Get 50% off your Paris History Walking Tour

Are you visiting Paris in March/ April? If so, get your tour for half price as part of our introductory offer as we build to our summer launch.

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

Walkabout Paris will fully launch in July 2025 with walking tours running daily throughout the summer months. Visitors can choose from the Paris History Tour or the Paris Full Day Tour - both offered as a private tour.

From Sunday 30th March, we will be delivering the Paris History Tour at half price as part of our build up to the summer.

The Paris History Tour is a comprehensive walking tour that takes you on a journey through over 2,000 years of history. See evidence of Roman Paris (known as Lutetia), of the years of war and revolution and the centuries ruled by some of France's most famous kings.

Notre-Dame cathedral

Along the way you will see the most iconic landmarks in central Paris- Notre-Dame, the Conciergerie, Sainte Chapelle, Pont Neuf, the Louvre and Tuileries Gardens. Cross the Seine via its stunning bridges that are celebrated under UNESCO status whilst hearing about people and events that have shaped Parisian history.

Our Walking Tours are crafted in order to tell the story of Paris from the perspective of it's inhabitants. From the horrifically tragic tales of peasants that lived through periods of starvation and war, through to the eccentric (and often bizarre) kings of the middle ages, Paris has stories in abundance.

You will learn about the devastating Wars of Religion that culminated in the rise of Henri IV- arguably France's greatest king (and my personal favourite) and the birth of the Bourbon dynasty. And of course, no history of Paris is complete without knowing something about Louis XIV, The Revolution, Napoleon and Paris during WWII.

Aside from the serious stuff, there are stories or ordinary people who have done their part to add to the incredible diversity, colour and charm of Parisian life.

How to book your tour

Simply visit our tours page, select 'Book' under History Tour and choose your date.

Enter your details and then enter the code 'AprilDeal' (no space) to receive 50% off your Walking Tour.

I look forward to seeing you in (hopefully) sunny April.

Offer runs from 30th March to 3rd April.

Discover Paris in a day on our Private Full Day Tour

If you're looking for the ultimate way to explore the magic of Paris, our Full Day Walking Tour is designed just for you. At Walkabout Paris City Walking Tours, we take you on an unforgettable journey through the city’s most iconic landmarks and hidden gems. From the historic heart of the city to the vibrant streets of Montmartre, this tour covers it all in one incredible day.

The iconic Metro station at Lamarck - Caulaincourt, Montmartre

What’s included in the tour?

- Tours on 4 iconic areas of Paris

- Metro fares between areas

- Coffee and croissant

- A drink of your choice

- Water

What to Expect on Our Full Day Walking Tour

Your experienced guide will take you on a tour through five of the must-do areas of central Paris.

Île de la Cité and the 1st Arrondissement

Start your tour on the Île de la Cité – the historic heart of the city. Learn about the history of Notre Dame cathedral and discover the stories behind the iconic Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie- once a prison where Marie Antoinette was held before her execution. You will cross the famous Pont Neuf and learn about the bloody and dark history of Paris through the middle ages. We cross onto the Right Bank and journey through the Louvre courtyards whilst seeing some hidden gems. Find evidence of Napoleon and Louis XIV’s contributions to Paris before finishing the first part of the tour at the Tuileries Garden. On the way we will stop a local Parisian café for a morning coffee and croissant.

The Conciergerie on the Île de la Cité

Eiffel Tower

You will take a Metro ride to the Trocadero where you will catch arguable the most spectacular sight of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Great for photo opportunities and you will also learn about the history of the tower. We will walk towards the tower and you will be given time to get some atmospheric snaps from underneath it and in the streets nearby. From here we will take the RER to the Latin Quarter.

Eiffel Tower (really!)

Latin Quarter

Walk in the footsteps of Hemingway or Emily in Paris though this amazing neighbourhood. Home to the Sorbonne and the Panthéon, it is steeped in history. Stroll the cobbled streets and see evidence of the birth of the city Paris- from its Roman ruins through to it’s early churches. There are some real hidden gems and stories here. You will be given some recommendations for lunch and will have some free time to explore the atmospheric area around Place de la Contrescarpe.

Montmartre

Finish your day in one of the most beautiful neighbourhoods in Paris. You will wander the cobbles streets and make your way up to the iconic Sacré-Cœur Basilica which affords spectacular views across the whole of Paris. You will discover a vineyard, see artists paint in the Place du Tertre and learn about the artistic, bohemian and sometimes bloody history of this ‘village’ within Paris. You will stop for an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink that is included in the ticket and you will be given a metro ticket to take you back to the city centre from the deepest Metro station in Paris.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Montmartre

Why book a Full Day Private Tour?

Your guide has over 5 years of experience in delivering walking tours.

Tours are historically accurate and thoroughly researched.

Exploring all of the must-do areas in one day immerses you in the history and geography of Paris and allows you time to dedicate the rest of your trip to exploring museums and spending time immersed in the areas you love.

Perfect if you want the small-group and personal experience away from the hectic larger groups.

Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned traveller, our Full Day Walking Tour provides a deep and authentic look at Paris. Our tours are tailored to English-speaking visitors and are designed to enhance your understanding of the city’s rich history, culture, and charm.

Book your tour

Visit the Full Day Tour page for the full itinerary and scroll down to book your Private Tour. https://www.walkaboutparistours.com/tours

Paris in 5 Days: Experience the Must-Do and Must-See Sights.

Easter, 2024. My wife and I took to Paris and had a pretty good trip. So good, in fact, that I want to share out itinerary with you to help you get the most out of 4 nights and 5 days in the City of Light.

Before you go: 5 quick tips for a smooth trip

1. Make a shortlist of things you want to do.

You could spend a month in Paris and still not get everything in. Don’t be a hero and try to pack it all in. It may sound OTT, but make a shortlist of say 2-3 key things you want to do for every day you are there. Rank them and plan around these.

2. Book tickets in advance.

Particularly for the big museums, book a timed entry ticket before you set off. Use these as a basis for your planning. It will save you time. You will still have to queue up but it is often quicker than waiting in line for tickets on the door.

3. Make a rough daily itinerary.

You don’t want to be a robot but if you have a loose itinerary, it prevents you wandering the streets aimlessly (that is sometime a good way to explore- see point 4- but you need to limit this if you want to maximise your time).

4. Plan in at least one afternoon or morning when you just wander and east and drink and stumble across something cool.

Good areas for this: Montmartre, Le Marais, Latin Quarter.

5. Check out a few restaurant recommendations before hand and mark them on your map.

Again, you want to be able to stumble across some hidden gems but you should always have a couple of well recommended restaurants up your sleeve to ensure you are getting the best experience. I have a couple of recommendations below.

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Day 1: Getting there, Walking Tour, Dinner, Eiffel Tower at night.

Getting From Charles de Gaulle to Paris.

We landed at T2, however T1 also has a train station. Head to ‘Charles de Gaulle 2 Train Station’. Buy your tickets in the hall before you board the train. Make sure you get on the RER train. You need line B which is blue. All RER B trains will go to Paris. The city centre stops are Gare du Nord, Châtelet-Les-Halles and Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame. These three stations connect to a host of Metro lines that run through the city. Check your station before heading off.

It is around 30 minutes to the city and the trains are regular.

Walking Tour

Of course I would recommend a walking tour! Many of my customers have said in their reviews that joining a walking tour is the first thing you must do when you go to a city for the first time. They are not wrong. We did one in Florence a few years ago that actually inspired the creation of Walkabout. Our Paris History Tour is a great introduction to the main highlights along the Seine and a great way to orientate yourself.

Alternatively, check out our VoiceMap version. Pretty much the same tour but you can listen to it at your own pace and pause the tour when you like.

Dinner

Le Petit Chatelet, 39 Rue de la Bûcherie. On the left bank opposite Notre Dame cathedral and a couple of doors from the famous Shakespeare and Company Bookshop.

Earlier in the day, on the way to the walking tour, we had popped in to book a reservation for the night. I recommend this, particularly on busier days. There are 7pm and 9pm sittings. We chose the 7pm.

Don’t be put off by the restaurant’s location close to the tourist traps around Rue de la Huchette. This is a gem of a restaurant and one that I was excited to try since reading about it on another blog. It did not disappoint. Steaks are cooked right inside the main dining room on an open fire, adding to the cosy and traditional atmosphere. There is a chalk board of specials and the friendly staff will translate for you if needed. However, I highly recommend the steaks. Particularly the ribeye. It was amongst the best I have had anywhere. For desert, you must try their crème brulee. Perfection. We actually had crème brulee every night (so much for experimentation) and this was still the best of the bunch. All in all, we had three courses, a carafe and a half of red wine and coffee and it cost a little over €100. Not bad at all for the quality. The experience was relaxed and there was no rush to get you out. We sat in there for well over two hours and it was an absolutely fantastic experience. A must do if you are in this part of Paris.

Evening walk

We headed along the Seine after dinner, intending on walking right up to the Eiffel Tower, then getting a short metro ride to the Arc de Triomphe and then making our way down the Avenue des Champs Elysees.

I think we bit off a bit more than we could chew.

The walk along the river was excellent. If you catch it just after dusk you can see the light show from the Eifel Tower. Cross the Pont des Arts to the Louvre and walk along the right bank towards the tower. There are dozens of spectacular vantage points, each one offering something different as the tower increases in size as you approach. From the Pont des Arts it is a little over 4km- an hours walk. However, by this time it is approaching 11pm and, due to engineering works, the metro was closed for the night.

We gave up on the Champs Elysees and made our way back to the Latin Quarter via walking and a somewhat clumsily planned metro journey. Thankfully there was a little, smoky local bar round the corner from our hotel where we could grab a pre- sleep beer and rest our feet.

A tiring but thoroughly enjoyable day.

Day 2- Musee d’Orsay, Montmartre, VoiceMap, Dinner

We headed out of the hotel quite early as we wanted to explore a little of the Latin Quarter for breakfast before going to the d’Orsay for 10am.

The streets around the Pantheon are excellent for cafes and boulangeries/ patisseries for breakfast. Most cafes offer some sort of breakfast deal, or you can grab a coffee and watch the early morning comings and goings on the streets and then head to a patisserie for an amazing selection of breakfast pastries. I love the chorizo or olive breads. A good breakfast on the go can be had for around €5 euro’s for two people.

Musee d’Orsay

Make sure to book tickets and a timed entry before you go. However, you will still have to wait in the line. Saying that, if you arrive 15 minutes or so before your entry time you’ll have about half an hour to wait. This museum is relatively small (at least compared to the Louvre), so it can be done within a couple of hours, unless you are a major art lover. I’m a bit of an ammeter when it comes to art but I do like the ‘classic’ painters like Van Gogh and Monet etc. Here, there is an excellent selection of these guys’ work. I’d recommend browsing through the rooms if you want a general overview, or heading to a particular section if there are specific’s you want to look for. Buy an audioguide at the same time as you buy your ticket. Once inside, these are easy and quick to collect. They provide an overview of selected paintings in the museum and it gives you a better experience than just walking and looking at the paintings.

Montmartre

From the Musee d’Orsay, the metro station is a short walk. We caught line 12 to Montmartre- Abbesses station which is right in the centre of Montmartre. It is also the deepest station on the metro system, so be prepared for a little work out as you climb the steps to the station. Around the streets off the station there are plenty of café’s, restaurants and bars to have lunch or have a drink and snack.

Montmartre did not become a part of Paris until the 19th century and it still retains something of a village feel about it. It has windmills, a vineyard and winding cobbled streets that lead up to its famously impressive Sacré-Cœur Basilica. From up here you get the best views of the city of Paris. The area was home to an array of artist such as Picasso and Van Gogh

The best way to explore is either via a walking tour, or a self-guided VoiceMap. We chose the latter- ‘Montmartre: More than Meets the Eye’. The narrator guides you around he area and you can stop and start whenever you want. It starts from Abbesses station and finished beside the Sacre-Cour Basilica. It is 2.9km long and takes two hours. However, I’d recommend stopping for coffee and having a look at the artists at work on the Place du Tertre. Allow yourself 3-4 hours for Montmartre.

After the tour, you will be ready for some pre-dinner drinks I am sure. Walk down the atmospheric steps of Rue Foyatier or take the Funiculaire lift to the bottom of the hill. From here, head right and past the Abbesses metro station. There are some excellent bars along Rue des Abbesses and down the Rue Leipic that leads towards Blanche metro station on Boulevard Clichy. On Rue Leipic is the Café 2 Mouilns, which became famous as Amelie Poulain’s place of work in the movie Amelie.

Grab a drink and head down to Boulevard Clichy where you will see the world Famous Moulin Rouge. The section of Boulevard de Clichy between Blanch and Pigale is famed for its adult shops. Don’t be afraid to have a browse around here. It is a safe and busy street.

Dinner time.

Back up Rue Lepic and if you take a short right at the top then the first left onto Rue Tholoze, you will see a windmill at the top of the street. This is the Moulin de la Galette restaurant. Fantastic experience in such an atmospheric and historic setting. It was originally a working windmill and then a place to drink and socialise. Now a restaurant, the interior is modern and very well done. The food is excellent and, for three courses plus two carafes of wine, it was around €140. We booked a table online before we left the UK. It was busy, so it is worth doing.

Day 3: Palace of Versailles

Getting to Versailles.

A relatively easy trip. Catch RER line C- yellow- from Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame. Make sure you catch the train to Versailles Château.

Stunning experience. I’ll keep it brief. Book a timed entry ticket before you come to Paris- as early in the day as possible and the queues are relatively short and it is efficient. Get a guided tour or audio tour for the palace itself and enjoy the lavish rooms and history of the place.

Option- after you have done the palace, head out to the village and grab a picnic (you are not allowed to bring food into the palace). Then, with your ticket, you can re-enter the gardens and enjoy your picnic in 2,000 acres of beautiful grounds. You’ll be spoilt for choice.

Make sure to go to the Trianon Palaces and the estate of Marie-Antoinette. My wife preferred this to the main palace! If you are struggling with the walk or it is hot, there is a ‘train’ that takes you around for a fee.

Allow the best part of a day for this. If you get there early, you should be headed back into Paris for mid-late afternoon. In time for a well earned aperitif.

Dinner & Evening

For dinner, we could not resist in going back to Le Petit Chatelet. Their coquilles Saint Jacques was delicious. We had a late sitting and therefore we spend the remainder of the evening around the corner exploring some of the late night bars on Rue de la Huchette. Some hard core ‘cultural’ travellers may not put this street on their ‘must do’ lists, however it is lively a good laugh. Visit the piano bar Café de Paris V in particular. Lots of bars in a small area and there is something for everyone when the legs are tired.

There is the famous Le Caveau de la Huchette jazz bar but I’d also recommend the Relais de la Huchette piano bar- a singalong and good laugh to end the night.

Day 4: Latin Quarter, Musee de Louvre, Latin Quarter at night.

After so much action and walking, we were craving some down time in a local area. There are not many better places for such a morning than in the heart of the Latin Quarter. Late morning coffee in the Place de la Contrescarpe is a must. Get there an hour or so before lunch to get a seat and just relax with a coffee or two and watch the comings and goings from the 5 or 6 streets that lead into the Place. From here, walk down Rue Mouffetard. It is littered with small eateries. We headed towards the bottom of the street and found a fromagerie. Sample some cheese and buy a small selection. Get some bread from one of the many bakers on the street and make your way back to Contrescarpe to sit and enjoy the rustic snack. Then head to another of the café restaurants for a carafe of white wine. Such a relaxing morning/ early afternoon.

The Louvre

Again, it is advisable to book tickets in advance with a timed entry. We booked for 3:30pm. Get the metro direct to the Louvre and head for the Carousel entrance of the Louvre. It is accessed via an underground shopping mall. Very modern. This entrance had no queue at all and we were straight in. There are free lockers to leave your bags and coats. It is rather hot inside, so strip down to base layers.

We found that the audioguide was a little clunky compared to the d’Orsay. To be honest, we found the Louvre too big. I certainly recommend that you do your research before hand on what you want to see. Head for 2-3 areas that interest you and keep your trip to a concentrated visit. Far too many people we saw were just walking past pieces of art without any clue as to what they were looking for. A host of people headed for the Mona Lisa to take photos of it. I don’t personally see the point. But, for may it is a tick box exercise.

Back to the Latin Quarter- Rue Descartes, Rue Mouffetard and Place de la Contrescarp are buzzing. A young and student vibe here and it is the best place we went for evening drinks. We ate at Maison de Verlaine. This was where poet Paul Verlaine died of ‘alcoholism and squalor’ in 1896. It is also the same building in which Ernest Hemingway had a room on the top floor to write during his time in Paris in the 1920’s.

A rustic stone building that is characterful and boasts very good food. A little cheaper that the other restaurants we visited and possibly a little more ‘touristy’ but I would certainly recommend eating here.

We spent the remainder of the evening at the atmospheric bars that lined the streets around here. Cheap cocktails and lively.

Day 5: Catacombs of Paris, Latin Quarter for lunch, back to the airport.

All good things must come to an end. A morning coffee in the Latin Quarter and then down to the Catacombs. The tickets for the Catacombs were the most difficult to get. Due to ticket fraud, they only sell a week in advance. I got up at the crack of dawn to get mine online, a week before. Well worth it though. You get an audiogude with it and it is absolutely fascinating. I will not spoil it. Once you have seen it, you have seen it. It gets a bit samey towards the end and it is just the right length.

Book online at

And, so the trip was over. We spend the afternoon in out favourite place- Contrescarpe- for some wine and lunch before taking the RER back to the airport.