Paris World War 2 The true story of the Occupation 1940-1944 Small group tour

based on 76 reviews

Duration:3 hours to 5 hours (approx.)
Location: Paris, Île-de-France

From $98.83

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Led by one of the top guides in Paris who is an expert in this field, this is a premium small group tour with limited numbers to maintain high quality
You WILL be able Interact and discuss the subjects with your guide at all times unlike generic large group tours that most companies run !
A tour for people who want to gain a broader and deeper understanding of the Occupation of Paris that exposes and breaks stereotypes and idea`s that stood for over 70 years after it`s end and tells them the TRUE story!
From Collaboration, to resistance, to Liberation. This is the REAL story
On this tour we ask WHY not just where and when?!
Learn why for the French this period is often referred to as 'les annees noir' or the dark years but also hear stories of incredible bravery as ordinary people risked their lives to fight back and save those of others
This tour Itinerary remains flexible so PLEASE NOTE listed Stops 12-14 are NOT included in the regular tour but only on special request in advance

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Jardin des Tuileries
Please note that the itinerary Is a SUGGESTED Itinerary and may be subject to change at the guides discretion at any point on the day and tour or after discussion with the group TherfEore NOT all sites listed may be visited , they are examples whilst others not listed may This is to allow a degree of flexibility that is npt usually available with grouo tours and one that allows us to soend extra time at sites that require it or is requested and discuss certain subjects In greater detail if necessary We will meet by the Tuileries metro station and walk through the parc. Here we will have an overview , depending on peoples exisitng level of knowledge, of the history of France leading up to the 2nd WW and the loss of the battle of France in May 1940. and the beggining of the German occupation of Paris on June 14th 1940 to it's end on 25th Augist 1944 We'll also have a brief overview of the interesting history of the Tuileries Gardens and Palace from which it derives it's name
2. Rue de Rivoli
We will take a short walk up Rue de Rivoli and stop at the Hotel Meurice This was the HQ of the German commander of Paris and we discuss the famous story of the final commander,General Dietrich Von Choltitz who disobeyed Hitlers orders to reduce Paris to a pile of rubble if the allies should try to liberate it We will look at the truth and myths behind this most famous story pf the occupation of Paris based upon the famous book and aleter film that was written and made about this in 1965 called " Is Paris Burning" We will also discuss how the actual events that led to the libration of Paris unfolded
3. Rue de Castiglione
German Military High tribunal and German Health and Sanitary offices for German Soldiers We will take a very short walk to the site of what was the Intercontinental hotel durng the Occupation but is now the Westin Hotel Famous for its huge ballroom it was one if the over 400 hotels requisitioned by the German Occupying Force It was the site of the several very important German offices Their Miltary High tribunal or court was based here where many of the most famous trials of resistance groups were held including the very first resistance group in Paris ,Le réseau du Musée de l’Homme In January 1942 leading to 10 death sentences and the deportation of many women Also in Feb 1944 a famous trial of the most dangerous Communist armed Reistance group in Paris took place here leadng to 23 death sentennces On a lighter note we will also discuss the very important role of the German Health department in the lives of the occupying soldiers and those visiting as tourists
4. Place-Vendome
Le Ritz Hotel and 8 Place Vendome" Societe Maurice Duclos" Here we'll see the most famous hotel in Paris, and also the site of one of the very first Intelligence and spy networks set up in Paris from England and also site of the first Radio link between Paris and London The Ritz was the favorite hotel of the most senior Nazis, famously Herman Goering The hotel was divided inti 2 parts by the Germans , with the grand main entrance and part on Place Vendome reserved exclusively for the Germans Unbeknown to them though the bar was also used as "letterbox" and meeting point for the anti Nazi resistance WITHIN the German Army ! It also had may famous occupants including Coco Chanel who spent the entire occupation there with her German Boyfriend and was a German spy We'll also see opposite the site of the Saint Jacques "resistance" network and first radio link with the UK and discuss the truth behind DeGaulles claims to have founded the "French resistance" in June 1940
5.
Site of the very first French Resistance Paper and regarded as THE actual true birthsite of what was to become the "French Resistance" Here on ths tiny street , right under the noses of the German high command we will discover the residence of music pubisher Raymond Deiss, who in October 1940 published what is believed to be the very first Free Journal of occupied France, a paper that he called "Pantagruel" We will discuss the factors that led finally to the beggining of what could be called the true organic French resistance in Octover 1940, 4 months AFTER the German Ocuupation WHY then and not before? We will also discuss how imortant the early resitors were , nearly ALL amateurs, mainly academics and how the resistance began to change late in 1941 as the communists entered it and te very first acts of ARMED reistance began We will also discuss how the true nature of the FRENCH resistance differed greatly from the one DeGaulle promoted after the war and why he did this
6. WH Smith
Site of the oldest British bookshop in Paris requistoned by the Germans and turned into a German Book store A shirt walk from Rouget de Lisle , this c=book shop was closed by the Gaermans and then re=opemed as the biggest German book shop in Paris We will discuss briefly the role of propaganda and control of media amd how the Germans created a list of banned books and publications including one VERY surprising entry! It is also possible to stop here to use the toilet and and visist the very nice tea room' and cafe if you want
7. Jeu de Paume
Storage and processing site for looted Jewish art collections during occupation before shipment to Germany The Jeu de Paume was the infamous site where the Nazis stored valuable art work, paintings, furniture , fapestry etc that was to be sent to Germany either to be part of Hitlers own collection, Goerings collection or to form the basis of the Fuher museum to be built in Linz This was exclusively from priavte Jewish collections or art dealers whi had fled France , many to the USA the most famous being the Rothschilds from whim the Nazis looted some 5000 pieces of art ! Herman Goering visited this museum ver 20 times to view private displays organised by his personal SS expert and took neary 600 pieces for his own collection It is famous or tbe story of Rose Valland who workeed there and secretly kept a record of all the art work and where it was sent helping in the return of over 60,000 pieces post war Under Nazi laws Jews lost their property rights
8. Maxim's de Paris
Possible stop Restauraunt directly requisitioned by Germans Favorite of Nazi High command This famous art Noveau restauraunt on Rue Royale received special priveleges owing to Its direct requsitioning by the Germans for their own use Opened in 1893 on the site of a former Ice cream parlour, following Its art Nouveau transformation for the Grand Exposition of 1900 at which the Eiffel Tower was opened it became one of the Belle Epoque meeting places for "High society!" in Paris When the Germans requistioned it they appointed a German manager and it was reserved for their use and that of their collaborationist guests This meant it was uneffected by the terrible food shortages and rationing that effected most of France with the Germans taking approxinately 70% of resources Here we will contrast this with the problems faced by normal French people in acquiring food and talk about the inadequate rationing system and how it both physically and psychologically effected the French
9. Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore
Soldatekafe Madelaine Soldiers Cafe Madelaine Time permitting we may take detour here and vist the site of one of the Cafes the Germans requisitioned for their troops The Germans requistioned 3 cinemas in Paris exlusively for the use of their soldiers plus a number of cafes and restauraunts thus the name "Soladaten"or soldiers placed in front These cafes in total could serve up to 25,000 meals a day The Germans mainly used Paris a recreation centre so along with the garrison stationed there they woud send large grouos of young German soldiers in tourist trips to Paris Like any tourists they woud receive a guide to Paris called "Wohin Paris" or whats in Paris inwhich a list of the requistioned places was listed and on theri trip be taken on a guided tour of the city which included a mandatory climb of the Eiffle tower, as the French had sabotaged the lifts Wohin Paris grew from only 10 pages long In 1940 to nearly 100 by 1944 We will discuss life for the German soldier
10. Hotel de la Marine
The history of the sqaure The Chamber of deputies and the Egyptiian Obelisk and German Strong point The Germans made this whole area their biggest strongpoint in the city They occuppied all the major buildings here Looking across Place de La Concorde from outisde the Naval minestery l I will point out the important landmarks and their stories from ALL of French history The Iconic Egyptian Obelisk and story of how it was gifted to France and its LONG voyage and erection The exact sites of the guillotine when Louis IVI and Marie Atoinette where excecuted and its NOT where most people think ! Across the bridge we will see the French Parliaments chamber of Deputies, used by the Germans as a quartemasters HQ and I will explain its symbolism in the very first MASS campaign of defiance against the Germans which was organized by Radio from London in March 1941 in which thousands of Parisians took part The hoitel crillon and Naval ministry twin buildings both used by the Germans
11. Place de la Concorde
The Liberation of Paris and the aftermath Returning to the Tuleries we will have a panoramic view overlooking the square I will explain the events that took Place during the battle there on 25th August 1944 Including the ONLY building in Paris destroyed during the entire occupation I will also show you hidden remanants of the battle Even though the German comnander had surrended there was no immediate way of informing the troops here so fighting continued for some time after The Naval Minstry and the Hotel Crillon are twin buidings ,both were used by the Germans , the Crillon is where the very first meeting took place on 14th June 1940 between the Gernans and the French Police Chief and William Bullit the US ambassador when they entered the ciity We will finish with the aftermath and post war French censorship of the real events of the Hoiocaust and their collacboration for over 50 years ! Unless combined with the Marais on special request this is the END point of the tour
12. Eglise Saint-Paul Saint-Louis
The Marais/old Jewish quarter or Pletzl These stops are ONLY on Request This and the following 2 stops I list can be combined with the preceding Itenerary if a whole group has a particular interest in the Shoah /Holocaust but only by advance request It can ALSO be requested as a PRIVATE tour in an extended format after booking by contacting me as all private bookings have a flexible itenerary anyway It allows us to take a more in depth look at the most infamous aspect of the Vichy Government and Nazi Occupation of France , the deportation and murder of 76,000 Jews mainly at Auschwitz Whilst we do cover this subject already in the preceding Itenerary , it is also the subject I find people are most likely to have an explcit interest in for various reasons It is a stand alone subject that can easily take up a whole tour so In the event of a trip to the Marais being added to the itenerary some of the preceding 11 suggested stops on the general tour will be removed to make time
13. La Rue des Rosiers
The Pletzl/Jewish quarter As explained , if included as part of the tour on request after our journey to the Marais and introduction we will enter the streets of the old JewIsh Quarter around the famous Rue des Rosiers, (or street of the Rosebushes )and explore the history of the area and of Jews in france Thus will include the rise of anti semitism in the 20th Century leading to the Vichy Givernments anti semitic laws of 1940 and the gradual erosion of Jewish people rights culminating In the implemantation of the final solution in 1942 which we will analyse We will discuss the French States leading roll in this particularly the French Police and Pierre Laval , the Prime Minister We will see many plaques to victims, several schools and synagogues and several important memorials where we will stop and discuss some of indvidual the stories behind them and the personal accounts of the victims of the most famous round up of Jews, the Vel'Dhiv rafle of 16th July 1942
14. Memorial De La Shoah
The Holcaust memorial and wall of the righteous After exiting the streets of the Pletzl we will walk the short distance across Rue de Rivoli to the official Mmeorial de La Shoah where the tour will end We will see the names of over 3000 French people on the wall of the righteous who have been awarded the title "Righteous amongst Nations" by the state of Israel for saving the lives of Jewish men women and children during the Holocaust Here we will hear in detail the story of one of these people who saved the lives of hundreds of Jewish children in an act of incredible humanity and bravery We will also hear about how firstly DeGaulle and then the French state managed the aftermath of the holocaust both physically and psychologically and how it took France 50 years to finally come to terms with the reckoning of its wartime guilt We will see how this actually changed the whole perception of the occupation and the notion of "resistance" as a result "

ADDITIONAL INFO

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• IMPORTANT ALL WEEKDAY TOURS REQUIRE A MINIMUM OF 3 PEOPLE TO RUN ALL WEEKEND TOURS REQUIRE A MINIMUM OF 4 PEOPLE
• For this reason bookings made less than 2 weeks before the requetsed date will usually only be accepted if they meet the minimum required number of people OR the tour already has the minimum required number of people already booked
• Booking request made 2 weeks or more before a tour may be accepted still even if at the time the tour deosn't have enough people to run This Is because there is still reasonable time for more people to join the tour
• The guide resrves the right to cancel any tour up to 24 hours before if the numbers on the tour fall below the required minimum number owing to LATE CANCELLATIONS by people ThIs is unfortunate but does occur and is Inconvinient to both myself and the other remaining people who may now be effected I am NOT a large tour company who provides LARGE group generic Impersonal tours and to whom even multiple late cancellations have no effect as their tours are so large , I am an Individual expert guide who ONLY works with small groups providing higher quality tours So this means I have a very small margin between having and not having enough people on a tour to run It so please be considerate and AVOID cancelling within 72 hours of a tour unless due to an emergency or medical reason even though a refund Is still available up to 24 hrs before of course
• The right to cancel a tour that falls below the minimum number of people is exclusive of cancellations due to so called !Acts of God," Force Majeur and Medical or health related reasons for which a tour may be cancelled at any point Obviously this does NOT occur very often
• All cancellations made for whatever reason by the guide themself ,even within 24 hours of a tour are of course subject to a FULL refund
• The guide does not take cancelling tours lightly , especially at short notice and will only do so for the reasons listed above However they wil also propose an alternative date when doing so or see if there is a solution to enable the tour to still run if possible
• If a booking has been accepted more than 2 weeks in advance and by 5-7 days before the minimum number of people has still not been met the guide will contact the guests to notify them and discuss possible solutions If the tour remains below ther minimum number required

CANCELLATION POLICY

Posted By : Linda_J
Our guide, Chris, was OUTSTANDING. He was SO smart, so knowledgeable, took his time. What an educational experience!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-30 14:58:31

Posted By : Leonard_M
Chris is very passionate about his work. Super knowledgeable in French history related to the holocaust and French resistance. He explains in detail how the French Government ultimately assisted the Germans in murdering Jews during WW 2. He brings pictures, books, statistics and walks you around the Jewish quarter of Le Marais area. Shows you the actual buildings etc of the victims. If you have any interest in WW 2 or the holocaust this tour is worth the cost.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-14 07:22:30

Posted By : Suzanne_M
Chris is a very passionate man when it comes to his knowledge. So much so that the amount of knowledge was neally too much to recall. However he was very good in explaining the various parties including the French themselves.
Our only recommendation for Chris is to slow down his talking, as Aussies we coped barely, but the American couple found it difficult.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-02 04:09:51

Posted By : SusanJoy62
Chris is a wealth of knowledge! He share a perspective of Nazi occupation that we had not heard before despite our readings and discussions on WWII before. Very interesting to hear about the participation of the French Police that was “hidden” for years. My only issue was how little we walked in the 3+ hours. . It was difficult to stand in one place for such a long time. He would be better offering a “salon like” discussion with tea once you visit the few locations during the tour. He also should take “ breathers” so attendees can sit and ask questions. You feel as if you are interrupting him since he is so full of knowledge but don’t hesitate to do that since he is very open to it.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-05-01 07:29:34

Posted By : jeffreyhA647YQ
Chris provided us with an outstanding tour. He was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the topic telling numerous stories about the roles and activities of lots of individuals (both famous and not famous). There were four of us in our group and we all learned a lot and found him quite entertaining. We all went into the tour feeling somewhat knowledgeable about the time period. Turns out that we knew less than we thought. He was great!
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-22 16:04:52

Posted By : Laura_S
Chris was a wealth of information and always answered all of my questions thoroughly. He gave us an in depth view of why the resistance happened
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-15 06:16:07

Posted By : Michael_W
Chris was great and went on at great length with his knowledge of Paris leading up to the war, during the war and after the war.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-14 16:51:54

Posted By : Nancy_P
Chris was an amazing tour guide!!! Me and my mom booked this tour for our girls trip to Paris and as history lovers, this tour caught our eyes. Not only did Chris have a wonderful sense of humor and a surplus of knowledge on the German occupancy of WWII Paris, but a passion that made the experience so much more enjoyable and interesting. As someone who has always had an interest in WWII history, Chris provided information and new perspective that really expanded my understanding of the Paris occupation in different context. Highly recommend this tour if you are interested in the History and looking for an engaging experience with a guide who really loves to share his knowledge.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-11 17:08:45

Posted By : mary
Wow! This tour was even better than I expected! Chris gives generously of his valuable time and his considerable knowledge of World War II History. It is a must for all who are interested in one of the darkest hours in Parisian history.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-05 15:24:47

Posted By : Todd_S
Chris was top notch l. So much knowledge and can steer in the direction you are most interested in. If at all interested in this tour I highly recommend him.
Rating : full ratings
Posted On : 2024-04-02 12:46:57

Retrieving available

Tickets

Paris World War 2 The true story of the Occupation 1940-1944 Small group tour

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Jardin des Tuileries

2. Rue de Rivoli

3. Rue de Castiglione

4. Place-Vendome

5.

6. WH Smith

7. Jeu de Paume

8. Maxim's de Paris

9. Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore

10. Hotel de la Marine

11. Place de la Concorde

12. Eglise Saint-Paul Saint-Louis

13. La Rue des Rosiers

14. Memorial De La Shoah

ADDITIONAL INFO

CANCELLATION POLICY

Partner Resources

How it works

Travel

Insurance

Adventure

Contact

Retrieving available

Tickets

Paris World War 2 The true story of the Occupation 1940-1944 Small group tour

WHAT'S INCLUDED ⟱

WHAT TO EXPECT ⟱

1. Jardin des Tuileries

2. Rue de Rivoli

3. Rue de Castiglione

4. Place-Vendome

5.

6. WH Smith

7. Jeu de Paume

8. Maxim's de Paris

9. Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore

10. Hotel de la Marine

11. Place de la Concorde

12. Eglise Saint-Paul Saint-Louis

13. La Rue des Rosiers

14. Memorial De La Shoah

ADDITIONAL INFO ⟱

CANCELLATION POLICY ⟱

Partner Resources

How it works

Travel

Insurance

Adventure

Contact

WHAT'S INCLUDED

WHAT TO EXPECT

ADDITIONAL INFO

CANCELLATION POLICY