Walk on the Dark Side of Paris

Our tour begins on Ile-de-la-Cité, the city’s central island, to begin a unique trek through the darkest hours of French history. You’ll start in front of the Conciergerie, an infamous medieval prison that sent chills down the spine of all those trapped within its walls. You’ll hear about France’s most infamous assassin and the gruesome details of his public execution. Next door at Place Dauphine and Pont Neuf you’ll enter a world of famine, murder, royal mistresses, and the dark legend of the Knights Templar—one filled with curses, lost treasure…and the Holy Grail.

In the courtyards of the Louvre you’ll hear some of the royal palace’s most sordid anecdotes as you take in unparalleled views of its illuminated glass pyramid (which some claim is made up of 666 panes of glass!). Your guide will then fascinate you with some classic Parisian ghost stories and the tale of the most ghastly serial killer you’re never heard of.

We’ll take you down the very street where Marie Antoinette was carted toward the blade of the guillotine, describing the details of her final day and the bloody horrors of the French Revolution. From there you’ll visit sites linked to public tortures, death-predicting prophecies, and the insalubrious medieval cemetery that offered its skeletal remains to the ghoulish Catacombs of Paris.

You’ll conclude your bone-chilling nighttime journey in front of the gothic wonders of Notre-Dame, with its frightening gargoyles, extraordinary bell towers, and concealed messages from the ancient alchemists. With any luck you’ll unlock a few of its mystical secrets and continue your own quest through the dark side of Paris!