Paris: WWII Occupation & Liberation History Walking Tour (2 or 4 Hours)

Start from the Hôtel de la Marine
and walk through occupied Paris

Meet your guide at the Hôtel de la Marine on Place de la Concorde, where German troops paraded in June 1940 and bullet marks from the final battle of August 1944 can still be seen on the walls. Next door, the Hôtel de Crillon served as German headquarters from the start of the occupation. Throughout the tour, you will also hear how daily life changed for Parisians under curfews, blackouts and rationing.

See the hotels of Place Vendôme and Rue de Rivoli

At Place Vendôme, hear how Hermann Göring stayed at the Ritz among looted artworks and how Coco Chanel lived under the same roof. On Rue de Rivoli, stop at the Hôtel Le Meurice, the former German military command, where General von Choltitz refused Hitler's order to burn Paris.

Past the Louvre to the site of liberation, the Préfecture de Police

Passing the Louvre and its glass pyramid, learn how the museum's masterpieces were evacuated before the invasion and how curator Rose Valland secretly documented the looting of Jewish-owned art collections. The 2-hour tour ends at the Préfecture de Police, where the Paris uprising began on 19 August 1944. The nearby Saint-Michel fountain still bears traces of the battle for liberation.

Hear the full story of wartime Paris with the 4-hour option

The 4-hour option continues to Le Marais and the Pletzl, the historic heart of Jewish Paris, where you will hear about the persecution and deportation of Paris's Jews and pause at the Wall of Names at the Mémorial de la Shoah. You then cross the Seine to the Luxembourg Gardens, home to the Luftwaffe command, and 48 Rue du Four, where Jean Moulin held the founding meeting of the National Council of the Resistance in May 1943, before finishing at the Hôtel Lutetia.

※ The tour takes place entirely outdoors and runs in all weather.
※ The itinerary is for reference and may change depending on local conditions.