Historic Paris Walk: Uncover the Medieval Heart of the City in a Small Group Tour

Uncover the medieval heart of Paris on a small group tour. Explore historic palaces, Gothic cathedrals, and hidden treasures with a trained historian as your guide.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Pont-Neuf - Discover the city’s oldest bridge & the 1st one to be built in stone
  • Conciergerie - Visit the nation’s 1st royal palace, later transformed into a prison. See the cell where Marie Antoinette spent her final days before being sent to the guillotine.
  • Sainte-Chapelle - Discover the most stunning chapel in France - built in 1248 in the Flamboyant Gothic style. Two thirds of the surface area of this church is composed of stained glass from the 13th Century.
  • Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris - Unfortunately we can no longer enter the cathedral but with the aid of photos & illustrations you can do a “virtual visit”
  • Ile Saint-Louis - We will stroll through an area of Paris that has remained untouched since it was built in the 1600s - with its stately mansions, charming boutiques & lovely baroque church
What's Included
  • Experienced local guide
  • Multimedia presentation on a tablet (photos & videos)
What's Not Included
  • Entrance fees (€17/adult)
  • Food and drinks
  • Transportation to/from attractions & the hotel not included
  • Please note that there is a minimum of 2 persons for this tour to operate
Additional Information

In the middle of Paris, you’ll find two islands that are among the city’s most well-preserved regions, embodying its historical core.

They boast medieval palaces, Gothic cathedrals, and notably, Notre Dame, the oldest monument of the city.

Join me on a trip through Paris’s historical center and uncover remnants from its medieval past, hidden gems of these two stunning districts. As knowledgeable historian, my insights and explanations will aid in understanding the historical and architectural relevance of the buildings we explore. This is not just a casual walk around Paris, but a learning journey into the city’s very foundations!

  • The walk lasts roughly 2 to 2.5 hours - but is not strenuous. Comfortable walking shoes, bottled water & an umbrella are recommended.
  • Entry costs to monuments not included
  • Please note that I an entirely vaccinated
Location
15 Pl. du Pont Neuf
Place du Pont Neuf
The Meeting point is on the Pont Neuf bridge, in front of the statue of King Henry IV seated on his horse. The statue is just across the street from 15 Place du Pont Neuf.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(4 Ratings)
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Allison
Jul 28, 2019
A Deep Dive into the Heart of Paris - My husband and I spent several days with Ellen on our recent trip to Paris. If you are looking to take a deep dive into the neighborhoods of Paris, Ellen is the guide for you! Ellen is excellent at tailoring a special tour just for you. She provides great context for everything she shows you, complete with photos and images that she brings along. Ellen walked with us through the Medieval Heart of Paris (Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis), the Palais Royal District, Montmartre (where the Impressionist Painters lived and worked), Marais and Montorgueil. For each segment of the tour, we learned about Paris’ early inhabitants, it’s architectural evolutions, and political revolutions. Ellen provided other wonderful services; such as: • Ellen took us to the Musee d’Orsay to see the works of the Impressionist artists we had just studied in the Montmartre district. • A special shopping tour in the Marais. • Ellen made restaurant recommendations and then secured our reservations. • Ellen helped to secure our tour of the Louvre. We have had several tour guides throughout our travels – Ellen will go above and beyond your expectations!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scp5421
Dec 17, 2018
The perfect tour! - I joined Ellen for the Medieval Paris tour and had a wonderful time. This is a great tour if you're short on time in Paris, or just want to learn more about medieval history. We visited Pont Neuf, Isle de la Cite, the Conciergerie, Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame, and Isle Saint Louis. Ellen really knows her history, and made seeing familiar places seem like the first time. She also introduced me to new places I'd never visited, and pointed out things I wouldn't have noticed on my own. I highly recommend booking a tour with Ellen while you're in Paris!
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Maninder
Sep 6, 2018
A Great Private Tour by Ellen - I visited Paris recently with family. I am pleased we chose to do Ellen's private guided tour. All of us enjoyed it a lot. Ellen didn't rushed the tour, she even did more time than she said on tour details. She made sure my son (8 years old) is also involved in the tour and kept interacting with him and asking him some interesting questions to keep his interest. We loved everywhere Ellen took us. With our limited knowledge about Christian history, she made sure to make things bit easy for us to understand. It was very informative trip for us. All of us loved it. It was the best thing we did in Paris and we will always remember Ellen for this memory. Plus you are here dealing with single person not a big tour company, so you will get very personal experience . I will highly recommend tours done by Ellen and may do another of her tour's when I am next in Paris.
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Dylancv3791iq
Mar 10, 2022
Visit to the Cathedral - My virtual view on the tour was to my liking, you can now learn more about the history of the cathedral, such as what was built between 1163 and 1245 on the City island and as they call the cathedral, it is the heart of Paris, which is also I was able to get to know Paris and its history. On the tour I was also able to observe the beautiful architecture that the cathedral has and the beautiful works of art that are inside, it is totally made of pure art and I would certainly like to return again one day.
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