hemingway's paris walking tour

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A Moveable Feast! Self-Guided Hemingway Tour, Paris

Ernest hemingway in paris.

For Ernest Hemingway , Paris was an inspiring and vital place of history, beauty, and art. Ernest Hemingway lived in Paris from 1921 to 1928 and returned several times.

In 1920 Sherwood Anderson, also a writer, urged a young Hemingway and his wife Hadley to connect with Paris, promising his writing would improve and they would meet important people. For Hemingway, who was starting as a writer in those early years, Paris was simply the best place in the world to work, and it remained the city he loved most.

A Moveable Feast is Hemingway’s classic memoir of his early days in Paris, from 1921 to 1926. In the novel, Hemingway depicts an idyllic city invested by a swarm of more or less broke artists who, like him, haunted the cafés of Saint-Germain and Montparnasse in the roaring twenties.

During this Hemingway’s Paris Walking Tour (self-guided), you will visit all the places that still remain impregnated by his memory, complemented with some funny anecdotes about Ernest Hemingway in Paris and extracts from the novel. While you will not find goatherds piping their flocks through the streets of Paris anymore, you can still get the sense of how Hemingway’s Paris must have been.

TIP: Take this walking tour of the Left Bank to discover the ‘Lost Generation’ of artists, writers, and jazz musicians who flocked to Paris between the two World Wars.

Hemingway Paris Tour (Self-Guided)

This self-guided Hemingway’s Paris walking tour is long and can last a full day. For your convenience, we split this Paris Hemingway tour into different parts, each part exploring a particular area of the city. This minimizes your walking time between places as well as transportation costs. For each area, there’s a map with our suggested stops.

This tour covers iconic places like the Cafe des Amateurs, Michaud’s Paris, and the Luxembourg Gardens. Follow this Hemingway Tour Paris step by step, or change it up to suit your individual preferences.

TIP: Check out our Paris by Arrondissement Guide to find your bearings during this walking tour .

Hemingway’s Paris – The Latin Quarter

Click here to view the Map on Google

TIP: To get the most out of this Hemingway Paris Tour, we recommend getting a copy of Hemingway’s novel A Moveable Feast . You can buy this novel here .

Place de la Contrescarpe – Cafe des Amateurs

The starting point of this Hemingway walking tour Paris is Place de la Contrescarpe (#1), in the fifth Arrondissement . If there’s a place that is truly a moveable feast in Paris, this is Place de la Contrescarpe.

Place de la Contrescarpe is a lively square in the Latin Quarter with nice café terraces, perfect for people-watching with your favorite drink, and a good mix of tourists and locals.

At 2 Place de la Contrescarpe, there was the Cafe des Amateurs (#2) , regularly frequented by drunkards from the neighboring houses. Hemingway wasn’t very fond of this place but started his novel A Moveable Feast with the description of the Cafe des Amateurs: 

“The Cafe des Amateurs was the cesspool of the Rue Mouffetard, that wonderful narrow crowded market street which led into the Place Contrescarpe.”

The Cafe des Amateurs no longer exists, at least under that name. Now it’s Café Delmas, a popular place frequented by students from the lycées around. We prefer to have our cold beers at the Café Gaston, instead, also on this square.

Rue Mouffetard

Just in front of Cafe des Amateurs and Gaston, there’s Rue Mouffetard (#3) , “that wonderful narrow crowded market street which led into the Place Contrescarpe.”

Rue Mouffetard is still one of the city’s liveliest market streets, but it has become very touristy. Rue Mouffetard is a paradise for foodies, with many specialty shops like fromageries, pâtisseries, and wine shops.

74 Rue Cardinal Lemoine

From January 1922 to August 1923, young Hemingway and his wife Hadley rented a two-room flat on the third floor (middle doors) at 74 Rue Cardinal Lemoine (#4) to begin a new life in Paris.

At that time, the Quartier Latin was an old working-class neighborhood of the fifth Arrondissement of Paris, far from the beautiful cafés and restaurants of Saint-Germain.

Hemingway wanted to spend their little store of money for travel and recreation, not fancy digs, and Hadley was as enthusiastic as he was about exploring other parts of Europe.

The apartment at 74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine had no hot water and no toilet facilities, but it was available for only 250 francs per month (about 20$). Finally, the couple agreed that they should take it, and Paris was still wet when they moved in on 9 January 1922 …

“Home in the Rue Cardinal Lemoine was a two-room flat that had no hot water and no inside toilet facilities except an antiseptic container, not uncomfortable to anyone who was used to a Michigan outhouse.” 

39 Rue Descartes

Though Hemingway initially came to Paris as a journalist for the Toronto Star , he was determined to become a proper writer. To this end, he took a room in a hotel around the corner at 39 Rue Descartes (#5) to have a quiet space for writing. Previously, this place had been a hotel where the French poet Paul Verlaine died in January 1896.

“The fireplace drew well in the room and it was warm and pleasant to work. I brought mandarines and roasted chestnuts to the room in paper packages and peeled and ate the small tangerine-like oranges and threw their skins and spat their seeds in the fire when I ate them and roasted chestnuts when I was hungry. I was always hungry with the walking and the cold and the working. Up in the room, I had a bottle of kirsch that we had brought back from the mountains and I took a drink of kirsch when I would get toward the end of a story or toward the end of the day’s work.”

From Rue Descartes, Hemingway could walk to a “Good Cafe on the Place St. Michel ” – which no longer exists – or to the Luxembourg Gardens. Thanks to A Moveable Feast , we can retrace his steps:

“I walked down past the Lycée Henri Quatre and the ancient church of St. Etienne du Mont and the windswept Place du Panthéon and cut in for shelter to the right and finally came out on the lee side of the Boulevard St. – Michel . . .”

Hemingway’s Paris – Around The Luxembourg Gardens

The Luxembourg Gardens

This Hemingway tour Paris moves now to chic Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, which was not that chic at that time.

The Luxembourg Gardens (#6) is a lovely garden in the 6th Arrondissement of Paris where Hemingway often walked, especially “in the early days when we were very poor and very happy.” It seems that Hemingway walked through the Luxembourg Gardens to avoid temptation when he was too hungry:

“ The best place to do it was the Luxembourg Gardens where you saw and smelled nothing to eat all the way from the Place de l’Observatoire to the Rue de Vaugirard.”

During a harsh winter, Hemingway – penniless and hungry – would sometimes hunt pigeons in the Luxembourg Gardens, snapping their necks and hiding their bodies in his son’s pram. But as often with Hemingway, the fiction may have exceeded the reality …

This beautiful garden is also where Hadley and the kid came to escape their small apartment, while Hemingway was working.

The Luxembourg Gardens is today one of the most popular parks amongst locals and an excellent place for a picnic on the grass or for an afternoon stroll. Don’t miss the pond in front of the Senate Palace or the Médicis Fountain , one of the most romantic places in Paris .

 The Luxembourg Museum

In the Luxembourg Gardens Hemingway also liked to visit the Luxembourg Museum (#7) . Actually, he visited the Luxembourg Museum nearly every day “for the Cézannes and the Monets and the other Impressionists that he had first come to know in the Art Institute of Chicago.”

“There you could always go into the Luxembourg Museum and all the paintings were sharper and clearer and more beautiful if you were belly-empty, hollow-hungry. I learned to understand Cézanne much better and to see truly how he made landscapes when I was hungry.”

The Musée du Luxembourg was the first French museum to open to the public in 1750 and, in 1818, it became the first museum of contemporary art. Today the Musée du Luxembourg is a popular museum amongst locals that always proposes interesting exhibitions – Check out the Current Exhibitions at Musée du Luxembourg

27 Rue de Fleurus

If the light at Luxembourg Gardens was gone, Hemingway liked to walk through the gardens and stop in at 27 Rue de Fleurus (#8) , the studio apartment where his friend Gertrude Stein lived.

“It was easy to get into the habit of stopping in at 27 Rue de Fleurus for warmth and the great pictures and the conversation.”

Sherwood Anderson provided Hemingway with letters of introduction to Gertrude Stein, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, and the publisher Sylvia Beach . Hemingway wrote to Anderson: “Your letters of introduction were like launching a boat into water.”

In early March 1922, Hemingway had his first encounter with the American writer and art collector Gertrude Stein . Stein was happy to serve as a mentor for an ardent and serious young writer, and they had interesting conversations about arts, literature, and life in general.

In Hemingway’s Paris memoir, he describes his encounters with Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein in great detail (e.g. chapter Miss Stein Instructs …). Gertrude Stein introduced him to writers and artists and to new ideas about painting and writing.

“It was like one of the best rooms in the finest museum except there was a big fireplace and it was warm and comfortable and they gave you good things to eat and tea and natural distilled liqueurs made from purple plums, yellow plums or wild raspberries …”.

Today, there’s not much to see at 27 Rue de Fleurus, but there’s a plaque on the front entrance. But you still can see Gertrude Stein’s desktop and other personal objects at Musée Carnavalet in Le Marais.

Shakespeare & Company (the Original One!)

This Hemingway Paris tour now moves south to Rue de l’Odéon. Shakespeare & Company (#9) at 12 Rue de l’Odéon was an avant-garde address and the refuge of English-speaking expatriates: the poet Ezra Pound, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, and more.

Notorious lesbian, collector of art, and figure of the Paris of the Roaring Twenties, Sylvia Beach was a friend, mentor, and supporter of many of the key literary figures of the day living in and around the Latin Quarter. It was Sylvia Beach who published James Joyce’s classic Ulysses for the first time after many other publishers had rejected the book because of their fear of being prosecuted (a plaque marks this literary milestone today).

In A Moveable Feast , Ernest Hemingway dedicates a full chapter to Shakespeare & Company and Sylvia Beach. Beach borrowed Hemingway many books, took Hem under her wing, and pushed him to put aside journalism to devote himself to literature.

“On a cold windswept street, this was a lovely, warm, cheerful place with a big stove in winter, tables, and shelves of books, new books in the window, and photographs on the wall of famous writers both dead and living”.

Today, there’s not much to see apart from the plaque commemorating the publication of Ulysses. However, on the same street, there are a couple of ancient bookshops ( Librairie Rieffel at 15 Rue de l’Odéon, Le Coupe Papier at 19 Rue de l’Odéon, and Librairie Montecristo at 5 Rue de l’Odéon) that can give an idea of how Shakespeare & Company could look like.

Hemingway’s Paris – Saint Germain-des-Prés 

This Hemingway walking tour Paris continues in the neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés . After the Second World War, Saint-Germain became a center of intellectual and cultural life in Paris, with the presence of interesting writers and artists like Marguerite Duras, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, François Truffaut, Picasso, Giacometti, and many more. All these cool people liked to wander around Saint-Germain and enjoy its particular atmosphere and a good intellectual discussion at  Café Les Deux Magots  or  Café de Flore .

Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore

For breakfast, lunch, or a late-afternoon cocktail before dinner, the Hemingways could stroll to the Boulevard Saint-Germain and try to find a table at these two very-popular cafés. In A Moveable Feast , we find Hemingway and James Joyce having drinks at Les Deux Magots (#10).

“He asked me to drink with him and we went to Les Deux Magots and ordered dry sherry although you will always read that he drank only Swiss white wine.”

Today Café de Flore (#11) and Les Deux Magots are populated by tourists who don’t mind paying exorbitant prices to have a coffee or one of Hem’s favorite cocktails (a daiquiri or martini) in the places where he loved to hang around with his friends.

Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots are also the perfect places to enjoy people-watching on the Left Bank. They are two typical Parisian cafés where the waiters are still dressed up in the traditional black-and-white uniforms: black waistcoats and dickey bow ties and a large, white, linen napkin draped over their left forearm.

Brasserie Lipp

On the other side of Boulevard Saint-Germain, we find Brasserie Lipp (#13) , another iconic location on the Hemingway in Paris map. Brasserie Lipp was one of Hemingway’s favorites, especially for a cold beer.

“There were few people in the brasserie [Lipp] and when I sat down on the bench against the wall with the mirror in back and a table in front and the waiter asked if I wanted beer I asked for a distingue, the big glass mug that held a liter, and for a potato salad. The beer was very cold and wonderful to drink. The pommes à l’huile were firm and marinated and the olive oil delicious.”

When Hemingway was living in Paris, the Left Bank was a cheap area to live and hang around, which is why the usually impoverished artists and writers would congregate there. Only five weeks after arriving in Paris, Hemingway wrote an article for The Toronto Star Weekly  describing how cheap it was to live in the city (“Living on $1,000 a Year in Paris”, 4 February 1922).

Michaud’s Paris

An exception to this general rule was Michaud’s (#13), a fancy restaurant on the corner of the Rue Jacob and the Rue des Saints-Pères (today named Le Comptoir des Saints-Pères).

In A Moveable Feast , Ernest Hemingway reports seeing Joyce and his family eating at Michaud’s Paris. Michaud’s was an expensive restaurant for the Hemingways, but Hem and his wife treated themselves to dinner there after winning some money at the races at Auteuil or Enghien.

Hotel d’Angleterre

the Hotel d’Angleterre (#14) at 44 Rue Jacob, and more specifically room #14, was the place where the Hemingways spent their first night in Paris in 1921.

L’Hotel d’Angleterre hosted in the past the former embassy of England (hence its name) during the preparation of the Treaty of Paris. With the Treaty of Paris, signed on 3 September 1783, England recognized the independence of the United States of America.

This private mansion later became a hotel for tourists (with the name of Hotel Jacob and then Hotel d’Angleterre again), quite popular amongst many American celebrities.

The room price at Hotel d’Angleterre is today much higher than the 30$ a month (+ 2.5 francs for breakfast) paid by the Hemingways, but it is a good hotel located within walking distance of the Louvre, Notre Dame, or Jardin des Tuileries. It is always possible to book Hemingway’s room #14 – Click Here for the Hotel Latest Prices

Not far from the hotel, you can find the  Cafe Pré aux Clercs (#15) , one of Hemingway’s favorite cafés in Paris.

The Banks of the Seine and the Bouquinistes

The Hotel d’Angleterre is just a five-minute walk from the Seine River. Walk down Rue des Saints Augustins to the River Seine, where Hemingway spent many hours strolling through these iconic second-hand bookstalls along Quai des Grands Augustins (#16) . Their collections today are just as eclectic as in the 1920s, mixed with kitsch souvenirs for tourists.

In the center of the Seine River, there’s Ile de Saint Louis , where Hemingway liked to see the fishermen in action and sometimes eat a good friture.

“I knew several of the men who fished the fruitful parts of the Seine between the Ile de Saint Louis and the Square du Vert Galant and sometimes, if the day was bright, I would buy a liter of wine and a piece of bread and some sausages and sit in the sun and read one of the books I had bought and watch the fishing.”

The fishermen left the Seine’s banks in Paris a long time ago, but it is still nice to sit at Square du Vert Galant (#17) , with your feed dandling over the water, and see the riverboats sailing up and down the river.

The Louvre Museum

Take Pont Neuf to cross the river to the Seine’s Right Bank. Then, head to the Louvre Museum , which Hemingway knew quite well.

In A Moveable Feast , Scott Fitzgerald confided in Hemingway during a dinner at Michaud’s Paris that he was worried about the size of his penis. Hemingway took him into the toilet, studied it, and reassured him that there was nothing to worry about. Because Fitzgerald did not look that convinced, the friends ended up at the Louvre Museum, where they could wander amongst the Greek and Roman sculptures and compare.

“We went over to the Louvre and he looked at the statues but still, he was doubtful about himself. “It is not basically a question of the size in repose,” I said. “It is the size that it becomes. It is also a question of angle.”

Apart from the classical, well-proportioned sculptures, don’t miss the opportunity to explore other sections of the Louvre. After all, this is the world’s best museum! – Click here to buy your tickets to the Louvre Museum

TIP: Check out how to get the most out of the Louvre in 2 hours or less! 

“Paris is the Ritz”

The Ritz Hotel (#19) , located at the elegant Place Vendôme, is one of the most luxurious historic hotels in Paris . We have always seen it as the beginning of Hemingway’s Moveable Feast.

Ernest Hemingway discovered the Ritz thanks to his friend F. Scott Fitzgerald, and it was love at first sight. During his early days in Paris, Hemingway had to scrimp on his meager income for a drink at the Ritz every week. Later, when he was already a successful author, he made the hotel his Parisian home because, in his eyes, “Paris is the Ritz.” – Click Here for the Hotel Latest Prices

“When I dream of afterlife in heaven, the action always takes place in the Paris Ritz.”

In November 1956, the management of the Ritz Hotel convinced Ernest Hemingway to repossess two small steamer trunks that he had stored there in March 1928. The trunks contained forgotten remnants and many pages of notes from his first years in Paris. This material traveled from the Ritz Paris to the Finca in Cuba aboard the Ile de France in a large Louis Vuitton steamer trunk.

With these notes, Ernest Hemingway began work on ‘The Paris Sketches’ in the summer of 1957, and the sketches followed him in Ketchum, Spain, and Paris in the fall of 1959. By November 1959, Hemingway had delivered to his editor a draft of the manuscript without a title that lacked only an introduction and the final chapter. A Moveable Feast was published posthumously in 1964 with significant changes by the editors.

Today the bar at the Ritz Paris is named Bar Hemingway to commemorate its famous guest. The bar still displays his memorabilia.

Did Hemingway Liberate the Ritz at the end of WWII?

This is another legend about Ernest Hemingway in Paris which unfortunately is not true. Hemingway resumed his work as a war reporter when US troops decided to land on the Normandy coast in June 1944. Attached to the 22nd Infantry Regiment of the 4th US Division as a civilian, he was one of the privileged witnesses of the landing of 6 June, then the advances of the Allies towards the French grounds.

By mid-August, Hemingway was in Rambouillet alongside the US and French troops. Playing with his influence, he managed to meet General Leclerc, who marched in Paris a few days later. He asked him to let him immediately go to Paris with a troop so that he could be the first American to walk the streets of the capital. The general, who thought that Hemingway was crazy, rejected the idea. A resistant fighter met on the spot also remembered that the author “did not talk about anything else but to be the first American in Paris and liberate the Ritz. “

On August 25, the last day of the Battle of Paris, when most of the German soldiers still alive left the capital or were taken prisoners, Hemingway finally arrived at Place Vendôme. Accompanied by a small group of Resistance Rambolitans, he burst into the Ritz, gun in hand, determined to end the Germans who have seized his favorite hotel. “I’m coming to free the Ritz!,” he said, tumbling into the building. But the French flag was already on the roof of the hotel, and the Germans were far away. “Of course, Mr. Hemingway, but please leave your gun in front of the door,” said Claude Azello, the hotel director. After dropping his weapon on his Jeep, Hemingway returned to the Ritz Bar counter to drink 51 glasses of his favorite drink, dry martini.

Hemingway’s Paris – Montparnasse

113 Rue Notre Dame des Champs

This Hemingway tour Paris moves now to the neighborhood Montparnasse, full of iconic places related to Hemingway’s second stay in Paris.

After the birth of their first son in Canada, the Hemingways moved back to Paris to 113 Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs (#20) , above a sawmill (which is why the apartment was cheap).

The apartment had no electricity, but it was large enough for a family of three. The poet Ezra Pound lived at No. 70, and it was here where he introduced Hemingway to one of his first publishers, Ernest Walsh. This apartment was located on the southern tip of the Jardin du Luxembourg, a brief walk from Stein’s apartment. 

Today the concrete-coated block is part of the Ecole Alsacienne, but the 70 Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs is worth the visit; Hemingway’s building might have looked like this one.

La Closerie des Lilas 

“To have come on all this new world of writing, with time to read in a city like Paris where there was a way of living well and working, no matter how poor you were, was like having a great treasure given to you.”

La Closerie des Lilas (#21) was Hemingway’s favorite café during his last years in Paris. During Hemingway’s second stay in Paris, he established his headquarters at La Closerie des Lilas (the café has its own chapter in the novel), located near Hemingway’s second apartment in Montparnasse.

Hemingway spent hours at the Closerie des Lilas writing. In 1925, he wrote in this café one of his masterpieces, The Sun Also Rises .

“The Closerie des Lilas was the nearest good café when we lived down the Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, in the top floor of the pavilion in the courtyard with the sawmill, and it was one of the nicest cafés in Paris. It was warm inside in the winter and in the spring and fall it was very fine outside with the tables under the shade of the trees on the side where the statue of Marshal Ney was, and the square, regular tables under the big awnings along the boulevard.”

Today you can sit at the front of this Hemingway café and do like Hem, “ keep the statue company and drank a cold beer before going home .” Marshal Ney’s statue is still there, flourishing his sword against the enemies of Napoleon I !

Today, the Closeria des Lilas is a fancy restaurant with delicious French food and impeccable service à la française . The restaurant also has a part running as a brasserie, with a different menu and more modest prices. The last time we went there (during the week), there was live piano music.

Just beyond it, across the road, you can see the sign of the Hotel Beauvoir , where Hadley Hemingway and their young son stayed after Ernest left her for Pauline. Paris began to turn sour for all of them.

“Paris was never to be the same again, although it was always Paris and you changed as it changed, ” he wrote of the break-up.

Around Boulevard de Montparnasse

Not far from La Closerie des Lilas, along Boulevard de Montparnasse, you can find Le Dôme (#23) , Le Select (#24) , La Coupole (#26) , and La Rotonde (#25) , four brasseries and American Bars well known to Hemingway and his tribe.

“The Dôme was crowded too […] There were models who had worked and there were painters who had worked until the light was gone and there were writers who had finished a day’s work for better or for worse, and there were drinkers and characters, some of whom I knew and some that they were only decoration.”

Also in this area, at 10 Rue Delambre, you can find the historic site of Dingo Bar . This is the bar where Hemingway first met Fitzgerald and the two English aristocrats on whom he based the characters of Duff Twysden and Mike Guthrie in The Sun Also Rises .

Today, Dingo Bar is called the Auberge de Venise , and it is a good place to eat Italian food. The prices on the menu are correct, so it’s an excellent opportunity to eat on the spot where Hemingway and Fitzgerald first met.

The last stop of this Hemingway Paris tour is Le Falstaff (#28) , at 42 Rue de Montparnasse. It was in this beer bar that Ernest Hemingway took a shake-off one evening in July 1929.

An improvised Boxing Match at Le Falstaff

In 1929 Hemingway’s Canadian friend Morley Callaghan (also a reporter for the Toronto Star) and his wife, had joined him to spend the summer in Paris. Callaghan wanted to meet the “Lost Generation,” Gertrude Stein’s term for all those American artists who emigrated to France during the Roaring Twenties.

Their friendship ended abruptly one evening in July. The two men were at Le Falstaff when they decided to fight each other in a boxing match. They improvised a ring in the pub and named F. Scott Fitzgerald as the referee.

The latter was completely drunk and, captivated by the fight, forgot to ring the bell, so the round did not finish, and Callaghan did not stop hitting. Finally, Fitzgerald separated the two men apologetically, his clock indicating that the round had lasted 3.45 minutes instead of a minute as expected. Mad with rage, Hemingway swung to Fitzgerald:

“ All right, Scott, if you want to see me getting the shit knocked out of me, just say so. Only don’t say you made a mistake ”

And he stomped off to the shower room to wipe the blood from his mouth.

And there you have it, the list of places related to Hemingway in Paris. The Paris of Hemingway today may seem totally lost in time, but “ There is Never Any End to Paris .” Paris is still (and it will be for a long time) A Moveable Feast!

Hemingway Tour Paris – Where to Stay

HOTEL RITZ PARIS (LUXURY HOTEL)

This is one of the most iconic 5-star hotels in Paris, and it was also one of Hemingway’s favorite places in the City of Lights ( “Paris is the Ritz “). Located at elegant Place Vendôme, this is the place to go if you have the budget – Click here for the Latest Prices

HOTEL D’ANGLETERRE (MID RANGE HOTEL)

This charming historic hotel in the heart of the Saint-Germain neighborhood is where the Hemingways spent their first nights in Paris (room #14). Its location is perfect for exploring some of Hemingway’s favorite cafes and restaurants in Paris – Click here for the Latest Prices

HOTEL DES GRANDES ECOLES (MID RANGE HOTEL)

This charming hotel is located just a few steps from Hemingway’s first apartment. Nestled in a beautiful garden, it’s as if you were in the countryside! The cozy rooms take us a few decades back. Warning: this hotel tends to be sell out VERY fast! – Click here for the Latest Prices

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Quirky parisian explorers with a preference for lesser-known sights, we are continuously looking for new ideas and tips to bring you the best of the city of light read more about us ., i am elisa, the travel blogger behind world in paris. quirky explorer with a preference for the local side of my city and its lesser-known sights, i am continuously looking for new ideas to enjoy the best of paris & around . do you want to go beyond the louvre museum or the eiffel tower keep clicking for first-hand information & my best tips learn more.

La Closerie des Lilas Café-Restaurant , one of Hemingway's favorite places to sit and write.

74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine , Paris 5e, with the Hemingways' first Paris apartment.

Hemingways Haunts in Paris – Small Group Walking Tour

Step into the pages of history and follow in the footsteps of the literary giant, Ernest Hemingway , amidst the cobblestone streets of Paris. As you traverse through the city’s enchanting corners, a tapestry of stories awaits, woven with Hemingway’s presence and influence.

But what hidden gems lie along this literary path, waiting to be uncovered? Join this small group walking tour for a unique blend of exploration and insight into the captivating world that inspired Hemingway’s timeless works.

• Explore Hemingway’s Parisian haunts with expert guidance.
• Immerse in interactive tours with small group intimacy.
• Gain deeper literary insights into the Lost Generation.
• Follow in the footsteps of iconic writers in Paris.

Here's some more nearby activities we've reviewed

• Catacombs of Paris Semi-Private VIP Restricted Access Tour
• Belleville Street Art Tour With an Artist
• French Baking Class: Baguettes and Croissants in a Parisian Bakery
• Paris in a Day With Louvre, Eiffel Tower, City Walk & Cruise

Tour Overview

Set out on a captivating journey through Hemingway’s Parisian haunts with an expertly guided walking tour that delves deep into the literary legacy of the Lost Generation.

The tour duration is approximately 2.5 hours, providing ample time to explore Hemingway’s favorite spots and take in the enchanting atmosphere of 1920s Paris.

With a small group size limited to 15 participants, guests can enjoy a personalized experience and interact closely with the knowledgeable guide.

This intimate setting allows for engaging discussions, questions, and a deeper connection to the rich historical background of the Lost Generation writers.

The small group size ensures that each participant receives individual attention and can fully appreciate the insights shared during the tour.

Cancellation Policy

As visitors plan their literary exploration of Hemingway’s Parisian haunts, it’s important to familiarize themselves with the tour’s cancellation policy for a seamless experience. To ensure a smooth refund process and avoid any issues with last-minute changes, participants need to cancel at least 24 hours before the tour’s start time to receive a full refund. Unfortunately, cancellations made within 24 hours of the tour start time are not eligible for a refund. It’s crucial to note that any changes requested within this 24-hour window cannot be accommodated. The cut-off times for cancellations and changes are based on the local time zone. Understanding and adhering to these policies will help guarantee a stress-free literary journey through the streets of Paris.

Traveler Feedback Analysis

Travelers have consistently praised the informative and engaging experiences provided by the Hemingway’s Haunts in Paris walking tour, as reflected in the overwhelmingly positive feedback from 31 reviews on Viator. The analysis approach reveals high levels of customer satisfaction through various aspects:

• Knowledgeable guides offer in-depth insights into Hemingway’s life in Paris.
• Interactive elements like iPad visuals enhance the tour experience.
• Positive responses from hosts show appreciation for the feedback received.
• Travelers highlight the enjoyable and immersive nature of the tour, emphasizing its informative value.

The positive feedback underscores the tour’s success in delivering a rewarding and memorable experience to visitors interested in Hemingway’s legacy in Paris.

Highlights of the Tour

Explore Hemingway’s Parisian world as the tour unfolds, revealing his favorite haunts and the literary charm of the city.

This small group walking tour offers an interactive experience with knowledgeable guides sharing detailed insights into Hemingway’s life in Paris. Participants can expect to engage with historical exploration through interactive elements like iPad visuals, enhancing the informative and engaging nature of the tour.

Discover the places frequented by literary icons like Hemingway, Stein , Fitzgerald , Joyce , Cummings , and Pound , gaining a deeper understanding of the Lost Generation literary movement. Walk in the footsteps of these renowned writers, enjoying the rich historical background provided by the guide.

This tour promises to be a captivating blend of literature and history in the heart of Paris.

Literary Insights Shared

Enjoy the vibrant literary world of Paris as the tour guides share captivating insights into the lives and works of iconic writers like Hemingway, Stein , and Fitzgerald .

Exploring literary influences : Explore how these writers were inspired by the Parisian atmosphere and each other’s works.

Historical context connections : Understand the societal, political , and cultural backdrop that influenced the literary movements of the time.

Discover Lost Generation insights : Learn about the group of expatriate writers who found solace and creativity in post-World War I Paris.

Engage with rich historical background : Connect the dots between the writers’ lives and the historical events that shaped their narratives.

Uncover the intertwined stories of these literary giants against the backdrop of the enchanting city of Paris.

Booking Information

Explore the seamless process of securing your spot on this captivating Hemingway’s Haunts in Paris walking tour by checking out the detailed booking information provided below. The tour can be booked through Viator using product code 71076P20. Pricing starts from $94.16, with reservations subject to specific terms and conditions. For Viator bookings , cancellations made at least 24 hours in advance are eligible for a full refund, while changes within 24 hours of the tour are not accepted. Viator offers accessible assistance through their Help Center for any inquiries or support needed. Engage with knowledgeable guides and learn about Paris’ literary history hassle-free with Viator’s reliable customer support .

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Common questions

Are There Any Specific Items or Clothing Recommended to Bring on the Tour?

For the tour, it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes for walking and dress according to the weather. Essential items include a water bottle, camera , and any personal necessities. Be prepared for an enjoyable and enlightening experience.

How Long Is the Average Duration of the Walking Tour?

The average duration of the walking tour is around 2.5 to 3 hours, based on a moderate walking speed . There are periodic breaks and rest stops to ensure comfort and enjoyment, catering to diverse group dynamics.

Is There a Minimum Age Requirement for Participants on the Tour?

There is no minimum age requirement for participants on the tour. The tour requirements are more focused on exploring Hemingway’s Parisian haunts, offering an engaging and informative experience suitable for all interested travelers.

Are There Any Opportunities for Participants to Interact With Local Parisians During the Tour?

During the tour, participants can engage in local interactions , fostering cultural experiences . Guides facilitate opportunities to connect with Parisians, enhancing the journey with authentic encounters. These interactions add depth and authenticity to the overall experience.

Can Participants Purchase Any Hemingway-Related Souvenirs or Books During the Tour?

Participants can purchase Hemingway souvenirs and books at select bookstores during the tour. Plus, they may have the opportunity to connect with local Parisians, enhancing their cultural experiences and creating memorable interactions.

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Experience the magic of Hemingway’s Paris come to life on the ‘Hemingway’s Haunts in Paris – Small Group Walking Tour.’

Enjoy the rich literary history of the City of Light as you walk in the footsteps of iconic writers.

With knowledgeable guides, interactive elements, and fascinating insights , this tour offers a unique and unforgettable journey through the streets of Paris.

Book now to discover the hidden gems and literary legends of Hemingway’s Paris.

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Hemingway's Paris

Private tour, eco-friendly, paris, a city of writers  in the roaring 20',  was it paris who made hemingway or hemingway who left his mark in paris discover this and much more during this exciting stroll full of anecdotes.

If you're a Hemingway fan or you've been to Paris before and wish to re-discover it through the eyes of a young American writer, this stroll is for you.  

Have you though how it felt to be a foreigner in Paris in the 20'? Why did so many intellectuals choose this city as their home?

It is here, in the shadow of more senior writer, while strolling among the shelves of Shakespeare & Co. that Hemingway confirmed his will to become a writer.

Immerse yourself in the Jardin de Luxembourg, the Montparnasse cafés and all those spots where this Nobel Prize writer's career took crucial turns and made him the legend he is today .

Highlights  along your way

Mouffetard district, hemingway's home*, "midnight in paris" stairs, jardin du luxembourg , gertrude stein's apartment*, montparnasse cafés , café or cocktail break, university district, detailed  description.

This nostalgic stroll will transport you to Paris as Hemingway discovered it in the 20's.

Start this walk in the neighbourhood where he lived and worked in as a young journalist .

Experience the charm of the Latin Quarter while discovering its spectacular architecture like the Pantheon*  and the church of Saint Etienne du Mont* .

If you wish you can make a break to grab a coffee or the writer's favourite cocktail .

Cross the green and flowery Luxembourg Garden while understanding its importance in the writer's life and work.

Stroll the unknown streets of Montparnasse where he used to visit the iconic Gertrud Stein and the many Brasseries where he  would build some of his most famous friendships .

*This itinerary happens mostly in open spaces, monuments marked with a * will be discovered from the exterior

private service

Flexible itinerary, up to 6 people.

Meeting Place

Outside the  metro station "Censier-Daubentonl"  (find location  here )  

Mobility Level

Get ready to walk about 3,6 kms / 2,2miles.

Private expert guide & interesting themed itinerary

Coffee or Wine break 

Extra expenses  (optional)

Coffee or Hemingway's favourite cocktail - break, snacks

Weather conditions

This tour takes place rain or shine

(check our cancellation policy)

Book your Hemingway stroll

* if any content is missing from this page please change your browser or send us  an email to [email protected].

more exciting  ways to discover  Paris

A Smithsonian magazine special report

A Guide to Hemingway’s Paris

From writing haunts to favorite bars, follow the ex-pat author’s steps through Paris

Natasha Geiling

Ernest Hemingway was a man of the world, and his global travels are well-reflected in his famous works. The Caribbean, Africa, America and Europe all hosted the famous writer at one point or another, but perhaps no location is as heavily associated with Hemingway as Paris. "If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man," Hemingway once wrote, "then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast." 

Hemingway moved to Paris with his first wife, Hadley, in 1921. The young couple lived in an apartment on the rue Cardinale Lemoine in Paris' 5th arrondissement. The apartment was sparse, with no running water and a bathroom that consisted of little more than a bucket. Hemingway rented another space, at 39 rue Descartes, where he did his writing.

During their time in Paris, the Hemingways became acquainted with other ex-pats living in the city. Composing the famous "Lost Generation," these artists, including Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Picasso and James Joyce, became central to Hemingway's growth as a writer.

The couple left Paris in 1923, when Hadley discovered she was pregnant with their first child. But their absence was short lived: after giving birth in Toronto, the couple brought their baby back to Paris in January of 1924. This second life in Paris ushered in one of Hemingway's most prolific creative periods, during which he wrote works such as  The Sun Also Rises  and  Men Without Women .   In 1927, Hadley divorced Hemingway after discovering his affair with Pauline Pfeiffer, a fashion reporter. Hemingway and Pfeiffer married only a few months later and left Paris for Key West the following year.

​Even though nearly a century has passed since Hemingway lived and wrote in the streets of Paris, his unique version of the city remains: stroll through the windy avenues   of the Left Bank, visit the Jardin Luxembourg or sit down at one of his favorite cafés to make Hemingway's Paris your own.

Hotel d'Angleterre

Ernest Hemingway and Hadley spent their first night in Paris together at the  Hotel d'Angleterre , in room 14—and Ernest returned to the hotel many times after.   The hotel still stands, and still allows guests to stay in room 14.  Time Out Paris describes the room as "a pretty lemon and white affair, with marshmallowy pillows and comfy armchairs." Even better, the hotel is perfectly suitated in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, a short walk from the cafés and bars Hemingway loved.

Hotel d'Angleterre: 44 Rue Jacob, Paris 75006 ; 42.60.34.72

Les Deux Magot

Located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Les Deux Magot was once the meeting place for Paris' literary elite, including Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre. Hemingway also frequented the café, and even used it as a setting for a meeting place in  The Sun Also Rises . Nowadays, you'll find more tourists than literary minds sitting at the café's tiny tables, but it's the perfect place to enjoy people watching on the Left Bank over one of Hemingway's favorite cocktails, a daiquiri or martini.

Les Deux Magot: 6 place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 75006 ; +33 (0)1 45 48 55 25

Café de Flore

Hemingway spent a lot of time writing at Paris' charming cafés, so he didn't just stick to Les Deux Magot. Sometimes, he'd spend his afternoons working at another Saint-Germain-des-Prés café, Café de Flore. If you're lucky, you might experience a modern-day celebrity sighting while following in Hemingway's footsteps: Robert Deniro and Quentin Tarantino have been known to visit Café de Flore while in Paris.

Café de Flore: 172 Blvd. St.-Germain, 75006 ; +33 (0)1 45 48 55 26

La Closerie des Lilas

Moving out of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, check out  La Closerie des Lilas , located near Hemingway's second apartment in Montparnasse.  Like Les Deux Magots, La Closerie became a watering hole for artistic and literary minds in Paris, and Hemingway went there often to write—he wrote most of  The Sun Also Rises  there. La Closerie des Lilas was also the first place where Hemingway read F. Scott Fitzgerald's manuscript of  The Great Gatsby .

La Closerie des Lilas: 171 Boulevard du Montparnasse 75015 ; +33 (0)1 40 51 34 50

Jardin du Luxembourg

Also in Montparnasse is the Jardin du Luxembourg, where Hemingway would explore to experience nature in the city. When his family was wanting for money , he would sometimes hunt pigeons in the Jardin du Luxembourg, snapping their necks and hiding their bodies in his son's pram. You don't have to stalk pigeons to experience the Jardin du Luxembourg, however. Stroll around the grounds (it's the second largest public park in Paris) and admire the shaded alleys and fountains, or visit the  Luxembourg Palace , which today houses the French Senate.

Jardin du Luxembourg: 6e Arrondissement, 75006 ; +33 (0)1 42 34 23 62.

Shakespeare and Company

Anyone fascinated with Hemingway—or any other early modernist English author—should take a trip to  Shakespeare and Company , a historic bookstore near the Seine on Paris' Left Bank.

Started by American expat Sylvia Beach in 1919, the bookstore served as the center for English speaking writers and publishers in post-WWI Paris. Hemingway mentions the shop in his Paris memoir  A Moveable Feast , writing, "In those days there was no money to buy books. I borrowed books from the rental library of Shakespeare & Company, which was the library and bookstore of Sylvia Beach at 12 rue de l'Odeon . On a cold windswept street, this was a warm, cheerful place with a big stove in winter, tables and shelves of books, new books in the window, and photographs on the wall of famous writers both dead and living."  

Shakespeare and Company was also the first place to publish James Joyce's classic,  Ulysses .  The original shop closed in 1940, but a second location (the one you can visit today) opened in 1951. The only connection between the two stores, sadly, is the name, but the new location still pays homage to the literary tradition that the original shop once fostered.

Shakespeare and Company: 37 rue de la Bûcherie ; +33-(0)1 43 25 40 93.

Harry's New York Bar

One of the bars Hemingway frequented was  Harry's New York Bar , situated on Paris' Right Bank. The bar opened in 1911 , near the Paris Opera, and served as a meeting place for expatriates in the city. The bar itself came from a Manhattan bar that Harry's original owner, jockey Tod Sloan, had owned previously. Sloan had the New York bar dismantled and shipped across the Atlantic to Paris—hence the bar's "New York" name (the "Harry's" came later, from a bartender who bought the bar from Sloan in 1923).   Harry's is the birthplace of a number of famous cocktails, from the Paris 75 (gin, champagne, lemon juice and sugar) to the Sidecar.   It even claims to have invented the Bloody Mary .

Harry's New York Bar: 5 rue Daunou, 75002 ; +33 (0)1 42 61 71 14.

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Natasha Geiling | | READ MORE

Natasha Geiling is an online reporter for Smithsonian magazine.

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A Magical Walk Through Hemingway’s Paris

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PARIS, France – Magically enchanting and much-loved Paris, the Urban Empress of Europe, remains eternally young and amorous. Occasionally vain, always passionate, and with a long and turbulent history, the legendary city has a special flair for life that has captivated many of the world’s most inspired artistic talent.

After the Great War and during the 1920s and ‘30s, Paris was the place to be for artists and the forward-thinking avant-garde looking to etch their mark, while novelists and writers quickly recognized that it was far easier to be acknowledged by the small innovative Parisian publishing companies than to catch an editor’s eye in the States.

During this most exhilarating period in 20th Century American Literature, Paris was the destination for an amazing assortment of international expatriates, including some 30,000 Americans many clutching one-way tickets to the City of Lights.

Some arrived in Paris in search of panache and identity, while others, overwhelmed by the complex and tenacious city, became lost in heart-wrenching dreams of discovery and triumphant achievements.

The French franc was a colossal friend, the exchange rate a whopping 25 to 35 francs to the dollar, while Paris’ free-flowing alcohol was a further attraction as long as hard-line prohibition had the upper hand in the United States. Parisian nightlife, animated cabarets, freethinking ladies, and French wine were all treasures to behold.

On the vibrant Left Bank of Paris, in the Latin Quarter and Montparnasse, Ernest Hemingway and wife Hadley, bespectacled James Joyce struggling to publish Ulysses , and F. Scott Fitzgerald with his flamboyant wife Zelda, both giddy from the publication of The Great Gatsby , had settled in, along with photographer Man Ray, always ready to capture the moment. Pablo Picasso and writers Ezra Pound, Djuana Barnes, Nancy Cunard, Sherwood Anderson, and eccentric John Dos Passos, along with a memorable list of other authors and artists, were also part of the heady Paris scene, and friends of Hemingway.

Bigger than life and significant to the literary and artistic scene, Gertrude Stein, writer, serious art collector, and a remarkable influence on writers and artists, cleverly tagged the exiles The Lost Generation , backed by her jealous lover, Alice B. Toklas, who fiercely disliked Hemingway. The exiles included a cast of street characters with stories to tell, who were lounging at sidewalk cafes often deep into their cups, discussing literature, sharing gossip and jealousies, wondering where life and careers were headed and when the next dollar would materialize.

Mercifully, much of the great city has remained suspended in a timeless bubble, making it easy to relive the Lost Generation, to tread on the ancient stones that Hemingway and friends negotiated, sit at the same sidewalk cafes and restaurants, see the gardens, hotels, churches, cathedrals, and lodgings that once upon a time were their stomping grounds.

The reflective adventure comes together with Oriel and Peter Caine’s prestigious Paris Walking Tours, founded in 1994 and recommended by the Paris Tourist Office. The Caine’s, who are themselves esteemed authors and scholars, engage knowledgeable English-speaking guides whose contributions to the tour include appropriate humor and fascinating encyclopedic insights.

Following the guides through any of the two-hour walks, Hemingway’s Paris, Writers of the Left Bank, The Village of Montmartre or Saint Germain-des-Pres , gives the sense of having moved through time, setting the stage for an irresistible mélange of literary and artistic history.

A magnificent destination of monuments and striking architecture, each turn of a Parisian corner invites a celebration of the senses that embellishes the timeless link to Hemingway, and a city glowing with imperishable splendor and earthiness that can grab your heart and hang on for a lifetime.

Via a touch of imagination supported by the images of Woody Allen’s excellent film, Midnight in Paris , and Hemingway’s memoir recalling his life in Paris, A Moveable Feast , one can envision him strolling along the narrow, winding cobblestone streets, Fitzgerald at his side, Zelda, edging between them wildly dancing the tango and hoping for an open bar.

With Lost Generation thoughts flowing, you might hear a bit of Hot Jazz and pass by Kiki, the classy lady of the night, a favorite artist’s model, who never met a man she didn’t like. You might pick out Josephine Baker’s bluesy voice, floating through the night air from the intensely popular Folies Bergere where Baker, a favorite of Hemingway, often performed in her adopted homeland with Chiquita, her pet Cheetah.

Gertrude Stein’s home and salon at 27 rue de Fleurus, now a private resident, once decorated with priceless Gauguin, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, and Cezanne paintings and long noted as the most distinguished salon in all Paris, was an important gathering place for a coterie of famous artists, writers, and trend-setters including Hemingway and European Royalty.

Down the street, Malcolm Cowley, famed writer, poet, and critic, lived and wrote at 1 rue de Fleurus. Famous for having reportedly once floored Hemingway in a friendly boxing match, Cowley became the spokesman of the 1920s American expatriates.

Sylvia Beach’s Shakespeare and Company on rue l’Odeon, the only English-language bookstore on the Left Bank, was another celebrated gathering place for writers. Writers could buy or borrow books there, Hemingway often noted for doing the latter.

The bookstore closed in 1941 during the German occupation of Paris and never reopened, but in 1951 another Shakespeare and Company opened in tribute to Sylvia Beach. Steps from the Seine and the Notre Dame Cathedral, the bookstore, featured in Midnight in Paris , buzzes with camera-toting visitors with a literary liking.

After experiencing the famed bookstore, it’s astounding to walk past the Hemingway’s old neighborhood on rue Mouffetard where they rented their first apartment on the third floor at 74 rue du Cardinal Lemoine. A small women’s clothing store on the ground floor is aptly named Under Hemingway’s.

Along Boulevard du Montparnasse are a cluster of legendary cafes; La Rotonde, La Coupole, Le Dome, and Le Select, home to Mickey a 19-year old cat, all within walking distance, all fashionable today, just as they were when they were the center of life in the 1920s with their people-watching sidewalk tables, and churlish waiters.

Reams of material have been written about the significant cafes and their eminent patrons, but Hemingway’s preferred café, also on Montparnasse, was La Closerie des Lilas. He often sat in the corner with a cafe crème, writing some of his finest short stories and working on his brilliant novel, The Sun Also Rises .

Incredibly, the bar retains its period ambience confirmed by a framed black and white photo, circa 1920s. A small copper plaque inscribed with his name is embedded in the bar, along with a small photo of him above the bar. One can imagine Hemingway sitting here chatting with Fitzgerald and Joyce, while in the background Cole Porter is playing the piano to an audience of wistful lovers on the prowl.

Years later, one of Hemingway’s numerous haunts was the famed Ritz Hotel on rue Cambon, where his name is now honored with the intimate Hemingway Bar. Hemingway spent his time in the hotel imbibing aperitifs with the celebrities of the day and observing the carefully coifed, costumed, and accessorized French women, who were undeniably elegant.

Nearby, the mighty Seine, dotted with barges and sight-seeing boats, flows along tree-lined walks where embracing couples shimmer and shake, brusque vendors sell books, prints, and paintings, and old-timers cast for fish.

Parisians remark that the more Paris changes, the more it stays the same. For Hemingway, the City of Lights was an ageless enclave of beauty, style, and history, and where, through much effort, his distinctive writing style developed.

When You Go

Contact Paris Walks ; check the five-star Paris Sightseeing Pass  offering visitors access to over 60 top attractions including the sightseeing bus, metro, a Seine cruise, and other discounts.

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January 19, 2020 at 9:56 am

Greatly enjoyed reading this. I love Paris. 🙂

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Hemingway’s Paris

Explore the famous writer’s Left Bank haunts

You don't have to have read 'A Moveable Feast' or 'The Sun Also Rises' to get a feel for what life was like when Hemingway and his Lost Generation of expat friends (Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Henry Miller, F Scott Fitzgerald and composer extraordinaire Cole Porter) 'occupied' post WWI Paris. The markets Papa Hem frequented, the cafés  he drank, wrote and argued in, and the bookshops he haunted are all largely still around. Even his old apartments at 39 rue Descartes (5e) and 74 rue Cardinal Lemoine (5e) can be admired (from the outside) thanks to commemorative plaques on the walls. Follow these suggestions and you can soak up the '20s spirit, à la Hemingway, in one lazy afternoon's stroll.

An email you’ll actually love

Marché Mouffetard

• Markets and fairs
• Quartier latin

Hotel d'Angleterre

• Saint-Germain-des-Prés

In December 1921 Ernest Hemingway and Hadley spent their first night in Paris at Hôtel d’Angleterre, in room 14 (it was called Hôtel Jacob at the time). Then later, in 1927, Charles August Lindberg came after completing the world's first non-stop, solo flight from New York to Paris. Today the interior is a mish-mash of styles with a variety of 19th and 20th century antique furniture and plush, heavy fabrics. Room 14 is a pretty lemon and white affair, with marshmallowy pillows and comfy armchairs. Hotel d'Angleterre is in a handy spot too – just a five minute walk from the Seine and the booksellers that Hemingway frequented. It’s also within waking distance of the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Jardin du Luxembourg.

Jardin du Luxembourg

• Attractions
• Parks and gardens

When Hemingway was struggling for money, he often took refuge amid the landscaped parterres of the Jardin du Luxembourg, where 'you saw and smelled nothing to eat from the place de l'Observatoire to the rue de Vaugirard.' He even claimed that he’d sometimes strangled the park’s pigeons, hiding them in his son’s pram, to provide food for the family. The gardens have changed little over the years so it’s not hard to imagine Hemingway prowling amid the shaded alleys and fountains. This is also where his wife Hadley and their son came to escape their small apartment, while Hemingway worked in cafés like the Closerie des Lilas.

Shakespeare & Company

In Hemingway’s time, rickety old Shakespeare & Company was at 11 rue Odéon (a plaque marks the spot today). It was here that the author famously broke a vase when one of his books received a bad review, and that Henry Miller borrowed books he would never return. Despite the change in location, Shakespeare & Co is still the city’s most coveted ex-pat bookshop; and though Hemingway and his literati friends are no longer around to browse the shelves, their works (and ghosts) live on among the floor-to-ceiling bookcases that cover every spare inch of space.

Bouquinistes

• 5e arrondissement

Hemingway spent many an hour rifling though these iconic second hand bookstalls, dotted along the Seine in dark green paint. Their collections – old leather-bound tomes, pocket fiction, graphic novels and vintage postcards – are just as eclectic today as in the 1920s; though several bouquinistes multiply sales opportunities nowadays by selling tourist tat alongside their literary treasures. Get lucky and you might even find an early edition of a Hemingway novel.

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Hemingway's Paris Audio Guide: A Tour of His Life and Work

Number of Travelers

• Luxembourg Gardens
• Église Saint-Sulpice
• Latin Quarter

• Put your map away and take your time walking the path of Hemingway's life in the 1920s as a local guides you through the city's through the writer's eyes
• Hit play together and stroll the city or wander solo, but always with an expert in your ear as your personal guide
• Take in Hemingway's writing studio, which some Parisians don't even know about
• Get a sense of how Gertrude Stein became one of Ernest‘s earliest mentors and supporters
• Find out how, in 1923, Hemingway found his literary voice
• See the location of the original Shakespeare and Company
• Discover which artists were considered part of the Lost Generation, and what the term means
• Hear about Hemingway's poignant love story with Agnes Von Kurowsky, a nurse whose Dear John letter altered the course of the writer's life 
• Take in Place Saint-Sulpice and its church, featured in a 1933 novel by Zelda Fitzgerald
• Learn how Sherwood Anderson's support shaped Hemingway's trajectory and also facilitated his integration into Paris' vibrant artistic community
• Become familiar with Hemingway's time in the Italian Front and how he saved several soldiers from certain death, receiving the Italian War Merit Cross for his bravery

Samuél is a published novelist and musician who has lived in Paris since 2008. He holds an M.A. in European Society from University College London & an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Samuél teaches creative writing at the Sorbonne, hosts the Paris Writers' Salon with a local literary legend (John Baxter), and is also a singer/songwriter (vocals/piano/harmonica). Samuél's first novel, "Slim and The Beast (Inkshares, 2015) is a coming of age story set in North Carolina. His second novel, "The Requisitions" (Kingdom Anywhere, 2024) is a historical metafiction about history, memory, and the Nazi Occupation of Poland. Find out more at samuellopezbarrantes.com

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Self Guided Walking Tours of Paris

In this post, you will find a free, self-guided walking tour of the historic heart of Paris, along with a map and a GPS-enabled audio option.

The route includes many locations we cover in our free guided walking tours, so we offer you lots of information based on our knowledge of the history of what you will be seeing in this self-guided tour.

This tour starts on the Left Bank in the Latin Quarter before exploring Île de la Cité and ends at the Louvre Museum.

When you are done with this self-guided tour, why not try our others?

• Right Bank Landmarks
• Latin Quarter
• Père Lachaise Cemetery

Like this one, they come with maps, routes, and in some cases, audio tour versions.

You can use these to discover the city at your own pace or as a preview of what you will see on a live-guided tour, like our free walking tours of Paris .

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SELF-GUIDED TOUR - HEART OF PARIS

The tour starts on the Left Bank in the Latin Quarter, passes through Île de la Cité and ends at the Louvre Museum.

The route is a little less than 3 kilometers (just under 2 miles).

If you'd like to enhance your experience, you might like to use our accompanying GPS-led audio tour , developed and narrated by one of our local tour guides, Andrew.

The audio tour is a more detailed version of the written information below. It costs just 2.99€ per download.

Here is a sample of the tour.

Click on the map to expand or to download it to your phone.

For directions between stops, use the map above or download a PDF version of this tour.

1. Place Saint-Michel

Place Saint-Michel is simple – a triangle between two streets, uniform buildings along both, designed by the same architect, a walk of smooth cobblestone.

The centerpiece is St. Michael defeating a devil; far above them are four statues symbolizing the four cardinal virtues of prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice.

This monument came to be because of the 1848 Revolution and a cholera epidemic in Paris that followed it which killed thousands.

This idea of abstract concepts given human form had been popular during the Revolution, the big one, representing the kind of big virtues – like the Four Cardinal Virtues – that everyone could strive for, instead of a single human being whose actions and legacy would turn people against each other.

Simultaneous with the creation of Place Saint-Michel, Napoleon III’s renovation brought the Boulevard Saint-Michel into being, and that is the next part of the walk.

2. Boulevard Saint-Michel

The character of the street you’re on – wide-open space lined with trees and long, harmonious buildings, plus, often, a view of some landmark in the distance – was a central part of the renovation plan, or the Haussmann plan, as it’s also known.

Georges-Eugène Hausmann was a Paris technocrat. Aside from health reasons, he also made the case to the parliament that wide streets would help prevent so many revolutions in the future.

Many buildings along this road are fine examples of the French 2nd Empire style.

On the left side of the street, just after Boulinier, a used book store, you’ll see the ruins of ancient Roman-style baths.

This is a preview of the Cluny Museum, which you’ll see from the front soon.

3. The Sorbonne

The Sorbonne, or the University of Paris, has been here since 1150, making it the second oldest university in Europe.

It’s the place where some of the fundamentals of today’s education system – things like doctoral degrees – were first put into practice.

The Sorbonne helped put Paris, and the Latin Quarter, on the map. 

It’s hard to overstate how many big names are connected with this institution, then and since.

Among them are churchmen John Calvin and Thomas Aquinas, scientists Marie and Pierre Curie, writers Voltaire, Balzac, Jean-Paul Sartre, T.S. Eliot, Elie Wiesel, Susan Sontag and so many more.

4. Cluny Museum

This is the Cluny Museum, formerly the Cluny Mansion. The name comes from the Cluny monks to whom it belonged and they were named for the city where they were based.

In 1340, they obtained what was left of the thermal baths you saw earlier and built this structure beside them.

Today, it’s France’s National Museum of the Middle Ages. It’s more an art museum than a history museum, with excellent exhibits on tapestries and stained glass.

Apart from those, the museum also has early medieval art from before the Gothic era – the style called Romanesque – medieval work from the Islamic world and the Byzantine Empire, and some other late, near-Renaissance pieces from the era of the tapestries.

There are also some much older artifacts in that oldest part of the property, the Roman baths. 

It’s open every day but Tuesday from 9:15 am to 5:45 pm. Regular tickets are 5 Euros, sometimes more if there’s a special exhibit going on ( more info ).

However, it’s free for teenagers, EU citizens under 26, and, on the first Sunday of each month, for everyone. It’s also free with a Paris Museum Pass .

5. The Church of Saint-Severin

Pause here for a moment to take in the atmosphere of the medieval city.

Saint-Severin is a 13th-century church, and the Rue Saint-Severin, the road just past it, is from that same era.

Look down to the left and you can imagine the crowdedness of these roads, shared by carts. pedestrians and animals and whatever was thrown from upper windows.

And you can imagine how easy it would be to improvise a barricade across one of these streets if you wanted to.

6. Church of Saint-Julien-le-Pauve

The Church of Saint-Julien-le-Pauve, or St. Julian the Poor, began construction in the 12th century, around the same time as Notre-Dame, and steady changes since have made it a mash-up of styles.

But it started Romanesque, the early medieval style that preceded Gothic, and you can see the heaviness of that style, compared to which Gothic would have seemed so revolutionary.

While it was originally a Roman Catholic church, today it’s used by Melkite Greek Catholics, who are part of an Eastern Catholic community, based in the Middle East.

The square is called the Square Rene Viviani, mostly known for its view of Notre-Dame.

The grounds are littered with big pieces of limestone – in the 19th century when Notre-Dame was renovated and also contains a locust tree believed to be the oldest tree in Paris, about 400 years old.

7. Shakespeare and Company Bookstore

This is the second of two bookstores called Shakespeare and Company, the other stood just southwest of here, and both focused on English language books. 

An American named Sylvia Beach opened it, and as both a bookstore and a lending library, it came to be the haunt of writers and artists, including Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso.

The bookstore provided more than just a place for future artistic celebrities to meet; it also stocked and eventually published books that were banned back home, including James Joyce’s novel Ulysses.

This Shakespeare and Company was founded by George Whitman, who offered lodging to writers in exchange for volunteer work, and if you step inside, you’ll see some of their beds.

8. Left Bank - Pont au Double

On the quays along the banks of the Seine, Shakespeare and Company has plenty of competition in the bookselling business: bouquinistes , the booksellers who set up shop in little stalls along the river. 

From around the bridge, you can get a few important views. First is the Seine itself. The name Seine comes from Sequana, the name of an ancient river goddess. 

The river is the reason for human interest in this site going back millennia, and the Île de la Cité offered a relatively easy crossing, as well as an opportunity to build low bridges and control traffic up and down the river. 

On the opposite side of the water from here is the Île de la Cité. From here you can see the big picture of the island. 

On the west end, to your left, is the Palais de la Justice, the former site of the royal palace and still home to parts of the French government. 

On the east side, to the right, has been religious turf for even longer – Notre-Dame has stood here since 1163.

Before, there was another Christian cathedral that was likely a Roman temple, and those were sometimes built on sacred sites that were older still. 

Nowadays, there’s not much on the island besides that; Haussmann eliminated most of the residences here.

9. Notre-Dame (Exterior)

This cathedral was started in the 1100s and enhanced with some of its flashiest elements over the next few centuries.

You can see one of those additions: the flying buttresses, those gracefully curved stone supports arrayed along the side of the building. 

The cathedral has 2 beautiful rose windows, both designed in the 13th century, but they were recreated in the 19th century, and they weren’t the only parts of the cathedral added so recently. 

The same is true of much of the stained glass, the spire (now destroyed by the fire), all the gargoyles, and the heads of statues on the western side. 

To help fund that restoration, Victor Hugo penned his novel Notre-Dame de Paris, known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame . 

Looking at the cathedral from the front, you can see an overwhelming number of sculptures and reliefs.

For a time when most attendees were illiterate and didn’t understand the Latin language in which the sermons were given, the church façade itself was the illustrated version of the Bible. 

Over the main western doors, on what’s called the tympanum, is a relief of Judgement Day, with the separation of souls bound for eternal paradise or eternal torment. 

To the left, over the Portal of the Virgin, is a statue of Saint-Denis, who would have needed no introduction for most attendees.

He was beheaded by the Romans for the threat he posed to other religions. 

Now, he’s a patron saint of Paris and he’s also known across the Catholic world as someone to pray for relief from headaches.

In April 2019, a fire led to the collapse of much of the roof and a spire, plus collateral damage from impact, smoke, and water to much of the rest of the building and the artwork inside.

Hundreds of firefighters contained the disaster and kept it from doing more harm. 

The archaeological crypt under the parvis is now open and contains remains of the Roman city, plus models of what Notre-Dame looked like at the various phases of its life.

Tickets are 9€ or for free with a Paris Museum Pass .

Notre-Dame Cathedral's reopening is scheduled for December 8, 2024.

10. Rue de Lutece

Straight ahead, you can see the Palais de la Justice, the next stop.

To your right is the Marché aux Fleurs Reine Elizabeth II, a beautiful, 200-year-old outdoor flower and plant market, operating daily from 9:30 - 19:00 (7 pm).

Lutèce is the French variation of “Lutetia” the ancient Roman name for Paris. The full name was Lutetia Parisiorum – Lutetia of the Parisii. 

The Parisii were the tribe that lived in this area before the Roman conquest, and as you may have guessed, they give the city its modern name.

Though we refer to Roman in this tour, it is Gallo-Roman, to be exact.

The region’s population was the Gauls, a Celtic people, and while they were conquered by the Romans, local culture in the early centuries CE was a fusion of both. 

There’s a limited understanding of the geography of ancient life here – the ancient Gallic city was probably out west in today’s suburbs, and the Roman city, originally on the Left Bank, moved onto the island in the third century to be more easily defended. 

At the end of Rue de Lutèce is Boulevard du Palais, with the massive palace complex on the opposite side of the street.

11. Palais De Justice and Sainte-Chapelle

Altogether, what you see here is the Palais de la Cité. The site has served state functions as far back as being the home of Roman governors in the early years CE.

As for French kings, it was the royal palace until the 14th century, when it moved to various locations across the Seine on the Right Bank, including the Louvre. 

From here you can see Sainte-Chapelle or the Sacred Chapel, easily identified by the tall steeple on the left side of the complex.

As for going inside Sainte-Chapelle, the wait can be long, but you’ll see some of the world’s most impressive stained glass. 

The upper chapel, up a narrow spiral staircase from the entrance and once only accessible by the king and his family, is surrounded by windows, and comprehensive cleaning and restoration completed in 2014 have them in ideal form. 

The lower chapel, the portion originally made for the general population of the palace, has a highly decorated Gothic vaulted ceiling. 

Sainte-Chapelle 's hours are:

• April 1st to September 30th, 9:00 - 19:00 (7 pm)
• October 1st to March 31, 9:00 - 17:00 (5 pm)

Tickets are 13€ per person over 18 years of age; under 18 years old have free admission.

You can also be admitted for free with a Paris Museum Pass .

You can also get a combination ticket with our next stop, La Conciergerie, for 20€, but it’s only available from the La Conciergerie ticket desk; you won’t find it online.

12. La Conciergerie

La Conciergerie is famous as the last residence of Queen Marie Antoinette before she was executed early in the French Revolution. It was also a prison before and after her time. 

La Conciergerie

The royal palace had moved to new locations across the Seine in the 14th century. But some state functions stayed behind here, including part of the French court system. 

In the absence of the king himself, the place was run by a surrogate – a concierge – giving this building its name.

While the Revolution began with the liberation of a prison, the Bastille, it soon took over the palace and found uses for everything there. 

Sainte-Chapelle became storage, the space where the parliament of nobles met became the home of the assembly and the Revolutionary Tribunal, and the prison became... the prison. 

The royalty and their supporters, and eventually all kinds of perceived enemies, were imprisoned, tried, and executed, close to 3,000 of them in this building alone.

The Cell of Marie-Antoinette

In terms of the interior, La Conciergerie is a stark, simple building compared to Sainte-Chapelle, although still majestically Gothic.

Some spaces are set up as they would have looked during the Revolution, including the cell of Marie-Antoinette, which is now a chapel dedicated to her.

Hours : 

• 9:30 - 18:00 (6 pm). Last entry at 17:30 (5:30 pm)
• Early closure on December 24 and January 1 at 17:00 (5 pm)

Lastly, you can purchase a combination ticket that includes La Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle for 20€, available from the La Conciergerie ticket desk; you won’t find it online.

There are guided tours (at an additional cost) every day at 11:00 and 15:00 (3 pm) and virtual reality 'histo-pads' available for rental at a modest price. 

At the end of the block, on the corner of the palace, is the first of the palace’s four towers, Tour de l’Horloge.

13. Tour de L'Horloge

Tour de l’Horloge means clock tower, and the clock is hard to miss!

This was the first public clock in Paris, installed in the 14th century, although the decorated face you see now came along a couple of hundred years later and has been restored a few times since. 

The figures on either side are personifications of law and justice – you may be able to see the plaque on the left and the scales on the right. 

The clock face is covered by a small roof.

If you have especially sharp eyes and you look straight up at the underside of that roof, you can see a repeating pattern of intertwined letters: sometimes H and C, for King Henri II and his queen, Catherine de Medici, and sometimes H and M, for King Henri IV and his queen, Marguerite de Valois.

14-15. Place Dauphine

Place Dauphine is another city square, a triangle really; the rows of buildings that border it on the north and south sides slowly converge, leading to the edge of the island. 

Make your way gradually through to that point.

King Henri IV had a son, who would eventually become King Louis XIII, but until he took the throne, he was the Dauphin, or the crown prince. 

Dauphin also means dolphin; a couple of them are featured on the French coat of arms. 

Anyway, during his son’s boyhood, Henri IV converted a private palace garden into a public square and called it Place Dauphine, or Crown Prince Square. 

The buildings have mostly been redone since then; you can get a feel for the original square at the other end, the last buildings where the two sides converge to frame a statue of Henri IV.

16. Pont Neuf

The space where Henri stands is called the Square du Vert Galant, and it’s a relatively new piece of land.

River islands like Île de la Cité naturally build up this way on their downstream side. 

The New Bridge, when it was new at the start of the 1600s, just touched the tip of the island. 

Today, Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge still running across the Seine, and the others have followed its lead.

This one was specifically designed not to have houses on it, so as to offer a view of the Louvre, which is where we’re going next.

17. Quai du Louvre

First, the sights on the Left Bank. 

Directly across the Pont Neuf you can see the Monnaie de Paris, France’s mint, operating for more than a millennium and still producing Euros today.

The building includes a museum on the history of the institution itself and on other money-related matters.

Next to it, you’ll see a wide building with a dome in the middle, the Institut de France.

Founded as a school, this is the home to intellectual institutions like the Académie Française. 

The Academy does many things, including giving life-changing monetary prizes to artists, but it’s best known for promoting a stiff view of what constitutes correct French. 

Crossing the river in front of the Institut de France is another bridge, the Pont des Arts or Bridge of the Arts, named to match with the Louvre, the Palais des Arts or Palace of the Arts.

It’s a pedestrian-only metal bridge commissioned by Napoleon, and the view it offers makes it a popular spot for artists or just souvenir photographers.

There’s a tradition – purely touristic – of attaching locks to the bridge; you’ll endear yourself to Parisians if you decide not to do this.

18. Louvre Museum and Tuileries Gardens

The Louvre used to be a royal palace, and it’s easy to tell. (See our in-depth post on how to visit the Louvre Museum ).

The Louvre remained private after the royalty moved out, and it housed a private collection of art until the Revolution, at which point, in 1793, it was opened to the public.

The open space to the west of the Louvre, centered on a large sculpted hedge, is the Place du Carrousel, and it used to be the location of another royal palace – the Tuileries Palace, destroyed in the late 19th century.

It left behind the arch opposite the Louvre – the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, built to celebrate the military victories of Napoleon and to welcome arrivals to that palace. 

Beyond it are a couple of stairways, leading down into the former location of the moat, which contains some sculptures from the old palace. 

And beyond that is the Tuileries Gardens. At one time an exclusive royal garden, this too became public during the Revolution, and it’s another option for the next part of your adventure.

The gardens have a lot to see – it’s a sculpture garden with about 200 pieces, including several by famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

The gardens are bigger than the Louvre, so you could easily find yourself walking further in this park than you have through this entire tour so far!

Luckily, there are a couple of cafes around the middle if you need somewhere to rest.

It’s free to enter the gardens and is open every day, with hours changing seasonally.

• January through December 7:30 - 19:30 (7:30 pm)
• June, July and August 7:00 - 23:00 (11:00 pm)
• April, May and September 7:00 - 21:00 (9:00 pm)

At the far end of the gardens is the Jeu de Paume , a contemporary art museum and L'Orangerie museum dedicated to impressionist and post-impressionist paintings.

This magnicient museum is a must-visit in Paris. It's open 9:00 - 18:00 (6 pm) daily, except Tuesdays. Tickets are 12,50€ or free with a Paris Museum Pass .

Beyond these museums are Place de la Concorde and the Champs Élysées, included in our self-guided tour of Paris' Right Bank !

For more ideas in Paris, including things to do in the Latin Quarter, Marais, and Montmartre , check out our website, linked in the notes.

And look for our articles and audio tours about lots of other cities - you’ll find links in the notes for those, too. 

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All About Ernest Hemingway’s Life in Paris

Hemingway in Paris - by John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum - Wikimedia Commons

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Natalie is a film photographer and is fascinated by both humans and astrology. She enjoys roaming the streets of Paris by foot, and is inspired by the city’s timeless, Bohemian flair and the soul in districts such as Le Marais and Menilmontant.

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Hemingway's Haunts in Paris - Small Group Walking Tour

• Local guide
• Tablet is used by the guide to present photo & video documentation
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Transportation costs not included - there is a bus ride during the tour which costs €2/person
• Food & beverages not included
• 57 Rue Lacépède, 75005 Paris, France The meeting point is in front of the Café la Contrescarpe, on the Place Contrescarpe
• Le Select, 99 Bd du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris, France We have several options for finishing the tour, guests are free to choose : - Harry's NY Bar - Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Hotel (requires proper dress attire & 48 hours advance notice) - Select Bar, La Rotonde, Closerie de Lilas or any of the famed 1920s Montparnasse cafés
• Not wheelchair accessible
• Pushchair accessible
• Service animals allowed
• Near public transportation
• Confirmation will be received at time of booking
• Most travellers can participate
• Please note that I am entirely vaccinated
• It is possible to end this tour either at Harry's NY Bar or one of the Jazz Age iconic cafés of Montparnasse, or even the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz. In the case of the latter, 24-hour advance notice is required since there is a dress code for the Ritz.
• This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
• This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
• This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travellers
• For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
• Latin Quarter
• Église Saint-Sulpice
• Place de la Contrescarpe

Similar experiences

• You'll start at 57 Rue Lacépède 57 Rue Lacépède, 75005 Paris, France The meeting point is in front of the Café la Contrescarpe, on the Place Contrescarpe See address & details
• 1 Latin Quarter Stop: 20 minutes See details
• 2 Place de la Contrescarpe Stop: 10 minutes See details
• 3 Odeon / Saint-Michel Stop: 10 minutes See details
• 4 Eglise Saint-Sulpice Stop: 15 minutes See details
• 5 Le Select Stop: 30 minutes See details
• You'll end at Le Select 99 Bd du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris, France We have several options for finishing the tour, guests are free to choose : - Harry's NY Bar - Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Hotel (requires proper dress attire & 48 hours advance notice) - Select Bar, La Rotonde, Closerie de Lilas or any of the famed 1920s Montparnasse cafés See address & details

• Discover07535375089 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles So much, African American History in Paris! The Magnificent “Mrs. Ellen” will guide you on your Harlem in Paris! The “Harlem in Paris: the Birth of Jazz in France” walking tour is a fascinating exploration of a unique cultural infusion that reshaped the Parisian music scene. This tour delves into the warm reception of African American service members by the French during World War I, a pivotal moment that laid the groundwork for an enduring friendship. This connection facilitated the flow of Harlem’s jazz into the heart of France, where it found a passionate audience. The tour brilliantly highlights the remarkable accomplishments of African American entertainers, musicians, and writers who made Paris their home. These pioneers not only brought their art to the European stages but also thrived as entrepreneurs, with many owning clubs, homes, and businesses that became central to their communities in Paris. The narrative includes tales of legendary figures like Josephine Baker, who became a star on the Paris stage and an icon of the Jazz Age, and writers like Langston Hughes, whose work resonated with themes of freedom and racial harmony. As you walk the streets of Paris, the tour vividly brings to life the vibrant atmosphere of the jazz clubs during the Roaring Twenties and the profound impact of these artists on French culture. The “Harlem in Paris” tour is not just a historical journey; it is a tribute to the resilience and creativity of a community that, despite facing adversity, left an indelible mark on the world. Read more Written 21 April 2024
• Wanderer34418090375 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Wonderful Tour - Outstanding! Ellen truly brought 1920's Paris to life on the Lost Generation Writer's tour! My girlfriend and I learned so much about the writers and artists who made Paris their home during that period. And more than that, she is a gifted guide and storyteller. Cannot recommend her enough, and we hope to come back for one of her other tours! Read more Written 25 November 2023
• joybU5875FG 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles The Best Tour Ever Ellen is amazing!. She is an amazing storyteller. I’ve been looking forward to this tour with her for a while. She provided pictures, videos, songs of artists and a souvenir booklet, something I’ll always cherish. Joy B. Read more Written 2 September 2023
• Y5718AJjodys 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Learned a lot Very informative and pleasant experience with Ellen. I highly recommend to anyone who loves jazz and Paris. Read more Written 13 March 2023
• DeGibs 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Fantastic Tour Loved our tour. Ellen was extremely knowledgeable, full of interesting anecdotes and took us to hidden treasures that we would never have found on our own. She brings her tablet so you can see historic pictures that highlights the profound changes that have happened in Paris. We loved the cheese tasting! Ellen is a real treasure, very generous with her time and by the end we felt like we were saying goodbye to a friend and not a tour guide. Read more Written 18 January 2023
• smorgan831 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Stories that everyone should know! This tour exceeded my expectations. I was particularly interested in Josephine Baker. There were so many musicians covered, including many unknown and untold stories of Black Jazz musicians who earned their place on this tour and in our history books. The tour started in a speakeasy-style bar that was fascinating in and of itself. Ellen has done such a beautiful job putting together the stories of the black musicians who made Paris home and shared so much history and context of the time. The tour included music clips of the artists discussed and pictures to accompany Ellen's amazing storytelling. I plan to take other tours with Ellen when I return to Paris. Read more Written 22 November 2022
• 724jennyj 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Both the tour AND the guide were amazing! Traveling with friends, we ended up being the only four on this tour with Ellen and it was amazing! She was accommodating when we had to reschedule at the last minute and still made our tour feel scandalous even though it was during the day with coffee instead of cocktails! Between the detailed presentation Ellen showcases along with the history of jazz, we were captivated. Ellen is a dream and we will definitely be taking more of her tours next time we are in Paris. Thank you!!! Read more Written 10 November 2022
• cindylT366JA 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Cajun Catholics Our tour guide was Ellen and she was wonderful! She put together a two day tour for our small group of six. We sent her a list of various churches and areas we wanted to visit along with Musee d’Orsay. She planned the itinerary,bought tickets and passes we needed and was very knowledgeable about the areas we visited. Many of these were “ out of the way” and not your typical tourist attractions. We had a lovely time with her.She was great! Read more Written 10 November 2022
• wendyL3229EY 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Fantastic tour! This tour is fantastic for anyone wanting to wander back in time, learn bits of history and really appreciate the changes over time. Ellen is a wonderful tour guide with a knack for connecting and conversation. She answered questions big and small with enthusiasm and encouraged an appreciation for learning. I can’t wait to return and do other tours with her! Read more Written 20 August 2022
• Carol2175 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Fun and informative 1920’s Paris walking tour Ellen took my 10 USA university students and me on this walking tour. It was exactly what we were looking for! She was so knowledgeable and offered many interesting details about Gertrude Stein, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and many others. She really kept our attention during a very hot day. The talk in the shade in Luxembourg gardens was a nice addition. We ended at a charming cafe with more stories of the “lost generation.” I will definitely book another one of her tours when I come back. Highly recommend. Read more Written 13 August 2022
• Sndrog 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles The unknown history of Harlem in Paris Ellen was a wealth of knowledge on the history of Harlem jazz in Paris. She shared intriguing (and sometimes scandalous) information on jazz icons while also introducing me to a few lesser known jazz greats. The stories kept me eager to hear more. The walking multi-media tour is a must for jazz aficionados and history buffs! Read more Written 10 August 2022
• David R 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles This tour changed my life and my understanding of what it means to be an American This tour is really something special for every American visiting Paris and so wonderfully unexpected. A quote Ellen taught me on the tour was by Thomas Jefferson, A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life.” That's exactly what this tour is about. Imagine being taken through Paris by a history professor, equipped with an iPad that displays images, video clips, charts, etc. that all work together to bring the egos, eccentricities, context, and motives of important historical figures to life. In many ways, this walking tour packed the punch of a fully-immersive, college lecture, but it was delivered into laymen's terms in a way that everyone will find enjoyable and approachable. So, don't fret if you didn't do any pre-readings about the American or French Revolution. Ellen will fill you in and then take you deeper than you could've imagined. That's what touring with Ellen felt like in the most marvelous way. The biggest thing that impressed me was Ellen's keen attention to detail, which was as careful and deep as her kindness and passion. One of the most notable yet subtle moments from the tour was when Ellen displayed a graphic to demonstrate the taxation controversy that careened France towards Revolution. Beyond the graphic, which conveyed the core data, there was an illustrative figure representing each social class. That really helped imagine the parties at conflict in my mind's eye. It was a little detail, perhaps missed by most, but it epitomized the way Ellen combines academia, context, and storytelling. Another favorite moment was when we watched a film clip of John Adams requesting aid from the Dutch, during a moment where we visited a building where he was party to a treaty and were caught up on his rivalry with Ben Franklin. The way Ellen develops and presents each character is almost similar to the way a TV series would develop the backstory and dramatic arc of each character. A lot of thought and careful attention went into this tour and it shows. I don't want to give away any spoilers, because a lot of what I loved about the tour is how many things you'll be surprised to learn and discover. However, I will say that I was astonished to learn that the previous two bookings of this tour where by people who were writing books on Ben Franking (coincidentally) and had done this tour as part of their research. I can easily see Ellen being a historical advisor on a Hollywood movie production of Ben Franklin. That's the caliber of quality she brings and to be able to be led through the streets of Paris with her was really something special. At the end of the tour, Ellen also gave my wife and I recommendations to where we could find a high-profile mall that had all of the big brands but wasn't wildly overcrowded like Champs-Élysées where people were waiting outside for 30-40+ minutes to get into a store. Ellen even took us there by bus, as she carries bus passes for all of her guests (just in case of situations like this) and she even walked us inside of the mall and gave us a grand introduction to where we were. That reminds me of another thing that made the tour special. Ellen also leads antique and vintage shopping tours. So on our commutes from each location to the next one, she'd be able to point out interesting details about the stores we passed. In a way, it almost felt like 2 tours in one. Normally, when I'm on a tour, the tour guide talks at a location and then everyone walks to the next place in silence. But with Ellen, she knows everything about everything and the entire tour is filled with constant intrigue. If you are a history buff or just a geek like me, you'll love this tour. It was the hidden gem of my visit to Paris and I walked away with an understanding of American (and French) values, spiritedness, and aspirations that I would not have been able to get in the U.S. France and the U.S. are truly sibling nations. Understanding how that is so is one of the most profound lessons. Ellen is perhaps the best tour guide I've ever experienced on my travels. Passing through an alley, she started to explain mid-eval Paris architecture and carriage doors still evident in buildings today. My only critique is that I think Ellen charges too little for what she offers. I can see people paying 200 euros per person for a curated experience such as this with a tour guide as spectacular as Ellen. Walking through Paris with Ellen is like getting a personalized tour of the kitchen of a three Michelin star restaurant with the head chef. It's just remarkable the way she knows the ins and outs of her city's past, present and future across so many different verticals. A famous quote says, "Every man has two countries – his own and France." This tour really helped me understand why. Thank you so much for such an enlightening and profound life and cultural experience, Ellen! :) You are a national treasure. Read more Written 5 May 2022
• NCHKCA 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Great for lovers of Jazz or Black history - detailed stories of musicians lives Great for jazz lovers or those interested in black history. 2.5 hours in the Pigalle area. Majority of time spent in front of location of old jazz clubs, with Ellen telling detailed stories about the musicians, their music and their lives. She adds some video clips and photos and plays some music - all on her iPad - to enhance the storytelling. Just as she advertises, detailed, well researched, clear script. Ellen originally from U.S. so great for English speaking guests. Something very unique for your time in Paris. I highly recommend both Ellen, and this particular tour. Read more Written 26 March 2022
• dylancV3791IQ 0 contributions 4.0 of 5 bubbles 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. Read more Written 10 March 2022
• robinekobel1 0 contributions 5.0 of 5 bubbles Incredibly interesting! I enjoyed every minute with Ellen. She is an extremely devoted guide and very passionate about what she does. She went above and beyond to show me around the Left Bank and provide as much information as possible. Furthermore, Ellen even put together a ppt with further images, audios, quotes of famous authors etc. to support her tour. A highly recommended tour for people interested in literature and art. Thank you, Ellen! I hope I will be back soon! Read more Written 14 February 2022

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Hemingway's Haunts in Paris - Small Group Walking Tour provided by Visit the Hidden Paris

Hemingway’s favorite spots in Paris to visit

Sometimes the best way to learn about a locale (or get inspired for a future trip) is to see the city through someone else’s eyes—especially if that someone else is Ernest Hemingway, the Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize for Literature winning author known for works such as “The Sun Also Rises” and “The Old Man and the Sea.”

Hemingway’s memoir A Moveable Feast famously highlights the Jazz Age-era arts and literature scene in Paris , where he lived as an expat in the 1920s. Want to follow in Hemingway’s footsteps through the City of Light? Check out some of his favorite haunts below.

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