Follow in the footsteps of revolutionaries and royals on this walking tour that traces the history of the French Revolution in Paris. From the storming of the Bastille to the bloody Reign of Terror, learn about the Revolutions’ causes and consequences as you visit key sites around the city where history was made.

French Revolution walk through Paris
Experience a different side to Paris on an informative guided walk
See the buildings and sites where historic events took place
Place de la Concorde where King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were guillotined
See the Conciergerie Palace and the site of the Bastille Prison

What's Included

Local guide

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Restaurant Divellec
18 Rue Fabert, 75007 Paris, France
Your tour meets outside Restaurant Divellec at 18 Rue Fabert, 75007 Paris, France. The closet public transportation is the Invalides métro station (lines 8 and 13 or RER C); about a 3-5 minute walk to Restaurant Divellec. Look for your guide wearing a Fat Tire Tours t-shirt.

Start time

03:00 PM

End point

Odéon
75006 Paris, France

What To Expect

In the late 18th century, Paris was the stage where most of the bloody events of the French Revolution played out, forever altering the course of European history. Layered beneath the bustle and romance of modern-day Paris, traces of the tumultuous events can still be found.

Your revolutionary walking tour begins near Les Invalides, where you meet your historian guide in the afternoon. Learn how 30,000 weapons were stolen here by protesters and used to overtake the Bastille. Visit the Place de la Bastille, site of the former prison, and listen as your guide recounts the dramatic storming that officially ignited the revolution in 1789.

See where the Tuileries Palace once stood and hear how revolutionaries used its once-royal chambers as headquarters for a fledgling new government. Pass by the imposing Conciergerie, a former prison where Marie Antoinette was held captive after the fall of the monarchy, and stroll through the Place de la Concorde, where she and husband King Louis XVI were both beheaded. Imagine the gruesome scene here as your guide recounts the many lives lost to the guillotine during the bloody years of the Reign of Terror.

When your tour concludes near Notre Dame, depart with a newfound appreciation of the bravery, tyranny and chaos of the Revolution and how it shaped the Paris you see today.

Les Invalides

See Les Invalides from the outside and stop for photos and explanation

8 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Assemblee Nationale

See the Assemblée Nationale and stop for photos and explanation

8 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.5

209 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 209 reviews

re-veal-utionary

Louise_F, Oct 2022

Learnt lots about the revolution. Loved the different stops along the way. Tour not in chronological order which may confuse some.

Engaging afternoon

Desiree_Z, Jun 2022

Knowledgeable and engaging- thank you! Great walk, fascinating details I honestly didn’t know, which is why we booked this :)

Big history in a small doable walk

Deborah_L, Jun 2022

Great small group ( 10 people) with no flag carrying leader who was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the history. Easy walking and significant sights included for 2 1/2 he walk!

Okay tour

Leyla_T, Jun 2022

Guide was quite nice and told some interesting stories, but he seemed to really simplify the history at times and we just wanted more detail. The tour wasn’t always done in chronological order, which sometimes made it hard to follow (I think this was done because of the order of places we stopped at, but I would consider rearranging to give the tour in more of a chronological order). Also felt there was a little too much walking and too little narration - would have liked to cover less ground but hear more history. We are picky about tours and I’d say this didn’t quite meet our expectations.

Great tour of French Revolution

Daniel_G, May 2022

We had a brilliant time on this tour! Guide was really interesting and fun! Learned a lot about the revolution I didn’t know before!

Revolutionary walk.

Danielle_P, Apr 2022

We only stayed for 15 minutes of the tour. We could not hear the guide and he was Not able to hold our attention as he was not a good or clear speaker. My husband was really looking forward to the store we were all greatly disappointed

Terrible

Babar_K, Sep 2021

The guide never showed up. We waited for 40 minutes. Tried to call and sent messages but got no response. Very irresponsible people. Absolutely terrible experience. Avoid.

Facts and Volume

PaulBoris_K, Sep 2021

Interesting facts and representative sites visited. Would be even better with Wifi headsets and or earphines in order to hear the presenter over the traffic.

Chaotic

Marieke_S, Jul 2021

Very chaotic. Not much relavant infomation. Could be very interesting, but was not explained well. Would not recomment it.

A great walk

grahamlomas, Sep 2019

Samantha the guide was in good form, giving just the right amount of information, and clearly very knowledgeable in answering questions.The timings and the stops were well judged. Superb weather helped no doubt.

Excellent Paris Walking Tour- The French Revolution

Alida_G, Aug 2019

You can read about these historical events all you want--there's nothing like seeing them in person! My guide was extremely friendly, super knowledgeable, and a great guide.

Best tour EVER!

Elisabeth_H, Aug 2019

Thomas was awesome, the tour was awesome, I'll definitely be using Fat Tire again. I'm a high school French teacher and I learned so much that I didn't already know about the different sites of the revolution. It was seriously incredible and I highly recommend it.

Excellent tour

Michelle439, Jul 2019

We had a fabulous 2 hour walk with Richard who gave us an enthralling account of the French Revolution(s). He was very clear, concise and above all amusing. The walk is a great way to begin a visit of Paris. Must do this with Richard.

Great tour, great guide.

Richard_P, Jul 2019

The tour was excellent, very interesting facts that put all the amazing buildings into context but what set this tour apart was Oscar and how well he looked after the whole group, from 101 photos, to unscheduled toilet stops - he even tracked down shoes ! He was positive and energetic throughout.

Nice Walking Tour with David

sidk, Jul 2019

Our family of four took the 2 hour French Revolution Walking tour with David. He did a nice job of bringing the history alive for us. We highly recommend.

Phil is a Great tour guide!

Karen_P, Jul 2019

My husband and I enjoyed this two-hour snapshot of the French Revolution. By going on a walking tour, we were able to see so many things we would have missed on a bus tour. Now I know Marie Antoinette never really said, "let them eat cake!"

Vive La Revolution!

JOHN_L, Jun 2019

Our guide Nick was superb. He started us at Les Invalides, a hospital and armory ay the time, where the revolutionaries grabbed more than 30,000 weapons and proceeded to storm the Bastille. At Ptlace de la Revolution (now Concorde) his narrative included the execution of the king and queen (and 3000 others) by guilliotine. Then there was the Reign of Terror.....We ended up in the Tuileries which once held a beautiful royal palace. We spent a couple of hours on an interesting and informative walking tour.....can't say enough about Nick's sense of humor!

CANCELLATION DUE TO GILET JAUNE

Venture35448422387, Mar 2019

I received an email from Viator stating that this had been cancelled due to Gilet Jaune protests. Please could you refund me my money?

Excellent

Richard_D, Oct 2018

The tour guide was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He was also very passionate about the history

The French Revolution Walking Tour

Dawn_H, Oct 2018

Wonderful tour, gave a lovely overview of the French Revolution. I think maybe a half hour longer might be nice,

...