends on what you want. The markets themselves need no commentary, and your driver shares local tips along the way. A certified guide-conferencier makes more sense if you plan to visit Strasbourg Cathedral, a museum or the old town in depth during the day.
Can we book the guide-conferencier without the van?
No. On alsace-tours.com, the certified guide-conferencier is an option added to a private day with an FJ13 driver. It is not sold on its own.