Paris WWII Occupation and Liberation Walking Tour

Points forts

Itinéraire

1. 1

   Bois de Boulogne

   Once the headquarters of the Gestapo in Paris, this building

   Once the headquarters of the Gestapo in Paris, this building was used to interrogate and torture members of the French Resistance. Inscriptions carved into the walls by prisoners can still be seen today, silent traces of what took place inside.

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2. 2

   Bois de Boulogne

   Requisitioned by the German army from the very first days of the Occupation in June 1940, the Crillon served as a Wehrmacht headquarters overlooking Place de la Concorde, placing the occupier's command post at the heart of the city it now controlled.

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3. 3

   Home to the Ritz, this elegant square became a symbol of the Occupation's excess: Hermann Göring stayed here while looting art across France, and Coco Chanel lived under the same roof throughout the war, a controversial chapter in her story.

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4. 4

   Requisitioned in part by the German high command, the Ritz became a stage for the Occupation's contradictions: Hermann Göring installed himself here amid looted artworks, while Coco Chanel lived on through the war in her suite upstairs, her wartime conduct still debated today.

   Passage sans arrêt•Entrée libre

5. 5

   Bois de Boulogne

   Headquarters of the German military governor of Paris, the Meurice is where General Dietrich von Choltitz, defying Hitler's direct order to burn the city, chose to spare Paris rather than leave it in ruins.

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6. 6

   Under its arcades, daily life carried on in the shadow of Occupation: German soldiers strolled past shop windows, propaganda posters lined the walls, and the street's grand hotels and buildings had, one by one, been requisitioned to house the machinery of German rule over Paris.

   Passage sans arrêt•Entrée libre

7. 7

   1st Arrondissement

   Anticipating the invasion, museum director Jacques Jaujard organized the evacuation of the Louvre's masterpieces to châteaux across the countryside in 1939, leaving its galleries stripped bare throughout the Occupation. His quiet defiance, alongside curator Rose Valland's secret work, helped ensure the museum's collections survived the war intact.

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8. 8

   On 19 August 1944, police officers here raised the tricolour flag and took up arms against the German occupier, sparking the uprising that ignited the Battle for the Liberation of Paris just days before Allied troops entered the city.

   Passage sans arrêt•Entrée libre

Point de rendez-vous

Meet your guide at 11 rue des Saussaies in front of Ministry of the interior.

La carte montre Paris. Le point de rendez-vous exact est l'adresse ci-dessus.Ouvrir une carte plus grande

Prise en charge

• Rendez-vous au point de départ pour tous

À savoir avant de partir

• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Mobile or paper ticket accepted
• One per booking
• Please arrive 15 minutes before the tour start.

Annulation et remboursement

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.