Benjamin Franklin’s Paris: A Guide to the Revolutionary’s Life in the City

Benjamin Franklin was sent to Paris to persuade the French to support the American War of Independence against the British, and ended up spending almost a decade there. He not only succeeded in his diplomatic mission, but saw the first manned flight in a hot-air balloon, put up the city’s first lightning rod, published life lessons he learnt through chess, fell in love (twice), and sang drinking songs with a stylish abbot.

On this walking tour, you’ll be guided through late-1700s Paris as if by Franklin himself, and hear about the City of Light that he came to know and love from his perspective. You’ll also see the many monuments dotted around the 16th arrondissement that commemorate the first partnership of the newborn United States with its sister republic-to-be, France.

The tour starts at Place des Etats-Unis, the square where you’ll see a bronze statue of George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette shaking hands, a nod to their father-son relationship. You’ll hear about Franklin’s relationship with both men, as well as other key Revolutionary-era players like General Rochambeau and Admiral de Grasse as you make your way to Trocadéro Gardens. You’ll view Palais de Chaillot (a historical palace), traverse Place du Trocadero (a square and terrace overlooking the gardens of the same name), and walk through a secret garden to see Rue Benjamin Franklin (Benjamin Franklin Street). I'll show you the site of the 18-acre estate where Franklin lived, the Hotel de Valentinois (sometimes called the Benjamin Franklin House), where grand parties celebrated the earliest Fourths of July.

On this Paris tour, you’ll see:

• Place des Etats-Unis, with statues of those who worked and fought for France and the United States
• Bronze statues of General Rochambeau, General Washington and Benjamin Franklin
• Place du Trocadero, a square with a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower
• The site of the American Commissioners’ residence during the War for Independence, today’s Hotel de Valentinois
• Where John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams, the second and sixth U.S. presidents, stayed in Paris

By the end of this 45-minute tour, you’ll have a greater appreciation for the role of Americans in Paris during the War of Independence which, as you’ll see, played out on both sides of the pond.