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Paris Occupation History WWII 2 Hour Walking Tour

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$14.25

REG. $16.53

Overview

Step into the streets of Paris and understand what it truly meant to live here during the occupation. This World War II walking tour gives you a clear mental map of occupied Paris, following a coherent route through the city center so you never feel lost—historically or geographically. As you walk, you won’t just hear stories. You will stand exactly where events unfolded and learn how these places functioned between 1940 and 1944. At each stop, you’ll discover how Parisians lived day to day, how German power was organized in the city, and how political control shaped everyday life. The focus is on precise locations and concrete facts, helping you understand why these places mattered—and still matter. To help you visualize the past, the tour uses rare archival photographs, many unfamiliar even to history enthusiasts. You will directly compare wartime images with today’s streets, giving you a much clearer and more lasting understanding of what Paris looked like under occupation.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

The guide will send you a message the day before, which will allow you to get her contact details. She will be there before the meeting time to welcome you just below the statue. She will be wearing a black cap.

Language Offered

English-GUIDE

Itinerary

1. Place de la Concorde

The arrival of the Germans in the context of the outbreak of the Second World War and the first days of the occupation in Paris

Duration: 15 mins

2. Le Meurice

During the occupation, Le Meurice served as the German strategic military headquarters for Greater Paris. Rue de Rivoli was one of the preferred locations for parades. At this stop, we discuss the year 1940 and how the Germans systematically looted France.

Duration: 10 mins

3. Ritz Paris

At the Ritz, all of Parisian high society gathered. Here, we discover how Marshal Göring looted antique furniture and took all the hotel’s hot water. Meanwhile, Frank Meier, the secretly Jewish bartender, unknowingly served as a dead drop. We also discuss pro-Nazi plots involving Gabrielle Chanel and members of the British royal family.

Duration: 15 mins

4. Place De L'Opera

Place de l’Opéra was the jewel that Hitler was delighted to visit first during his only trip to Paris. While operas were staged exclusively in German, the National Front of Musicians was organizing to take part in the Resistance.

Duration: 15 mins

5. Palais Berlitz

At the Berlitz Palace, in September 1941, the infamous exhibition "The Jew and France" opened. Its objective? To prepare and manipulate public opinion into accepting the deportation of tens of thousands using Nazi "science." It also discusses the terrible laws against this community.

Duration: 15 mins

6. Square Louvois

Louvois Square is a beautiful and peaceful place of reflection in the heart of the 2nd arrondissement, paying tribute to the many Jews deported during the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup and recalling the role of the French government, which deliberately chose to include children. Thanks to a couple of women in the Resistance, hundreds were hidden and saved. The role of women in the Resistance contributed significantly to granting them the right to vote in 1944.

Duration: 15 mins

7. Town Hall of the 2nd arrondissement of Paris

At the old town hall of the 2nd arrondissement, they tell the story of an ordinary resistance: Jacques Bidault, the mayor, is arrested for providing ration tickets to young people who are hiding to avoid the STO, the last terrible idea of the 3rd Reich to try to stem the advance of the allies in Italy and the Russians on the Eastern Front.

Duration: 15 mins

8. Rue De Rivoli

We are back on Rue de Rivoli, where liberation has finally taken place. Seeing their occupiers overwhelmed by the Normandy landings, Parisians go on strike. The police retake the police headquarters, then the city hall. The entire city is a battlefield with barricades, and a merciless struggle ensues to reach the German high command, which is entrenched on Rue de Rivoli.

Duration: 15 mins