I walked Europe's most famous city for 8 days - there's 1 thing every visitor needs to do

The founder of a global tour group company who spent eight days roaming one of the world's most famous cities has shared what he thinks is the most important way to enjoy it.

Jakes Maritz and his friend and business partner, Carl Cronje, say they started their business with £800 in their pockets and turned it into a multi-million pound global travel business running tours all over the world.

Seeing how travel was out of reach for many people 20 years ago, they set up Expat Explore with a view to changing that. Their first trip was a hastily planned visit to Paris in what they describe as "essentially a DIY European escape to Paris" with a group of friends they invited. They said: "There were no grand business plans, just printed maps, packed lunches, and an Excel spreadsheet to track who'd paid. That first, amateur trip laid the foundation for a company that would one day guide over 180,000 travellers across the globe."

They planned it from a London flat and in their first year managed to do 12 tours in Paris and four in Amsterdam, alternating the weekend trips between them and doing it around other full-time jobs. Before they officially joined forces, Carl had already been running low-cost weekend trips to Paris and Amsterdam for expats, walking everywhere to keep costs low and learning the cities inside out.

And with Paris - home to world-famous sites like the Eiffel Tower, Louvre museum, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées and the Sacré-Cœur basilica - having been such a central part of their journey to where they are now, they have shared their experience on how rewarding exploring the city on foot can be.

Asked the one thing they would recommend everyone in Paris see, Jakes told The Express: "Here's the thing: we'd never recommend just one sight. The magic of Paris isn't just about ticking off the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre, even though they are majestic. It's about wandering, getting a bit lost, finding that perfect café you never would have planned to visit. Do what we did: walk with curiosity and let Paris surprise you. That's when the city really opens up to you."

Jakes says Paris "brings history to life", adding: "You could actually feel the energy and essence of the place. It wasn't just sightseeing - it was like the city was telling you its story as you walked through it... Culture and energy was an invigorating, life-enriching experience.

"Walking changes everything. When you're in a bus or car, you're basically watching Paris like it's a movie. But when you're on foot, you're actually in the story. Carl always said it was about connecting with the place. I'd learned from previous trips that you can't build a relationship with a city from behind glass. You need to smell the bakeries, hear the conversations, feel the cobblestones under your feet. That's when travel actually transforms you instead of just giving you some nice photos."

He said the early days of their business were "brutal": "We'd leave on Friday after work, hit the ground running in Paris with our tour group, then come straight back to the office on Monday. I remember being absolutely shattered, but we were so excited about what we were building that we just powered through on pure adrenaline. Looking back, I'm not sure how we survived that schedule.

"Money was always tight in the beginning. We were running everything on relationships with suppliers and basically no cash buffer. When the 2008 financial crisis hit, we thought we might be finished, but it actually worked in our favour. We were able to offer affordable travel options, and people could continue to enjoy travelling despite the financial downturn. "

You can visit Expat Explore here. Now in its 20th year, it offers over 85 itineraries in more than 50 countries, ranging from iconic European cities to lesser-known gems in Asia, Africa, and South America.