Paris 1920: Lost Generation Writers Of The Left Bank (Small Group Walking Tour)

An excellent way to learn about the Lost Generation in Paris. Ellen knows the answers! An excellent way to see the places the authors and artists made history.

Ellen was a fantastic person to lead a tour of this generation of writers and artists. She answered follow up questions using her vast knowledge of the individuals that shaped a literature out of the ashes of World War I.

I’m so glad I experienced this wonderful tour with Ellen. She was very knowledgeable about the 1920’s and the Lost Generation. Her ipad was loaded with photos from that period and of the famous authors. I highly recommended this tour

The guide was very knowledgeable and had a terrific understanding of this topic. Overall, this was a fascinating way to learn about the writers who frequented the area. I would have liked more stops- and to cover more territory, but the weather prevented us from a bit more exploring.

The tour was fantastic, one of the best tours I have taken! Ellen is very friendly and knowledgeable about the subject matter. She incorporated a well prepared multimedia presentation into the tour. I highly recommend this tour.

Re the Losr Generation tour: Enjoyed the tour very much. Ellen is quite knowledgeable of the subject and provided a lot of context and background to fit the various writers and their places in the Parisian literary world at the time. Plenty of time was provided to help soak things in. We even ended with Cocktail Time at Le Select!

This was SO TERRIBLE I will try to get a refund. The guide had ZERO knowledge/expertise.. She struggled to read from slides that she apparently made recently. Every traveler knew the info she tried to convey. She also told us we would be responsible for her dog during the tour. After half an hour of horrible slides & half a block of walking, the dog popped on the sidewalk and we made out exit. Worst tour experience I have ever had. Very disappointed.

Paris 1920: Lost Generation Writers of the Left Bank was an unforgettable experience. Walking through the streets where Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, and others once lived and wrote felt like stepping directly into literary history. Ellen was passionate and knowledgeable, sharing fascinating stories and quotes that brought these iconic writers to life. One quote from Hemingway really stuck with me – that every life is worth writing about. It made me see the city, and even my own experiences, differently. I left the tour not only with a long list of books I want to read but also with a spark to start writing myself. If you love literature, history, or just want to feel connected to the creative spirit of Paris, this tour is a must.

Our guide was excellent -- very knowledgeable about the writers' lives and works as well as about the specific locations attached to them on the Left Bank. Highly recommend.

I cannot say enough about Ellen's kindness, knowledge, and passion for her subject. We started in the back of a cafe, where we watched a video for background and overview. Then we covered quite a lot of territory on foot plus two Metro trips (one would have been a bus, but it was not running, and she changed pace in a second). We passed through and sat a while for more info in beautiful public gardens. We saw the homes (with plaques to identify) of many authors, and spent far more time than we paid for. We ended the tour at the foremost hangout of the 1920s crowd.

Great guide and review of the topic in a beautiful lively part of the city of lights. Much better impression of the literary stars at the time.

This was a very interesting tour about the lost generation, the writers and artists who made the group and the places where they lived and gathered The stories of how their personal lives provided stories for their work added new understanding.

Great tour. Lots of interesting information from an well-informed guide. Very happy overall with the tour, though more time could’ve been spent on Gertrude Stein in my opinion.

We are a bookclub from Munich and had a wonderful tour with Ellen telling us all about the Lost Generation writers of the 1920s in Paris. She is super knowledgedable and had a great sense of humor. Highly recommend this tour with her. But beware you will end up with a long list of books and authors afterwards that you will want to read.

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!

Wonderful tour! So fun to see where icons of the Lost Generation lived, loved and created. Ellen was very knowledgeable. Appreciated all of the context and information shared, along with the questions she answered. Really special tour, highly recommend!

The guide for this tour was great! She was very friendly, willing to accommodate our interests and abilities, and very knowledgeable on the writers of this generation. The tour did go over the scheduled time limit, but it was very interesting and informative. The only thing I would have liked would be a brief itinerary in advance, as the tour began with a drink and short lecture in a cafe, and my wife and I had gotten a cool drink in a cafe right before the tour started, as we anticipated walking for the entire time. The cafe breaks were a welcome rest, though!

Ellen was so knowledgeable, and I found the tour very informative. I would definitely recommend it to anyone with knowledge, or an interest in learning about the Lost Generation.

Great tour guide really fantastic. we loved the detail and the personalization. thank you. we would do it again.

This is a wonderful trip. Ellen is so knowledgeable that she tells us a lot of stories about the literature in Paris. The trip is about 4 hour, but it goes so quickly because we are immersed into the trip.

Being fans of Paris 1920s, Ellen’s tour was fun, informative and memorable. She highlighted her descriptions with video of the famous writers…. Highly recommend.. She is an expert!

We had an absolutely wonderful time with Ellen on this tour. I am currently completing a literature PhD and have an article on Djuna Barnes coming out soon, and I found Ellen to be both incredibly knowledgeable and well-read. Her historical knowledge is excellent, and I found her treatment of Gertrude Stein to be particularly compelling and well-done. She also adjusted the tour’s ending for us, giving us a video of the lesser-known writers of the Lost Generation instead of a focus on Ezra Pound, who neither of us was particularly interested in learning more about. Another great perk: she has the most adorable dachshund, Axel, and if you’re lucky, you’ll get to hold him!!! I cannot recommend this tour enough.

This was really a disappointing tour. It was very slow and dry. You essentially just see the outside of apartment buildings that authors used to live in while the guide reads excerpts that go no deeper than Wikipedia. Standing and walking with no breaks for 3 hours (even though it's Paris - how easily could you incorporate a historic café into a literature tour?). What was the most frustrating was that as the tour progressed it became very obvious that the guide had not even read hardly any of the books/authors that she mentioned and she was no literature lover.

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!

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.

We had such a wonderful time - the tour was fascinating and not tiring to walk even though we covered lots of amazing spots. We went at a leisurely pace and got to appreciate and absorb everything without feeling rushed. Ellen was not only lovely, but extremely knowledgable and could answer all of my questions en route. She had put together a beautiful presentation filled with photos, audio clips, poems and great historical facts shown on her tablet, which added to the whole experience. She also went above and beyond to make recommendations for places to eat, things going on in Paris, sent us an English map for the flea market that we were going on the next day and told us about her other tours after our tour ended! Honestly, I could not recommend her enough and will be sure to do another tour with her next time I'm in Paris! Thank you so much Ellen - this was my favourite day in Paris. Love, Sam and Jude.

This tour was a highlight of my two months in Paris. Ellen was so warm, friendly, and knowledgeable. Her presentation and information about the writers and the places they lived in 1920s Paris made them come alive. Her enthusiasm for the subject has inspired me to go back and reread some of these great works. Anyone who has brushed up against these writers (and anyone from an American high school likely has), this tour is not to be missed.

Ellen went into detail about the historical figures related to this tour, such as books they wrote, complicated relationships they had, and the book, People Behaving Badly about the real- life human drama behind Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises. She also taught us something not so well known: Gertrude Stein was a collaborator with the Fascists who occupied and controlled France during WWII.

I really enjoyed this tour as a fan of the Lost Gen. Ellen had so much knowledge to share and we saw a lot of locations that were home to key people from the era.

Interesting and informative. We enjoyed seeing Paris through the history of these famous authors. She knows her stuff!

Ellen's depth of knowledge and passion for the subject matter was obvious after the first few minutes. We had the pleasure of listening to Ellen's thoughts on literary behemoths Joyce, Hemingway and Fitzgerald and a very honest appraisal of Stein. Myself and my wife would recommend Ellen's tour to family and friends hoping to learn more about Paris and in particular the literary revolution of the 1920's.

An amazing guided tour through the Rive Gauche on the steps of the writers of the lost generation. Ellen was very enthusiastic and shared with us her knowledge and passion of Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Joyce, etc. I offered the tour to my mum who is passionate about this era and authors, and she was delighted. I myself left the tour with a desire to read more American novels!

Ellen’s tour features a collection of writers, including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, James Joyce and Gertrude Stein. She also highlights lesser-known women writers, such as Anaïs Nin and Alice Prin. Unearthing the lost stories of these writers, Ellen recounts the history of the Left Bank, connecting present-day Paris to the post-war, roaring 20s. Stopping at the original Shakespeare & Co., she speaks of Sylvia Beach’s publication of James Joyce’s Ulysses. Strolling through the Luxembourg gardens, she recites Ezra Pound’s “A Girl.” Using an iPad presentation to enhance the experience, she uses photographs, audio recordings and videos to bring the past to life. Ellen’s enthusiasm and expertise inspired me to learn more about expatriate artists in Paris. After the tour, I stopped at the new Shakespeare & Co. on Rue de la Bûcherie to browse the books. Thank you, Ellen, for an exceptional tour!

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!