The French Revolution Landmarks Walking Tour (Self Guided), Paris

Bastille Square in Paris is what's left now of the once infamous fortress-turned-prison that stood in this place in the late 18th century. Initially reserved exclusively for the upper-class inmates, gradually this prison started to accommodate commoners, as well, although in the far less comfortable conditions than those afforded to the aristocracy, for which reason it acquired a bad reputation and was hated and feared, all at once.

On July 14, 1789, the prison-fortress was stormed by a crowd of angry and armed people, upon which the prison governor first issued a ceasefire note, but then had to surrender and open the gates, seeing all the inmates liberated, thus marking the outset of the French Revolution. It was just a matter of days, after the storming, that a building contractor was hired for the demolition of the Bastille which, by November of the same year, was totally gone.

Now called Place de la Bastille, this square was established to commemorate those revolutionary events and to celebrate victory of democracy over tyranny. Special pavement stones here mark the original site of the fortress. The imposing July Column monument, dominating the square, commemorates another revolution – of 1830 – that lasted three days and saw hundreds of people die and resulting in King Charles X being replaced by King Louis-Philippe.

Why You Should Visit:
Centrally located, Bastille Square is perpetually busy. Adding to its popularity is also the near presence of the river Seine overlooking which are a number of benches, ideal for a quick stopover and having a bite while observing the surroundings – something the tourists quite like to do, actually.

Tip:
There are also short river cruises running along the canal from the Bassin de l’Arsenal, passing through tunnels underneath the old foundations of the Bastille fortress and contemporary square, then re-emerging and passing through several locks before reaching the Bassin de la Villette, which is altogether quite an exciting way to see Paris from a different perspective!

The City Hall of Paris, overlooking its namesake square, is the largest city hall building in Europe. Historically central to Parisian life, this location has been the city’s administrative hub since 1357 when the provost of merchants purchased the site intending to make it a public gathering space. Curiously enough, the early sessions of the Paris municipal council were held at the home of a city mayor – the practice continued until the 16th century when King Francis I ordered a purpose-built edifice for that. The Renaissance-style building's south wing was commissioned in 1535. Later, it was joined by the north wing, in 1605, under Henry IV and Louis XIII.

As the French Revolution headquarters, the City Hall accommodated Maximilien Robespierre and his supporters. Ironically, it was here that Robespierre himself was arrested in 1794, at the end of the infamous Rule of Terror period, during which anyone opposing the revolution was sent to the guillotine.

In 1835, the building was expanded to accommodate the growing city government. However, during the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune, it once again became a stage for political upheaval, culminating in its near-total destruction. During the final days of the Paris Commune, when their defeat was imminent and the French army closed in on the building then used as the Paris Commune headquarters, the Communards set it ablaze, completely destroying everything inside, including the city archives.

Reconstruction between 1874 and 1882 adhered to the original Renaissance-style exterior, while the interior had to be created anew, including lavish ceremonial rooms decorated with murals by noted artists. The façade featured 108 statues by prominent sculptors, including Auguste Rodin, who created the likenesses of famous Parisians such as philosophers Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, writer Charles Perrault (author of "The Sleeping Beauty", "Little Red Riding Hood", and "Cinderella"), sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, and many others. Another thirty statues here represent French cities. The clock at the central tower is also adorned with statues – several female sculptures depicting the river Seine, the city of Paris, the “Work,” and the “Education”.

In the 20th century, the City Hall witnessed Charles de Gaulle’s Liberation speech in 1944. In recent years, the Mayor of Paris opened the building to public events including the annual White Night festival. The City Hall also played a role in the 2024 Olympics, hosting the start of the marathon.

While public access to the City Hall is generally restricted, there are two rooms in the building constantly allocated to art exhibitions: one for photography, and one for art in general. Also, there are almost always some cultural events taking place outside, in the square in front of the building.

The Conciergerie, or The Lodge, is a historic courthouse and prison on the City Island in Paris, originally part of the royal City Palace, which also includes the Holy Chapel and Paris's first public clock, installed around 1370. Once a royal residence and judicial hub, this part of the City Palace became known as the Conciergerie after the “concierge” who was appointed by the king to uphold order.

By 1391, the Conciergerie was designated as a jail for both common criminals and political prisoners, in which living conditions reflected the prisoners' wealth and social status. Affluent inmates could secure private cells with basic comforts, while the poorest were confined to dark, cramped dungeons. Executions were routine, with many prisoners sentenced by the Revolutionary Tribunal and taken to the nearby guillotine at Concorde Square.

The Conciergerie gained notoriety during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror, when it held over 2,700 prisoners, including prominent figures like Marie Antoinette, the last queen consort of France, and Georges Danton, a leading figure in the French Revolution. Both of them were tried and executed by guillotine. The prison’s influence continued beyond the Revolution, with various regimes utilizing its facilities, including the trial of Napoleon III.

The Conciergerie’s architectural significance lies in its four medieval towers, such as the Clock Tower, home to the first public clock in Paris, and the grand Hall of the Men-at-Arms.

Today, the Conciergerie is a national monument and museum, offering visitors an immersive look at its turbulent history. Marie Antoinette’s cell has been transformed into a Memorial Chapel, and the Women’s courtyard offers a glimpse into the site’s somber past. For a more detailed experience, visitors can use the "Histopad" gadget, combining audio and visual elements, to learn more about life inside the prison during its most infamous periods.

Tip:
Visiting the Conciergerie is possible on a combined ticket granting access to the neighboring Holy Chapel as well.

Palais-Royal, originally named Palais-Cardinal, was constructed by Richelieu in 1628 and later inherited by King Louis XIII after his death. Although Louis XIV briefly lived here as a child, he found the experience traumatizing due to a late-night escape from potential revolters, which may have been one of the reasons why he chose to reside outside of Paris, in Versailles, later in life.

On 12 July 1789, a journalist and politician of the time named Camille Desmoulins gave a speech on a table in the garden of Palais-Royal. Fearing that King Louis would take action against the Third Estate after dismissing finance minister Jacques Necker, Desmoulins called for a popular uprising, which led to the storming of the Bastille two days later.

During the 19th century, the notorious King Louis-Philippe transformed the palace into a shopping and entertainment destination. Despite the dirty surrounding streets, visitors could clean their muddy shoes before entering the complex to shop, browse, and socialize. As the property was privately owned, police intervention was not permitted, leading to the emergence of gambling and prostitution at night.

The square today is adorned with the playful addition of black and white striped columns by Daniel Buren. Constructed in 1985 and made of white and black Pyrenees marble, these columns were met with mixed feelings from the public, both loved and hated. Despite their different heights, they are set in straight lines at even spaces, maintaining a sense of uniformity.

Why You Should Visit:
A little seclusion in a busy part of town that really transports you to a different place and time – imagining what court life must have been like. Ideal for a day/night walk (much more beautiful by night).

Tip:
Consider visiting to the charming rose garden (8am-8:30pm) located to the left of the palace, by the courtyard. Designed in 1633, it was transformed into a popular and remarkable floral haven in 1992. There are benches to sit on and admire the flowers, as well as a statue of a snake charmer by Adolphe Martial Thabard (1875). During lunchtime, workers often come here to relax and enjoy mini-picnics with pastries and takeaway coffees. Visitors can pull up one of the scattered metal chairs by the central fountain, bring a book, and unwind.

The Pavillon de Flore, situated at the southwest end of the Louvre Palace by the banks of the Seine, was named after the sculpture group "The Triumph of Flora" carved by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (1827-1875) that faces the Pont Royal. Flora is the mythological goddess of flowering plants and also inspired the name of the famous Café de Flore. This pavilion was constructed in 1607 during the reign of Henry IV and extended the Grande Galerie that formed the south face of the Palais du Louvre to the Palais des Tuileries, linking the two palaces.

During the French Revolution, the Pavillon de Flore was renamed Pavillon de l'Égalité (House of Equality) and became the meeting point for several committees of the period, including the most famous one, the Committee of Public Safety. Many other committees of the Revolutionary Government occupied the Palais des Tuileries, referred to by contemporaries as the Palace of the Nation, during the time of the National Convention. Notable occupiers included the Monetary Committee and the Account and Liquidation Examination Committee; however, the most famous was the Committee of Public Safety.

While the interior rooms of the Pavillon de Flore are not open to the public, collections from Africa, Asia, Oceana, and the Americas are housed in the adjoining Denon Galleries. Enjoy your visit!

Centermost of all the Paris city parks, the Tuileries Garden forms part of the triumphal axis (the so-called "Grand Axe") stretching from La Défense plaza all the way to the Louvre. The garden is almost totally flat and has a circular fountain in the middle, which is most popular in summer.

Originally, this Italian Renaissance-style garden was created for Queen Catherine de Médici, who in the 16th century began construction of a palace just outside the western walls of the capital. The garden took the name of the tile factories (called "tuileries") that it replaced. First opened to the public in 1667, it became fully accessible only after the French Revolution.

In 1789, following the fall of the Bastille, King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, moved into the Tuileries Palace as a publicity stunt to get "closer to the people". Sadly, this stunt eventually produced the undesired effect and resulted in the royal family being locked up in the palace under house arrest. Three years later, the palace came under attack in what proved to be the defining moment of the Revolution. The French monarchy was abolished, and quite radically so, with the help of the then newly-invented guillotine installed in the nearby Concorde Square. The last words of the king rising to the scaffold were: "Gentlemen, I am innocent of everything of which I am accused. I hope that my blood may cement the good fortune of the French."

In the 19th century, Napoleon merged the Tuileries with the Louvre in a bid to create one huge super-palace complex. The project was barely completed when the bloody uprising of the Paris Commune in 1871 saw the former royal Tuileries Palace set on fire and completely destroyed. But the palace garden survived and to date retains the general outline of its original master plan.

In the 1990s, the landscape was renewed as part of the Grand Louvre project. Now free to access, the park is an oasis of calm amid the bustle of Paris. At visitors' disposal are a good number of green chairs to sit on and enjoy ice cream or drinks, plus a pond with small rented boats, from which one can enjoy a marvelous view of the Eiffel Tower or simply unwind to the chirp of the local birds.

Concord Square is Paris's largest public square, spanning 7.6 hectares at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. It was created in the mid-18th century to honor King Louis XV’s recovery. The square's octagonal layout, surrounded by moats and stone bridges, originally featured the equestrian statue of Louis XV at its center.

During the French Revolution, the square gained historical significance as the site of numerous public executions including those of King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette, and Maximilien Robespierre, one of the most influential and controversial French revolutionary figures. The installed there guillotine remained particularly busy throughout the so-called "Reign of Terror" in the summer of 1794 when in a single month more than 1,300 people were executed. Renamed Revolution Square during this period, it was rechristened Concord Square in 1795, symbolizing peace in post-revolutionary France.

Today, the square is home to iconic landmarks. The Luxor Obelisk, a gift from Egypt, was raised there in 1836. In 1998, it was capped with a gold-leaf top. Aged over 3,000 years, this is by far the most ancient monument in Paris, originally standing at Luxor Temple’s entrance. The 230-ton obelisk is complemented by two fountains: the Maritime Fountain, symbolizing France’s seas, and the Fluvial Fountain, representing its rivers. The square’s Neoclassical buildings house important institutions like the former headquarters of the French Navy. In continuation of the nautical theme, there are 20 rostral columns throughout the square adorned with a ship prow which is part of the official Paris emblem.

On its eastern side, the Tuileries Garden connects with museums like the “Game of Palm” National Gallery (a former tennis court turned into an art gallery) and the Orangery, home to Monet’s Water Lilies painting.

Concord Square continues to host significant events, including Bastille Day parades and, more recently, Olympic celebrations. In 2021, plans were announced to make the square more pedestrian-friendly by reducing traffic, adding green spaces, and creating tree-lined areas around monuments.

Tip:
A big Ferris wheel in Concord Square is for those keen on getting a bird's eye view over the nearby river Seine, Louvre, Tuileries Garden, Champs-Élysées, Triumphal Arch, and the Eiffel Tower. This wheel turns three times faster than the London Eye and is much cheaper too!

The Palais Bourbon and the Hôtel de Lassay were built as villas for Louis XIV's daughter and were completed in 1728. Following the French Revolution, the Seine-side building became home to the French Parliament (National Assembly), with a semicircular meeting chamber added. The bold, neo-classical complex with striking Corinthian columns and an elaborate portico, added in 1806 to mirror the Madeleine church on the opposite side, is impossible to miss by the Pont de la Concorde.

The name of the old palace is a reference to the Bourbon dynasty, who were overthrown by republicans during the French Revolution. After nationalization, the edifice served as the meeting place for the Council of Five Hundred, which elected government officials, until 1799, when Napoleon Bonaparte orchestrated a coup d'état and seized power. Following Napoleon's downfall in 1814, the Bourbon monarchy was restored under Louis XVIII, who retained some democratic institutions established during the Revolution, such as the Chamber of Deputies. The chamber rented the palace until 1827, when it eventually purchased the building.

Currently, the Palais Bourbon is the seat of France's National Assembly, the lower house of the country's legislative branch. Guided tours of the palace are offered free of charge, including access to the hemicycle (the debating chamber), conference room, and other historically significant rooms. These tours are conducted in French and must be booked in advance on the National Assembly website.

Les Invalides is a spacious block of buildings in Paris comprising museums and monuments showcasing the military glory of France. It also played a significant role in the French Revolution. On 14 July 1789, prior to attacking the Bastille fortress, a mob broke into Les Invalides and seized 32,000 rifles, which proved crucial in starting the fight.

Originally designed as a hospital and retirement home for the aged and sick war veterans, the complex had 15 courtyards, with the largest one reserved for military parades. Completed in the 17th century, the hospital once housed up to 4,000 veterans at a time. Some of France's greatest generals and war heroes, including Napoleon Bonaparte himself, are buried here.

The tomb of Napoleon in the Royal Chapel is a standalone attraction and is a typically French interpretation of Baroque, with a huge dome, inspired by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The inner part of the dome is a sample of the French mastery in decorative arts, working on which was the army of painters and craftsmen. The sheer size of the dome, and that of the sarcophagus beneath it, vividly demonstrate the importance of Napoleon to the French people. If you come late, toward the closing hours, you may have a bit more space to walk around and explore this place on your own.

Inside the Museum, you will see the history of French might, arranged in a great series of halls and rooms and galleries stretching from the Middle Ages to more recent times. Renaissance armour for the horses as well as the men is a specialty, as well as their helmets and spears and halberds and cross-bows. The campaigns of Louis XIV as he strove to rule the whole of Europe is recorded in maps and manuscripts and period drawings. Climactically, the period of the French Revolution is represented most dramatically and in detail with flags and standards, cockade hats and the Guillotine.

The Napoleonic wars are also represented by cannon taken from the battle fields and all the military might that Napoleon was able to muster before his defeat at Waterloo by the Duke of Wellington and ignominious fall from power into exile. The age of photography enables us to see how devastating was the German attack on Paris in 1871 where newly built boulevards and their buildings stood in war ruins. And WWI/WWII are also evoked through photographs and contemporary film which record man's inhumanity to man.

Why You Should Visit:
From Napoleon's campaigns to the world wars, it is all there for you to see. The exhibits cover not just the military aspects of the wars, but also their economic, social and political aspects, their causes and the aftermath. Then, to top it all off, there is the tomb of Napoleon.

Tip:
The available on-site Angelina patisserie offers visitors a fairly good selection of teas and cakes, ideal for a quick snack and a nice break whenever one might need it.