Historic Paris Tour

Price:
You choose!
Basic Information
Total time
2 h 30 min
Meeting point
Hôtel de Ville, outside the metro at exit 5, next to the Paris tourist office - look for a yellow umbrella.
Category
Walking Tour,
This tour is provided by

About

Elegant and monumental 19th century boulevards, medieval churches, the world’s best art museums, unbeatable spirit of its inhabitants and a delicate (or perhaps quite pronounced!) sense of superiority, that’s Paris! Welcome to the world capital of class, elegance, fashion, love, art and amazing cuisine! Occupying this spot continuously since the 17th century!


But Paris wouldn’t be all that without its history. Established on a marshy land surrounded by the river Seine by the brave Gallic tribe of Parisii, taken in a bloody battle by the mighty Roman Empire. It became a capital of the Franks in the 6th century and soon grew to be the political, economic, religious, and cultural (with the second-oldest university in Europe, la Sorbonne) centre of France. With a population of 200 thousand people, Paris was the most populous city in Europe in the medieval ages. Torn by wars with external enemies and internal religious massacres, with time it experienced a true explosion in the field of science and philosophy, becoming the very centre of the Enlightenment movement. Fed on new ideas, but most of all on extreme poverty and inequality, its people found in them the power to overthrow the royal regime, which ended up in the monarchs being finally guillotined. This in turn opened the way for Napoleon seizing power in the country and way, way beyond! People of Paris were (and are!) known for revolting so often that in the 19th century in order to prevent them from doing so a new city was built with wide boulevards, aqueducts, sewers and parks to both appease them and… make it harder to build street barricades. The symbol of its modernization became the Eiffel Tower constructed for the 1889 Universal Exposition, which Parisians hated and protested for decades, only to love it in the end.


On top of all the architectural, cultural and spiritual marvels of the city there is something you simply cannot miss – the wonderful food and wine which can be the sole reason for visiting Paris and France! So, before you go and have a picnic in one of the splendid city gardens, indulge in all the fromage, baguette and wine you can have, join our tour to get the perfect introduction to the incomparable Paris! See among others the Notre Dame Cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle, the Eiffel Tower, beautiful and elegant boulevards and bridges, the Louvre and the Tuileries Gardens. Hear the stories of Quasimodo, Napoleon and Hitler and learn about their connections to the city of love and light. Hear stories about the most daring art theft in history (yes, we are talking about the Mona Lisa), love, desire, and revenge. Get to know Paris at its finest!


During this 2,5 hour tour, you will see and discover:



  • ︎Hotel de Ville(Paris City Hall)

  • Notre-Dame Cathedral 

  • Sainte Chapelle 

  • Conciergerie 

  • Pont Neuf

  • Pont des Arts

  • Louvre (history of the palace and museum)

  • Carrousel Arch

  • Tuileries gardens 

  • And much, much more!


Additional Important Information
Included
  • professional local guide 
Ticket Message

 

  • Meeting Point: Hôtel de Ville, outside the metro at exit 5, next to the Paris tourist office – look for a yellow umbrella.
  • Start Time: Participants are expected to show up 5 min before the start time.
  • Language: English
  • There is no need to print your booking confirmation.

Thank you for choosing Walkative! If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. 

 
Meeting Point
Hotel de Ville, outside the metro at exit 5, next to the Paris tourist office - look for a yellow umbrella.

BOOKING RULES
Booking is obligatory. Walkative! free tours are designed for individual travelers and small groups. In the best interest of our visitors we aim to keep our free tours relatively small. Hence, we cannot accept parties of more than 7 people on our regular free tours and guides have the right to deny participation to such groups. If you travel in a party of 8 or more please choose a paid option or book a Private Tour. For more information please contact us.



passionate guides

Rated 5 out of 5
13 hours ago

I have joined a few walking tours like this in different cities, this would be the most passionate, entertaining tour I’ve done. Alastair passion with the city, the language, the history and his love of theatre made him hard not to be loved. he really brings the tour to life. despite the limited time, I have walked away with new stories, information about the city, and it is the way it is today. This is a great introduction if this is your first visit to Paris. would highly recommend.

Sipei

A South African expert on France’s history

Rated 5 out of 5
21 hours ago

Simply amazing, warmth, funny and full of great details about this famous city, you will wish the tour could last longer! Thanks Dabo (Dobby)

Miguel

Our Paris tour with Pierre

Rated 5 out of 5
5 days ago

We did the historic tour on Sunday October 22th with Pierre. This was a wonderful way for us to see the highlights of Paris and learn history along the way. Our group was probably about 20, but Pierre made sure to include everyone. He answered questions and was entertaining. I would recommend a Walkative tour to everyone! We learned a lot, not just saw the sites! Thanks Pierre

Jennifer Bates

Great tour, amazing guide

Rated 5 out of 5
6 days ago

Jay has a unique way of presenting the information, speaks great English and his level of knowledge is only matched by his humor.

I am still amazed by the amount of information we got in just 2.30 hours, this is a really well planned tour.

Thank you Jay!

Stratos

Incredible walking tour with Harry!

Rated 5 out of 5
1 week ago

I’ve taken several walking tours in different countries, and this tour with Harry was the best I’ve ever experienced. He knows his history, throws in some humor to make you laugh, and has really just mastered the art of providing an amazing walking tour. We had a large group on the tour, and he had no problem making sure everyone could hear him. Thank you Harry! We had a wonderful time!

Shanna and Michael Guess


This tour is also available as
a Private Tour.

Private tour
Other tours: