We've all known - or wished we'd known - a history teacher who managed to immerse us in the great events of French history. At the same time, a guided tour can sometimes seem a little (too) academic. Fortunately, today's history buffs are making these cultural outings fun and rewarding. Let's take a look at 3 of them.
What if historical figures were People like everyone else? What if the tabloids had reported all their antics in their day? It's this hidden face of the powerful, artists and protagonists of all kinds that the Paris Gossip guides invite you to discover through colorful, costumed tours of various Paris districts.
Following in the footsteps of the Countess des Commères or the Archduke des Quendiraton, we're transported back a few centuries to discover what the quest for money, love or power meant for illustrious or little-known characters.
The tours on offer include:
Participative, funny and always instructive: the Princess of Pipelettes or the Duchess of Ouï-Dire await you on the Potins de Paris website for original tours of the capital.
Do you love unveiling great mysteries or discovering juicy anecdotes? You'll be able to do just that on the forty or so tours offered by this specialist Paris operator, which for the past 3 years has been bringing important historical events to life through theatrical tours.
From the clothes worn at the time to the popular songs of the period(s), the Mysteries of Old Paris troupe transports us to the heart of the French Revolution, the Middle Ages and the Paris Commune, as real people.
It's a lively and moving way to (re)visit these events: it's hard not to be moved by Camille Desmoulins' appeal on July 12, 1789, in the gardens of the Palais-Royal, to resist the communicative enthusiasm of 4 medieval troubadours, or to hold back your emotion as you sing the Communards' song of resistance in front of the wall where many of them were executed...
As you can see, Sous les pavés offers history buffs a veritable tour-spectacle, and in September 2024, they'll also be able to put yoursel in the shoes of resistance fighters thanks to a new activity on the Liberation of Paris. To book your trip back in time, visit this site.
The aim of this guide, who - as she says - could have been Louis XIV's community manager and Marie-Antoinette's best friend? To enable everyone to “put a little touch of Versailles in their lives”. Yes, Laurane is passionate about the 17th century, and in particular the way of life under the reign of the Sun King.
In her book “Survival guide to the court of Versailles” she asked herself questions that you'd never expect to be answered. For example:
We had a great time with Laurane! The way she talks about the Bourbons as if they were the Kardashian family is laugh-out-loud funny, and we learned a lot while having fun.
This totally offbeat approach to history is also to be found on the Love and Seduction under the Ancien Regime tour of Paris. In the Marais district, you'll follow in the footsteps of several historical figures, such as Marie Leszczinska, the fertile wife of Louis XV “who could have appeared on the reality show “Larger families”, or Philippe d'Orléans, the “early representative of the LGBTQIA+ team”.
Packed with fun facts, the tour is structured around games and quizzes to keep you entertained, while getting your fill of juicy indiscretions (often naughty, so keep your childish ears away).
After this rich pedestrian stroll, you can head off to one of the capital's cafés that Marie-Antoinette would surely have appreciated.
You'll find these addresses on the Dessous de Versailles website where you can also book this unusual tour of Paris.
Happy discovery(s)!
Valérie from Comme des Français
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Credit photo : ©Romain Jacquot (Sous les pavés's visits)