In the late 18th century, Paris was the stage where most of the bloody events of the French Revolution played out, forever altering the course of European history. Layered beneath the bustle and romance of modern-day Paris, traces of the tumultuous events can still be found.
Your revolutionary walking tour begins near Les Invalides, where you meet your historian guide in the afternoon. Learn how 30,000 weapons were stolen here by protesters and used to overtake the Bastille. Visit the Place de la Bastille, site of the former prison, and listen as your guide recounts the dramatic storming that officially ignited the revolution in 1789.
See where the Tuileries Palace once stood and hear how revolutionaries used its once-royal chambers as headquarters for a fledgling new government. Pass by the imposing Conciergerie, a former prison where Marie Antoinette was held captive after the fall of the monarchy, and stroll through the Place de la Concorde, where she and husband King Louis XVI were both beheaded. Imagine the gruesome scene here as your guide recounts the many lives lost to the guillotine during the bloody years of the Reign of Terror.
When your tour concludes near Notre Dame, depart with a newfound appreciation of the bravery, tyranny and chaos of the Revolution and how it shaped the Paris you see today.
