Private WWII Walking Tour Paris: Occupation History & Hidden Sites

5.00

(4 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first thing that hit me was the quiet on Avenue Foch—odd for such a grand street. Our guide, Pierre, pointed to a nondescript building and said, “That’s where the Gestapo set up shop.” I could almost picture the black cars pulling up in 1943. He told us how Parisians used to call it “avenue des Boches”—not exactly friendly. We paused outside the old entrance; even now, you get a chill thinking about who walked through those doors.

We wandered down the Champs Elysées, dodging morning joggers and delivery vans. Hard to imagine this boulevard once draped in swastika banners for Nazi propaganda parades. Pierre pointed out Fouquet’s and Maxims—both still buzzing with life today—where German officers once dined. There’s something strange about sipping coffee somewhere that was once filled with uniforms and secrets.

At Place de la Concorde, I leaned in close to see tiny bullet holes left from the Liberation fights—easy to miss if you’re not looking for them. Just around the corner at Le Meurice hotel, our guide shared how General von Choltitz ignored Hitler’s orders to destroy Paris. “Is Paris burning?” he quoted from the radio call. The city survived because of one man’s decision right there.