Midnight in Montparnasse

Paris between the World Wars was an artistic wonderland, a creative explosion that reshaped modern culture.

On this atmospheric tour, you’ll discover Montparnasse during its golden age from 1910-1930. You’ll find out how it became the beating heart of the avant-garde, attracting artists, writers, and musicians from around the world.

This tour starts at Metro Edgar Quinet and winds through the charming streets of Montparnasse. You’ll walk the same paths once traveled by Picasso, Hemingway, Josephine Baker, and countless other luminaries who made this neighborhood their home. As you explore iconic cafés like La Rotonde and Le Dôme, and the studios where artistic revolutions took shape, you’ll learn how this previously overlooked district became “the center of the world” for a generation of creatives.

Along the way, you’ll discover why Josephine Baker left America for Paris, how Kiki de Montparnasse rose from poverty to become the queen of the quarter, and what made café owners like Victor Libion essential patrons of modern art. The tour ends at the legendary La Closerie des Lilas, where Hemingway wrote parts of The Sun Also Rises and literary salons hosted up to 200 people.

During this 60-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to:

• Visit Place Josephine Baker and learn how this remarkable performer became a French national hero and civil rights pioneer
• Explore Rue Gaîté, once home to Paris’s most vibrant music halls and theaters
• See the legendary Bobino, where stars like Édith Piaf, Georges Brassens, and Charles Aznavour performed
• Discover the former home of Henry Miller, where he hosted his lover Anaïs Nin
• Stand outside the Studio Hôtel, where Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and Isadora Duncan lived
• Visit the crossroads of Vavin, with its four iconic cafés that became the epicenter of artistic life
• Learn how the Dada and Surrealist movements took shape in the small hotels along these streets
• See the courtyard and studios where artists like Camille Claudel lived and worked

Take a step back in time to experience the Paris of legend, where creative freedom flourished, artistic boundaries were shattered, and unforgettable characters found their voice in the city of light.