A Walking Tour through Napoleon’s Paris

Paris is a visual gift. From its iconic boulevards with their wrought iron fences and flowered balconies, to the many ornate bridges linking the right and left banks of the Seine, Paris is known widely as the world’s most beautiful and romantic city. For visitors, though, less is known about the city’s remarkable and often complicated history.

On this walking tour, you’ll find out how today’s Paris came to be, and see the city through the eyes of the country’s most famous character: Napoleon Bonaparte.

During this 90-minute tour, you’ll see all of the essential landmarks from the French Revolution and Napoleon’s era, starting with the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in the Tuileries Garden, and ending at Napoleon’s Tomb in the stunning Hôtel des Invalides museum.

From the architectural marvel of the Rue de Rivoli to the imposing Colonne Vendôme, Napoleon Bonaparte left an indelible mark on Paris that you can still see today. As you walk, you’ll get a better understanding of his rise to power, from a Corsican outsider to the most powerful man of the 1800s. We’ll dive into Napoleon’s military origins and successes on the battlefield, and how he sought to memorialize his triumphant conquering of Europe. You’ll also find out how Napoleon (briefly) secured peace in Europe.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

• Stroll down Rue de Castiglione and hear how the British government and royalists tried to assassinate Napoleon
• Find out why Neoclassical architecture became popular after the French Revolution while taking in the impressive Palais Bourbon (the National Assembly)
• Learn about the history behind one of Paris’ most stunning streets, Rue de Rivoli
• Spot French Revolution bullet holes in the facade of the Church of Saint-Roch
• Get a look at the Vendome Column, which is made out of pieces of 180 enemy cannons
• Discover the story behind Paris’ Egyptian landmark, the Luxor Obelisk
• Bite into the city’s best madeleines at Mado à Paris

This 90-minute tour of Paris is guaranteed to satisfy the history buff and Francophile alike. You’ll leave with a great orientation of the city itself, and a much deeper understanding of how this remarkable city came to be.