Paris Occupation History WWII 2 Hour Walking Tour

Meeting point

Where

The guide will send you a message the day before, which will allow you to get her contact details. She will be there before the meeting time to welcome you just below the statue. She will be wearing a black cap. · Open in Google Maps

Departure

09:00, 12:30 daily; scheduled through February 2027 (operator schedule, seats confirmed at checkout)

Pickup

No hotel pickup: everyone meets at the start point

Operator

1533walks - Historic Paris Tours; booking and payment are completed on Viator

1. 1
   Place de la Concorde

   The arrival of the Germans in the context of the outbreak of the Second World War and the first days of the occupation in Paris

   15 min
2. 2
   During the occupation, Le Meurice served as the German strategic military headquarters for Greater Paris

   Rue de Rivoli was one of the preferred locations for parades. At this stop, we discuss the year 1940 and how the Germans systematically looted France.

   10 min
3. 3
   At the Ritz, all of Parisian high society gathered

   Here, we discover how Marshal Göring looted antique furniture and took all the hotel’s hot water. Meanwhile, Frank Meier, the secretly Jewish bartender, unknowingly served as a dead drop. We also discuss pro-Nazi plots involving Gabrielle Chanel and members of the British royal family.

   15 min
4. 4
   Place De L'Opera

   Place de l’Opéra was the jewel that Hitler was delighted to visit first during his only trip to Paris. While operas were staged exclusively in German, the National Front of Musicians was organizing to take part in the Resistance.

   15 min
5. 5
   At the Berlitz Palace, in September 1941, the infamous exhibition "The Jew and France" opened

   Its objective? To prepare and manipulate public opinion into accepting the deportation of tens of thousands using Nazi "science." It also discusses the terrible laws against this community.

   15 min
6. 6
   Square Louvois

   Louvois Square is a beautiful and peaceful place of reflection in the heart of the 2nd arrondissement, paying tribute to the many Jews deported during the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup and recalling the role of the French government, which deliberately chose to include children. Thanks to a couple of women in the Resistance, hundreds were hidden and saved. The role of women in the Resistance contributed significantly to granting them the right to vote in 1944.

   15 min
7. 7
   At the old town hall of the 2nd arrondissement, they tell the story of an ordinary resistance: Jacques Bidault, the mayor, is arrested for providing ration tickets to young people who are hiding to avoid the STO, the last terrible idea of the 3rd Reich to try to stem the advance of the allies in Italy and the Russians on the Eastern Front15 min
8. 8
   Rue De Rivoli

   We are back on Rue de Rivoli, where liberation has finally taken place. Seeing their occupiers overwhelmed by the Normandy landings, Parisians go on strike. The police retake the police headquarters, then the city hall. The entire city is a battlefield with barricades, and a merciless struggle ensues to reach the German high command, which is entrenched on Rue de Rivoli.

   15 min

About this tour, from the operator