Very enjoyable. Jay was friendly and knowledgeable. The walking pace was relaxing and he explained so much French history.
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- Tour Guide Exclusively for you (Does NOT apply if you choose the small-group option)
- Private Walking Tour (Does NOT apply if you choose the small-group option)
Excludes
- Hotel Pickup or Drop-Off (We Recommend UBER or Taxi)
- Gratuities (OPTIONAL)
Departure & Return
Departure Point
- Metro exit Cité (Line 4). Meet your guide outside of the exit of the metro station on the opposite side of the stairs next to Metro sign CITÉ
Itinerary
Once at the meeting point, you will start your tour by exploring ile de la cite, the oldest settlement in Paris. Once known as Lutetia, this former Roman city was the predecessor of present-day Paris, from which the city grew outwards.
From here, you will see the infamous Notre Dame Cathedral (Exterior Only) – the most famous of the Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages, distinguished for its size, antiquity and architectural interest.
You will then pass by the Saint-Michel fountain, a monumental fountain commissioned by Haussmann, under Napoleon III. It depicts the archangel Michael vanquishing the Devil, evoking thoughts of the battle between Good and Evil.
Next we will head towards Shakespeare and Company, a bookstore unlike any other. Just minutes from Notre Dame, it is arguably one of the most famous bookshops in the world where literary types from the Beatnik Generation would find a home through the 1950s and 60s.
Following on, you will see the Melkite Greek Catholic parish church, Saint Julien le Pauvre, one of the city’s oldest religious buildings.
You will also see the Roman Catholic church of Saint Séverin, one of the oldest churches that remains standing on the Left Bank and which continues to be used as a place of worship.
After this, we will head towards the Musée de Cluny, also known as the National Museum of the Middle Ages. This museum is partially constructed on the the remnants of the third century Gallo-Roman baths and houses famous collections from the 1st to the 15th centuries.
Next we will head towards the infamous Sorbonne University, a college that became the epicentre of knowledge. The history of the Sorbonne is closely linked to that of the creation of the French university.
We will then head towards the Pantheon (Exterior Only), a building originally built as a church dedicated to St Genevieve, but now functions as a secular mausoleum, containing the remains of notable French citizens such as Voltaire and Rousseau.
We will then go to the beautiful Luxembourg gardens, situated on the border between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter. The gardens, inspired by the Boboli Gardens in Florence were created in 1612 upon the initiative of Queen Marie de Medici and cover 25 hectares of land.
If we have time, we will see the church of Saint-Éienne du Mont, which contains the shrine of St Geneviève, as well as the tomb of Jean Racine.
We will also pass by the Wall of Philip August, the oldest city wall in Paris. The wall was built during the struggles between Philipp II of France and the Anglo-Norman House of Plantagenet, as the French King ordered a stone wall to be built in order to protect the French capital before leaving for the Third Crusade.
Language Offered
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
Reviews
Great walking tour of the Latin Quarter. Hugo was a great guide, very knowledgeable and able to answer all our questions about the history of Paris and the Latin Quarter. I would recommend this tour for anyone who wants to learn about the early days of the city of Paris.
Good pace, beautiful sites and interesting information, Jay is a great tour guide. He was very patient and helpful and gracious towards us even though our Uber driver dropped us off at the wrong location and we missed the first 45 minutes of the tour.
Eden was exceptional! Knowledgeable, friendly, answered all questions. I would definitely recommend her for a tour guide anywhere in Paris. We had a great time!
We had a wonderful guided tour of the Latin Quarter with Eden Mele. Our guide was knowledgeable, engaging, and brought the history of the neighborhood to life with interesting stories and details we would have completely missed on our own. It was a great mix of history, culture, and beautiful Parisian streets. A perfect way to discover one of the most charming areas of Paris. Highly recommend!
Great tour, perfect amount of time. Our guide, Sophia, was very knowledgeable and personable. Went above and beyond to accommodate our specific interests. She was funny, friendly and extremely intelligent.
We had a lovely guided tour of the Latin Quarter with Florian G. He was engaging and funny and our entire group loved the tour. We hope to visit Paris again soon and would not hesitate to book another tour with Babylon Tours and Florian G.
Great time with Sophia!!! She was so knowledgeable and gave great recommendations!
Tamari was amazing! Extremely well informed and enthusiastic.
We were in Paris during the heat wave. The other travelers backed out and we were lucky to have a private tour with Eden. . She was professional and personable. It was clear she loved Paris. We were able to see the Musee de Cluny, Sorbonne, Pantheon, church of Saint Severin and the gorgeous Luxembourg gardens. This was a wonderful overview.
Our guide, Georgia, was one of the most knowledgeable tour guides we’ve ever had, and we’ve been on many tours. Our 2.5 hour tour of the Latin quarter was as much a history lesson as it was a sites tour. If we were staying longer, we would sign up for another of Georgia’s tours. We could not recommend this tour, and Georgia, more highly. Thank you Georgia!!
Wonderful complete and interesting tour with Jay. He was very knowledgeable and helpful - after the tour we were confident to do more exploring of this unique neighborhood.
We had an amazing private tour of the Latin Quarter with Alasdair. From the very start, he was incredibly engaging and brought the neighborhood's rich history to life. He perfectly blended famous landmarks with hidden, local gems that we never would have found on our own. It never felt like a boring history lesson; it felt like exploring the city with a knowledgeable friend. Thank you for the local dining recommendations. Highly recommended! Russell & Jason
Maria S was a fantastic and extremely knowledgeable guide. My husband and I loved learning about the history and current events of this arrondissement. Some of the site stops were typical for Latin Quarter and some were hidden stories/gems we would never have found on our own. Maria S was also well organized - sending confirmation messages and even a map pin to find her.
This was a great tour covering the history of the Latin Quarter, from Roman ruins up through the jazz clubs of the 1920s. Our guide, Eden, was wonderful. She brought us all through the neighborhood, from the Seine all the way through to Luxembourg Gardens. She explained the history of the area and how each site we visited played a role in shaping the culture of the Latin Quarter and of Paris. If you are staying on the Left Bank I recommend booking this tour early in your stay; the information and context you’ll get from it will serve you well for the reminder of your time in Paris.
We had a very good and nice trip with a very nice and friendly guide. Jay, our guide, was very entusiastisk and had a big knowledge to Parisian history. We can warm recommend Jay as the best guide.
Eden really knows how to make a tour both fun and informative. I originally booked with my husband but he couldn't go so I went solo. Had a great time. Whether you are solo or with others, Eden can make your day.
Alisair was an awesome guide for many reasons. He was British so his English was good. He had studied theater so his witty way of describing places and events was very entertaining. And he was very conscious of the fact that the temp was in the 90’s so he sought out shade and places to sit quite frequently, which was good since 4 of the 6 in the group were in our 70’s. As I think others have noted, this tour does not go inside Notre Dame so I also booked the Notre Dame and City Center tour which allowed for 20 minutes inside the cathedral. Both were different and well worth it.
Vibrant tour guide and lots to learn about! Beautiful architecture and memorable stories. Tour guide named Georgia was lovely
Excellent discussions of Latin Quarter, Left Bank and 5th Arrondissement! The background of the development of Rome in early days brought the tour to life! Georgia provided an entertaining and informative tour!
Eden was an amazing tour guide. She has an amazing knowledge of the history and made the tour so interesting with her fun facts. A nice way to finish our tour was her recommendation to a delicious ice cream place. The 45 min wait in line was worth every scoop! I must admit I was apprehensive about walking for 2.5 hrs but it was so interesting that the time just flew by! Thank you Eden for a great afternoon!
Wonderful, very entertaining, great performances, felt safe in the area of the show, cafe on the corner was a good place to have food and drink waiting for the doors to open, think uber for pickup
Georgia gave us an amazing tour, so knowledgeable!!!! Gave us so many details on the history of Paris!! We were sorry we had to cut it short because of the weather!!
Georgia was a phenomenal guide. Not only was she very knowledgeable and informative about the area but she has a delightful charm and personality. Highly recommend anyone to book her guided walk.
Alisdair S was a great guide. Knowledgeable about the area, about the history, and fun anecdotes about the historical figures.
Great sights and lots of information. She was friendly entertaining and energetic. A lot of history and fun facts
Our highlight of the tours we’ve taken so far. Our guide, Maria, was very knowledgeable and gave excellent background at each stop. She was accommodating- stopped for a bathroom break and did not rush us.
Eden is a spectacular guide. Not flashy- grounded, thoughtful insight. We were a group of 5 and everyone seemed to enjoy. I have been through the Latin Quarter dozens of times, but have now added so much depth and understanding due to Eden's extensive knowledge. Highly recommend.
Maria was knowledgeable, friendly and best of all, she LOVES Paris!!
Alasdair was Funny, knowledgeable, and very animated! Keeping us entertained while learning a whole lot of useful information! I wish all my tours could be met with this amount of effort! What a great time, speaking of time... You would never know we were walking and talking for 2:30! Time flies when you're having fun!
Our Guide Al was amazing! Animated , funny, and very knowledgeable! I would have never known it was 2 1/2 hours in!
Eden was a wonderful tour guide for our Latin Quarter tour and gave us a great lay of the land for the rest of our visit.
Eden was awesome! She even sent us recommendations for other activities after the tour. Two thumbs up!
Max shared a lot of background information about the area, Montmartre. He pointed out areas of interest. He gave suggestions of how to spend the rest of a drizzly afternoon and gave us directions to find a good cafe or taxi when we were ready to leave the area.
Our guide Maria gave is a great tour through the latin quarter. She had great knowledge of the aeria and showes cietes like for us, unknown churches and other exciting Place. Highly recommended!!
Eden was a wonderful guide. Friendly and an expert in the history of Paris. I highly recommend Eden and this tour.
We had a wonderful tour with Eden today! She was an entertaining, informative and thoughtful guide. We enjoyed a thorough overview of the Latin Quarter and its long history. I highly recommend Eden and this tour!
Had a great time learning about Notre dame it was absolutely beautiful. So much culture and architectural history. Hugo did a great job of explaining things while making it interesting and engaging
Had a great experience on walking tour of the Latin Quarter with Babylon Tours. Hugo Kennedy led our group and did an excellent job. He is extremely knowledgeable and also very fun. I really enjoyed our time together. Highly recommend
We thoroughly enjoyed this tour of the Latin quarter. I could have listened to Alasdair all day. He was very engaging, an absolutely great story teller, he kept us captivated and wanting more! He was very knowledgeable and Very helpful in his recommendations of places to explore more of and eating places. A great guide and such a beautiful area to explore.
Alasdair is more than excellent. Knowledgeable, fluent, funny, excellent performer and has a huge body of knowledge in a wide spectrum of subjects. It was incredibly enjoyable learning from him. Prof Udassin
Alasdair provided an incredible tour of the Latin quarter. The tour was educational, fun, and highly engaging. Would absolutely recommend!
Jay was a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. He was able to answer all of our questions and provided detailed insight into the history of the Latin district.
Alsadar was excellent. The tour was very fun and informative. He imparted lots interesting historical facts. Highly recommend his tour. Be prepared for lots of walking.
Our experience was great, filled with facts of interest and a fun walk through the Latin Quarter in Paris!
Hugo our tour guide was prompted and extremely impressive! He was extremely knowledgeable and informative regarding Paris and the Latin quarter! My wife and I totally enjoyed our day with Hugo
The guide was funny, lively, extremely knowledgeable. Lovely informative tour if you want to learn more about Paris history and the Latin quarter.
That our guide Hugo was so knowledgeable in history that is was one of the best tours I have even taken! On top of that he was so pleasant and accommodating as I have a bad back that was hurting today he rearranged the tour on the spot and was conscious of asking me if I needed to sit. We are hoping to arrange another tour with him before we leave!!!
Eden was what you’d create for yourself if you could imagine the ultimate tour guide—friendly, knowledgeable, amusing and full of stories that are uniquely French. She added a profound level of depth to this tour while managing to intuitively facilitate a lovely atmosphere of learning and laughter. What a great day she gave us!
Fantastic historic area! Our guide, Hugo, was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and enjoyable. Small group tour is the way to go!
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