Paris is a city layered with history, and some of its most moving stories come from the years of the Second World War. Yet it’s a chapter of the city’s past that isn’t always immediately visible in the streets of Paris today. That’s where an excellent guide and well designed tour can make all the difference, revealing the hidden layers of the city and bringing a deeper understanding of Paris during the occupation and the people who lived through it.
We take great care in the tours and experiences we recommend to our guests. Many of our favorites are ones our guests return from eager to tell us about – and ones we’ve experienced ourselves. One tour that guests consistently tell us about out is the Paris During WWII Tour, which explores the city through the stories of the occupation, resistance and liberation.
American soldiers in the victory parade in Paris. (credit)
Recently our founder Madelyn took the tour herself and found it every bit as fascinating and moving as guests have described over the years. She’s shared over on our @ParisPerfectRentals Instagram a glimpse of the experience and why it’s a tour she wholeheartedly recommends for anyone interested in understanding this powerful chapter of Paris’s history. Take a look here:
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What makes this experience especially revealing is the depth of knowledge shared by the expert historians who lead the tour. As you walk through different neighborhoods of Paris, they bring together places, photographs and stories to reveal the complex realities of the occupation. Their insight helps connect the streets you see today with the lives of those who lived through that time, from Jewish families and members of the Résistance to the figures who shaped the course of events in the city. By the end of the tour, you’re really seeing Paris with a deeper historical perspective, offering a powerful understanding of the challenges the city faced and the resilience of the people who lived through those years.
If you would like to explore this chapter of history even further, a visit to Normandy offers a deeply moving perspective. This private D-Day Normandy Beaches in Context tour organizes every detail of the journey from Paris and is led by the same caliber of knowledgeable historians who approach the subject with care and depth. Visiting the beaches, memorials and historic sites where the Allied landings took place on June 6, 1944 is an experience that invites reflection as much as learning, and having a private guide allows the time and space to absorb the history in a meaningful way.
Taken together, these experiences offer a deep look at one of the most defining periods in modern French history. For Madelyn, the combination of exploring Paris during the occupation and visiting the beaches of Normandy brings an appreciation for the events that shaped the country and the people who lived through them. It’s an experience she often recommends to anyone visiting France – not simply as a tour, but as an opportunity to reflect on the courage, sacrifice and resilience that marked this extraordinary chapter of history.
If you’re interested in exploring these and other thoughtfully chosen tours, you can find more of our favorite experiences on our Tours & Experiences page.
