Press Release: The Da Vinci Code Trail

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ellen McBreen
ellen@parismuse.com
33 (0)1 42 71 09 06

Paris, France, May 4, 2006—
PARIS MUSE announced today the debut of "The Da Vinci Code Trail," the latest addition to the group's program of guided tours in Paris.

The Da Vinci Code continues to exert its magnetic pull on visitors to Paris, curious to know where truth stops and fiction begins in Dan Brown’s bestseller. Now, with the release of Ron Howard’s film adaptation just weeks away, tour companies like Paris Muse are preparing themselves for a new generation of Paris Grail-seekers, who promise to bring a whole new set of questions about what’s real and what’s not.

“The film is going to extend the Da Vinci Code travel phenomenon, but it will also give Paris city guides like us a few more challenges,” says Ellen McBreen of Paris Muse, creator of the city’s first Da Vinci Code tour two years ago.

“An increasing number of people are seeing Paris through the lens of the The Da Vinci Code and it’s really had a profound impact on the guide business. But how do you respond to that interest intelligently, without taking away from the experience of a city like Paris?”

The new tour from Paris Muse “The Da Vinci Code Trail” is a 2.5 hour in-depth walk that follows the novel’s adventure—from the Hotel Ritz where it all begins, to the Louvre’s underground Inverted Pyramid, where Langdon's search for the sacred feminine ends. The focus of the tour is on the history of these Paris sites long before they became locations for a much-anticipated Hollywood movie.

The new group walking tour is a complement to “Cracking The Da Vinci Code at the Louvre” still the company’s most popular museum tour. Since Paris Muse began offering this private tour in February 2004, over 800 visitors have experienced the Louvre this way. The company also offers tours in the other major museums of Paris (Musée d’Orsay, Musée Rodin, Musée Cluny, etc).

“Cracking The Da Vinci Code at the Louvre” covers key settings like the Grande Galerie—where filming took place last June— as well as paintings that figure prominently in the story. It includes a visit to Leonardo's Mona Lisa and a discussion of the competing theories about her real identity. But it also takes visitors off the beaten path, to see lesser-known Louvre treasures that deal directly with the book's other themes. Does early Christian art really recycle symbols from so-called "pagan" traditions? Is there such a thing as the "lost sacred feminine" in the history of art? Are there clues about Mary Magdalene's true relationship with Christ in the countless paintings and sculpture that depict her?

“When we first created our Da Vinci Code tour of the Louvre two years ago, I never imagined it would be so enduringly popular. People have found the ideas of the Da Vinci Code to be an accessible way to approach history, and as historians and guides, you have to love it when people arrive already armed with questions.”

Practical Information

“The Da Vinci Code Trail” is offered on Fridays at 10:30am. The group walking tour is approximately 2.5 hours. The price is 30 euros for individuals. Groups of 5 or more may request their own date and time for the walking tour. It includes these sites: Hotel Ritz and Place Vendome, Place de la Concorde and Tuilieries Gardens, Arc du Carrousel and Louvre exterior, Arago plaques, Pont Neuf, Saint-Germain-des-Prés exterior, Saint-Sulpice.

"Cracking The Da Vinci Code at the Louvre" is available for reservation at the visitor’s request. The tour is private; we accommodate groups of 4 or less per guide. The tour is approximately 2.5 hours. The price is 110 euros for individuals, or 95 euros per person for parties of two or more, and includes admission tickets to the Louvre, purchased by the guides in advance, so there is no waiting in line.

About Paris Muse
Paris Muse is an educational service designed especially for English-speakers who want to make the most of their visits in Paris. It is an organization of dynamic, engaging specialists offering high-quality tours.

Paris Muse debuted in May 2002. McBreen and her guides are Americans, many of them researching their Ph.D. dissertations in Paris.

More Information
Please visit www.parismuse.com for more information.

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