Paris Literary Tours and History Walking Tours
Discover Paris on foot through themed walking tours that trace the city’s literary, artistic, and political history.
These immersive experiences are guided by our founder who brings centuries of cultural richness and layers of history to life through expert storytelling.
Whether exploring the salons of the Marais, the intellectual history of the Latin Quarter, or the romantic enclave of the Nouvelle-Athènes and the Rue des Martyrs neighbourhood, each of our Paris literary tours and history walking tours is a deeply researched narrative that illuminates the people, movements, and moments that have shaped Paris as both a cultural capital and a lived city.
Our Two Top Paris Literary Tours
These are our two most frequently requested Paris literary tours. Founder Douglas Pierce has been leading these tours for nearly ten years, and they have consistently received five-star ratings.
If you are a literature buff, you will not want to miss taking one of these tours!
Literary Latin Quarter
2 1/2 – 3 hours
This Paris literary tour is our most frequently requested walking tour. Founder Douglas Pierce has been introducing guests to the rich literary past of the Latin Quarter since 2017. Guests have all rated it a five-star tour, and many find it to be one of their Paris highlights.
This tour immerses you in the literary and philosophical past of Paris’s famous Latin Quarter, as well as the district’s history dating back to Gallo-Roman times. Immerse yourself in these places where the memory of great writers and thinkers still linger: Sartre and de Beauvoir, Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud, Sylvia Beach, Gertrude Stein, or Ernest Hemingway …
In no time at all, key periods in the 2,000-year history of the Latin Quarter come to life. It all starts with a lively chat over coffee: you’ll meet your guide in a charming café located on an ancient Roman road, just a stone’s throw from where René Descartes lived during his stays in Paris (and Hemingway some centuries later).
After a brief introduction and some time to get to know each other, guests set off to discover the area that includes the Panthéon, the Sorbonne and Jean-Paul Sartre’s childhood haunts, the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and much more. A total immersion in the history of Paris!
Aristocratic and Literary Marais
2 1/2 – 3 hours
This tour immerses you in the literary and aristocratic past of the historic Marais district. Follow in the footsteps of the district’s illustrious characters such as Madame de Sévigné and Romantics like Victor Hugo and Théophile Gautier …
For hundreds of years, the Marais was the preferred residence of the nobility. In the 17th century, the nobility built magnificent mansions around the Place Royale (now the Place des Vosges), some of which still exist.
The Place des Vosges was also the birthplace of Madame de Sévigné, a leading figure of her time whose literary work is a body of letters that opens a window on aristocratic and courtly life in the 17th century. She was a close friend of literary pioneer Madame de La Fayette. Victor Hugo later lived just a few steps away, as did Colette.
Because of its central role in both aristocratic and literary history, we’ll start at the Place des Vosges (after a chat over coffee) and then set off on foot to explore the surrounding area and its fascinating history. Readings by authors who lived in the district will round off this extraordinary experience.
In addition, we have created the following Paris literary tours and history walking tours for previous guests.
Book one of these or request a customised tour, tailored to your interests.
- Paris Occupied, Paris Liberated – a World War II tour
- Nouvelle Athènes and Rue des Martyrs
- Paris Arcades (‘Passages’) Discovery Tour
- Customised Walking Tours
Explore our walking tours in greater detail below. They will be progressively added below as we update this page.
