Paris WWII Occupation and Liberation Walking Tour

Highlights

Itinerary

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.

   Pass by (no stop)•Admission free•See on map

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.

   Pass by (no stop)•Admission free•See on map

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.

   Pass by (no stop)•Admission free

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.

   Pass by (no stop)•Admission free

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.

   Pass by (no stop)•Admission free•See on map

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.

   Pass by (no stop)•Admission free

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.

   Pass by (no stop)•Admission free•See on map

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.

   Pass by (no stop)•Admission free

Meeting point

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

The map shows Paris. The exact meeting point is the address above.Open larger map

Pickup

• Everyone meets at the start point

Know before you go

• 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.

Cancellation and refunds

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