Paris is a city full of secret and interesting stories. If you have a curious mind and would like to go in depth into the horrors and scary stories around the city, this tour is for you! Come with me on a private tour, I have plenty of stories to tell you that will give you goosebumps.
Destination
Paris, France
Category
Off The Beaten Track
Duration
3 hours
Transport mode
Walking tour
Available languages
Français, English
Included
Private guide
6 reasons to book this tour
Private tour: only you & your local host
Hear fascinating stories about the Louvre
Find out dark stories & secrets about the city
Go on a storytelling journey with a local
Visit Parisian highlights & secret spots
100% personalized to your wishes
What you can expect
Paris is a 2000 years old city and throughout the years' plenty of things have happened. While some might be good, the city has been a witness of countless unspeakable things. Curious to know more?
This private tour is all about the secrets, legends, and scary stories that surround Paris. From dark conspiracies in the richest palaces, to horrible murders in the darkest alleys, Paris is full of whispers!
Hear the stories about the red men of the Tuileries, find out what happened at Pont Neuf and the forgotten mysteries of the King's Palace. Religion also influenced a lot in this unimaginable stories with angels and demons taking part in the daily life of the Parisian locals. Hear all about them as we stroll through the city.
This is a storytelling tour and I have plenty to share. With countless of legends, most with a terrible and tragic ending, you will definitely be intrigued! Let me tell you my favorite ones.
We will start near the Louvre, walk around the City Island from the Pont Neuf to Notre Dame, then explore some part of the quarter of Les Halles!
Any other story in mind? An interesting place you want to visit? I can personalize your tour 100%
This is the plan
Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Lucien.
Meeting point
Meet at Place Colette - Paris to start your journey
Itinerary
This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.
Intriguing Louvre
Listen to the story of the red men of the Tuileries, the slaughter of the Saint Barthélemy, the thunder of the Revolution and more legends surrounding the Louvre
City of Secrets
Hear stories from the city's island. From the secret of the Pont Neuf, the forgotten mysteries of the King's Palace to the wonders of Notre Dame
Legends & Horror
Meet the horrible true stories about the Place de Grève
Quartier Beaubourg
What we will find in the Old medieval streets? Legends about alchemists and fear
Fascinating Les Halles
Yesterday one of the biggest markets in the world, today a busy shopping area, this place is full of criminals stories from medieval ages until today!
Tragic Ending
A last story before goodbye at La bourse du commerce
Make it yours
Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.
Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.
Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.
I can personalize this tour for you
I can personalize this tour for you
Tell me your preferred date and group size
Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!
Flexible cancellation policy
Feel confident booking
Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.
Change of plans?
Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.
Loved by travelers worldwide
Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.
Reviews from guests
Naomi
21 February 2025
We had a fantastic private tour with Lucien who brought the bloody and brutal history of Paris to life with spell binding stories. He is a passionate story teller who loves his home city and I recommend everyone to take this unique tour. Lucian is a character with a great sense of humour, you will not be disappointed! He is happy to adapt the your to your needs as a group. A wonderful memorable experience for our family! Highly recommended private tour
Ted🇺🇸 United States
23 November 2024
Lucien knows French history better than anyone I've ever met in the states. Fun and smart - great tour - he's passionate about France! Smart & Educational
Michael
26 August 2023
Lucien was great: combination of charming Parisian personality with deep knowledge of any subject and with captivating stories that tied together centuries of France's history made 3 hours fly by. Thank you!So much great information
Anessa🇺🇸 United States
12 January 2023
Lucien is such a lovely human and since he was our day 1 tour, we got to see everything that he taught us, come to life! It was such a privilege experience, and I would highly recommend booking with him to get a very good read on the history of the most beautiful city in the world !You will learn so much & love it!
Corrina🇺🇸 United States
6 July 2022
We enjoyed our afternoon with Lucien very much. We were late and he was so nice about it. He is a wealth of information about legends and lots of history about the area. Was a nice way to spend a few hours walking around with a Paris local who was so knowledgeable. Thank you Lucien for a great day.
Corrina and EdaSuper
Erin🇺🇸 United States
28 March 2022
Lucien was a fantastic guide. Not only did he have amazing historic information to share- he did so was a casual ease that made it fun and interesting the whole time. Lucien gave his take on all the great stories while taking us through beautiful areas in Paris. He was able to answer questions and give insight. My partner and I wished we’d also booked him for his tour of the Louvre! I could not recommend a guide more! A great start to our trip!
Andrew🇺🇸 United States
28 March 2022
Lucien provided a high energy, engaging and informative tour across the heart of historic Paris. He is a great storyteller who bring history to life in the very places where key events take place. We highly recommend him as a guide. Master storyteller
Jen🇫🇷 France
21 December 2021
Lucien is a champ. He took two adults and my two jet-lagged children around some historical spots in Paris on an adventure. He had great stories, lots of historical images on his iPad to add to what we were seeing in person, and adapted his usual presentation to suit the ages of the kids. He was enthusiastic and deeply knowledgable and I now wish I hired him to take us other places in Paris! Adaptable and responsive
Unknown
13 November 2021
Visite originale et passionnante autour du Louvre et dans les quartiers du vieux Paris. Nous avons adoré. Merci LucienIntrigues et destins
Gabrielle🇦🇹 Austria
8 November 2021
We made the tour with Lucien "Tales and Horrors" of Paris and were a family- age 20-84.
Lucien is a never ending source of knowledge about Paris and we were thrilled by the many stories he told us about Paris´legends and personalities.
It was palpable that he loves what he is doing- his fascination is contagious. For sure we want to go on a tour with Lucien again, when next time in Paris.
Gabrielle Buresch-Teichmann and family, Austria and SwitzerlandA fascinating afternoon with Lucien
Luke🇬🇧 United Kingdom
31 October 2021
We’ve taken many tours before and visited to Paris before, but Lucien’s encyclopaedic knowledge of history, plus his enthusiasm and gift for storytelling made this a wonderful experience.
I won’t spoil it but Lucien took us to hidden gems, provided gruesome context and made the three hours fly by! No other way to experience Paris
William
23 December 2019
Lucien was an absolute marvel. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and could not believe the time had passed The tour raised so many more questions about the past in paris, I (sandra) had so many more questions. Unfotunately our time come to an and all too quickly. We wish him all the best and hope that the new year is a good one for him. Would use withlocals for other tours in Europe.
Cheers Sandra Watts.Lucien
Gayle🇨🇦 Canada
9 November 2019
Lucien was wonderful! He explained lots of history and amazing stories. He was passionate and very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend this tour with Lucien. You will not be disappointed. Amazing Tour
Joe🇺🇸 United States
9 September 2019
Lucien essentially brought to life the ongoing intrigue, deceit, betrayal in France as it swirled thru Paris. Lucien's accounting of past events made it easier for me to understand how modern France and Europe were shaped by these past events and echo into Todays ongoing world politics. Lucien for us was knowledgable and entertaining. I would defintely request his services in the future. I would of done this review sooner but was hospitalized when I got home.Great fill in on historical drama
Margaret🇬🇧 United Kingdom
29 August 2019
This is a great tour, would thoroughly recommend it if you are looking to do something different. Be prepared to walk quite a bit but the bonus is you see parts of Paris although in plain sight you would probably pass by without the guidance of Lucien.
Lucien is extremely genial and very entertaining with his stories of medieval Paris. Our party of 4 were hugely entertained and learned more to boot.
I don’t want to give anything away ,if you are going to book a tour in Paris, this is a must do....enjoy🤗Legends and stories Tour with Lucien
Renee🇺🇸 United States
29 August 2019
This is my second time booking a tour with Lucien and once again, a wonderful tour and experience!! We booked our tour in the Paris heat wave (July 2019) and even in the heat, Lucien made sure the stories & history were told in a shady spot. Such great history stories that I would have never learned on our own or with a group tour!! Merci Lucien and look forward to our next tour soon!! Legends tour with Lucien
Lorraine🇺🇸 United States
19 June 2019
We had a great visit to Les Puces, which is an enormous flea market in the northern part of Paris. It would have been difficult if not impossible to find our way around without Lucien's help. He was very knowledgeable about the history of the area as well as the huge array of antiques and vintage items for sale. He walked us through the best places to shop and pointed out interesting items. A couple of antique furniture stores in particular had beautiful things from every era. If you're interested in a particular type of collectible, Lucien will help you find it, and will mark specific booths on a map so you can find your way back after the tour.Les Puces Market
Donna🇺🇸 United States
18 April 2019
Lucien was very passionate about history and his city. He connected with my teenagers using comic books and movies. He is also very knowledgeable! Extremely Enthusiatic!
tristan🇬🇧 United Kingdom
15 March 2019
Excellent tour of the old quarter. Lucien has a story for everywhere. We particularly enjoyed looking at the facade of Notre Dame. I know Paris well but Lucien was able to show me things in a different way. Good level of English.Excellent tour
Francois🇩🇪 Germany
16 January 2019
Lucien led our group of 16 people from different nationalities for his „crimes and terrors“ tour in the center of Paris. Through his very lively and humorous perspective towards historical events he created a really nice atmosphere throughout the visit. Lucien is absolutely knowledgeable regarding the history of Paris and France, even Parisians learn something new about their city with him. He is also passionate about his job and authentic, our 3 hour tour went in a glimpse.
I can highly recommend him! Very lively and humorous tour - our expect
Kellie🇦🇺 Australia
15 January 2019
What an awesome way to learn about Paris! Lucien was so enthusiastic and informative with so many interesting stories and history. We learnt so much more than with any other tour and we were able to ask questions at any time. It did not feel rushed and was a nice, easy walk. Highly recommend Lucien and this type of tour over any other, will be telling all my friends!!So interesting!
Erika🇺🇸 United States
23 November 2018
Very knowledgeable and helpful guide. Takes time to explain everything and we really enjoy the we spent with him in the city Best tour guide
Erika
8 February 2025
Lucien guided us through Paris from the Louvre to Versailles with ease. He had thought of every detail and made us fall in love with France.
He is extremely professional with excellent communication starting from our first message until the end of our tour. He provided recommendations for our entire stay, not just during the tour.
We highly recommend Lucien!Lucien was the best part of our visit!
Ning
19 January 2025
The Paris Saint-Oeun flea market can be overwhelming! In fact, my husband and I have bern there many times. Our tour with Lucien made all the difference! He’s smart and interesting as well as flexible. He helped us find a beautiful, hand-carved statue of the Virgin Mary … even though his speciality is a market overview rather than finding specific items. Wonderful tour! Flea Market with Lucien!
Deborah🇫🇷 France
13 January 2025
Great time walking around the flea market with Lucien. He was patient and filull of knowledge. Convivial and enthusiastic
Johann
8 January 2025
Great, fun, informative tourGreat tour of the Louvre
Cheyenne
7 January 2025
I absolutely LOVED my medieval tour with Lucien. He is very knowledgeable and easy to talk to. Felt like I was exploring Paris with a friend. I will 100% book more tours with him in the future. Highly, highly recommend. Lucien was INCREDIBLE
Gina🇭🇰 Hong Kong
5 January 2025
We booked Lucien for our visit to the Lourve, and we definitely found the right person! We were late and Lucien was able to get us in quickly which was amazing! He was very enthusiastic about everything in the Lourve, our 2.5 hours tour was way too short! Lucien gave us a very interesting and informative tour which was exactly what we were looking for! My daughter is 11 years old and she thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Lucien was very easy going, he was happy to show us the sections that we were more interested in (which was not in the itinerary). We highly recommend Lucien and will definitely book another tour with him for our next visit. Merci beaucoup Lucien!Fantastic guide!
Gibran🇺🇸 United States
27 December 2024
Lucien gave my family and I a wonderful tour of the Orsay Museum. He is knowledgeable and makes the tour engaging. Would definitely recommend. Wonderful guide
Sandra Cheryl🇵🇭 Philippines
24 December 2024
We absolutely loved our walking tour with Lucien.
He was engaging, thoughtful, accommodating and informative.
Christmas Reunion in Paris
daniellespiegel
23 December 2024
Wayne🇳🇿 New Zealand
22 December 2024
Lucien was a fountain of knowledge and catered for our family group of diverse ages by the information he shared. We may have walked over 7kms but it was an easy stroll filled with laughter and sightseeing.Fun and knowledgeable
Iris🇺🇸 United States
5 December 2024
Lucien was very knowledgeable and friendly and was quite passionate about French history. However, we thought we would be provided with more past and current Jewish life in Paris. This was just a very small part of the tour. We also expected more time in the Marais. Jewish Tour
Karen🇺🇸 United States
29 November 2024
We enjoyed this tour with Lucien. It’s fun for us to learn the history of the cities we visit and Lucien did a great job of that. He was also happy to answer our questions about life as a Parisian and had a quiet sense of humor as well. Thank you, Lucien!Enlightening Tour
Mark
18 November 2024
Lucien is an excellent guide and tour leader. Our topic was La Commune de Paris de 1871 - slightly off the beaten path. Lucien is knowledgeable about the history and able to relate it to the actual locations where it happened. I would strongly recommend Lucien for anyone looking for a tour firmly grounded in research and facts. excellent tour
David
16 November 2024
It was an incredibly miserable day with rain and cold and Lucien turned it around for us. He was incredibly knowledgeable, funny, charming and the perfect guide. We would highly recommend him.
Edward
4 November 2024
Lucien took my two teenage sons on his tour. Both are studying Napoleon for 'A' level. They were riveted by the experience, finding Lucien to be an informed, amusing, engaged and engaging guide. He brought a touch of quirkiness, which kept them amused, and even sent them a list of links to Napoleon-related films afterwards. Thoroughly worthwhile experience. First class tour with a real enthusiast
Peg🇺🇸 United States
30 October 2024
Although we had communicated in advance that we were going to be late, and called Lucien several times while we were en route, asking him to please wait for us, he did not wait. He made a judgment that there would not be sufficient time for a good tour. We believe it was up to us to decide if a shorter tour was still worth it. We had paid in full for three hours of his time, and we expected at least the remaining hour and a half. We are very disappointed that he did not wait for us. We have requested a partial refund. Sorry - were unable to connect with Lucien
Leslie🇳🇱 Netherlands
28 October 2024
We really enjoyed our Paris WWII Resistance tour with Lucien. He is clearly passionate and knowledgable about the subject and we enjoyed getting to know him a bit. Fantastic!
Kathy
11 October 2024
Lucien was awesome to work with. Even before we arrived in Paris he was very responsive, gave us lots of recommendations for purchasing tickets ahead of time and great dinner spots.
Once we met up with Lucien he was full of Paris history. We loved getting to hear stories and learn as much as we did and we never felt overwhelmed it was the perfect amount of detail. We also visited a basque restaurant for lunch with Lucien and the spot did not disappoint.
As our day winded down he even taught us how to use the metro. If we come back we will 100% be booking with him again.10/10 would highly recommend
Lisa🇺🇸 United States
5 October 2024
Lucien is a charming Parisian guide. We reserved two tours with him and he was prompt with communication, forgiving when I asked for a change of plans last minute and accidentally navigated to the wrong meeting point… twice! His “off the beaten path” tours are worth your time! He provides a unique experience of what most tourists would miss out on. He is delightful, funny, enthusiastic about his work and very knowledgeable. We saw several large tour groups on our journey and I kept thinking how glad I was that we booked a personal experience instead. If you’re hesitating… don’t! Do check on the weather, dress accordingly and prepare ahead for a 2.5 hr walking experience you won’t regret. The value of the experience for the price is worth every penny. Thank you Lucien! Captivating and Witty
Lisa🇺🇸 United States
4 October 2024
Lucien was an absolutely brilliant guide. We booked two tours with him (Latin Quarter and Les Halles originally). Not only was he gracious when I made an error on both days about where we would meet, he even agreed to change the tour to fit our needs at the last minute. Lucien had a playful wit, lovely countenance and he is very knowledgeable about the “off the beaten path” history of Paris. Our first tour was in the Latin Quarter, which gave us a depth of ancient Parisian charm. I can’t recommend him enough. Thank you Lucien!Truly Delightful
Lyn
4 October 2024
We joined Lucien for a 3 hour tour , “The Liberation of Paris” on a cold morning in the Luxembourg Gardens. We enjoyed Lucien’s commentary & insights & found him to be delightful & knowledgeable.A morning with Lucien in Paris
Colleen
3 October 2024
Lucien was very knowledgeable. We had a great time! Only correction: 3 hours was about 30 minutes too long.Liberation and resistance
Annette
1 October 2024
I thought I knew a bit about Mont Marte, having visited a few times before, but Lucien brought so many new perspectives and stories. He obviously likes his job, which comes across in his story telling and enthusiasm for the area. It was really well paced. He is funny, interesting and great at managing a mid to large sized group. I took two initially-resistent teenagers and they loved it. A highlight of our Paris trip. Highly recommend. Please make sure you approach him about payment - he is a bit shy to ask for a tip. Seeing Mont Marte through new eyes
Mary🇺🇸 United States
24 September 2024
We enjoyed our tour with Lucien. He is very knowledgeable about French and European history, which he wove into stories about the places we visited. We have a better understanding of the link between the architecture and monarchies in Paris. If you enjoy history and period stories, Lucien will provide a very enjoyable tour. Exploring Paris
Meg🇺🇸 United States
21 September 2024
We had a great tour! We enjoyed weaving through the city and learning about the history behind buildings and statues we otherwise would have just walked by. Lucien was also funny and engaging, we liked his little personal stories as much as we liked Napoleon’s! So many hidden gems in plain sight!
Taylor🇺🇸 United States
19 September 2024
We absolutely loved our tour with Lucien. One of the people in our group was a history buff yet we all found the tour fascinating. Lucien is SO knowledgeable about not only WWII but history in general. We had such a great time and would definitely book with Lucien again.Fascinating tour with a fantastic guide!
Joe🇺🇸 United States
15 September 2024
Lucien's passion for Paris and its history certainly came through as he provided my group of 11 with a wonderful walking tour of Saint Germain, the Latin Quarter, and Ile de la Cite!Fantastic!
Chris🇬🇧 United Kingdom
8 September 2024
This guy is brilliant. So energetic, knowledgeable and engaging.
We had an incredible three hours. We learnt so much
Highly recommended A genuine enthusiast
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Private & personalizedNo strangers, just you. Fully customize your trip to your needs.
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More about me
*I advise you to contact me before making a reservation to be sure that I am available.*
My name is Lucien and I have been a professional guide since 2017 . I have been a school teacher for a short time before, I wanted to continue to share my passion about history and nice things... and now I am a "guide conferencier" : I am an licenced guide and I can guide you in museums and everywhere you want in Paris.
I can guide you to the Louvre for exemple or to the other museums in Paris ( as long I prepared them).
I would certainly like to tell you everything I know about the history of Paris! In fact, it will be hard to stop me.
I like to say I am in a typical parisian : big mouth, complains a lot but of course eventually very charming.
I prefer to talk about Paris behind the postcard : the reallity of a life in a complicated city, the complex history of my country...And I won't be very good if you are only looking for fancy things and fashion!
I am more specialized in the medieval center: I can do tours like the Île de la Cité; the Latin quarter ; Les Halles; Le Maris ; Saint Germain des Prés, Montmartre; a bunch of other stuff. . . But I also like to go to the flea market in St Ouen (I live nearby).
I can guide you in the Louvre, and the Invalides and I can prepare other museums if you have a specific request.
Please send me a message if you want information about a visit.
If you request a personalized tour, I will be happy to prepare something for you!
I do all my sightseeing on foot. I don't have a vtc license: please don't ask me to drive you! But if you really want I can find a private driver, but I think that in Paris the best is always to walk during my tours.
I am happy to adapt my work to children but I am not a babysitter. I'm not a personal shopper, but I'll be happy to recommend some places. I'm not really a foodie, but I know a lot of delicious restaurants and can recommend a lot.
I am a professional full time freelance licenced guide : I am very proud of my work. I really try to do the best I can for the guest and to personalise everything I can. This is why I prefer sometimes to refuse to do a tour if I don't have time enough to prepare or if I realise I won't be good for the subject that is requested!
Important detail: Withlocals lets the guide decide what to do in this situation so I commit here to respect what I write here:
- in case of delay of the client I would like to be very clear, I do not wait more than 30 minutes without having received news and any refund will be refused.
- if you notify me of your delay it is imperative to do it by the chat of Withlocals, or by sms (preferably by whatsapp), in any case in writing.
I can adapt if it is possible and do not worry I always look for a solution: the tour can be shortened, or even rescheduled later.
However I no longer accept situations like saying : "we arrive in a few seconds"... and letting me wait more than an hour (it is very specific but it happened to me several times). The guide is not going to wait indefinitely, it is a question of respect.
In case of absence on my part, the client will be entitled to a full refund of course. This is a rare situation but I always prefer to cancel a tour if I am sick or too late rather than the client having a bad time.
I am freelance, which means that I can have a transport problem, be sick, or have made a stupid mistake in the program.
And I am much better at organizing myself to be completely honest!
In case of a problem on my part I always try to contact the client in advance, first on the withlocals chat, then by text or whatsapp, then by making a call.
When I can't come I always try to get a replacement for me with a competent guide that I trust. When a replacement is possible the tour will not be considered refundable.
