Discover the Jewish history of Paris: from the left bank to the Marais
2.5 hours
Off The Beaten Track
Paris
Your local for this experience
Experience hosted by Lucien
Private Tour
Carbon Neutral
This is your chance to discover the historical centre of Paris trough the story of the Jewish population of the city. Stroll through the most beautiful streets of Paris with your private local guide by your side!
Destination
Paris, France
Category
Off The Beaten Track
Duration
2.5 hours
Transport mode
Walking tour
Available languages
Français, English
Included
Private guide
6 reasons to book this tour
100% private & personal tour
Historic insights about the Jewish influence
Stroll the city like a local
Local guide by your side
Admire beautiful architecture
Get to know the Jewish quarter
What you can expect
**If possible, if you want to book less than 8 days before, please send me a message to ask me if I am available before making the reservation, even if the site indicates that I am available.
Thanks a lot!**
Since antiquity, Paris has known a Jewish community at its heart.
The Jews lived in Paris a singular destiny, long protected by the literati and the church before undergoing centuries of persecution. Jews are now integrated into French society, enriching it with their experience and their culture.
During this tour, you will learn about their history with your guide. Immerse yourself in the heart of the oldest and most emblematic streets of Paris to discover their history from antiquity to the present day.
Start your tour at the Saint Michel district, where the first communities were established in antiquity.
Explore the island of the city: Notre Dame and the Memorial deportation.
You'll cross Île Saint Louis (one of two natural islands in the Seine river) to enter the charming Marais district to discover the old Pletzl - the Jewish quarter.
This tour can be 100% customized to your wishes. Just let me know your preferences!
This is NOT a jewish quarter tour but we will finish the place in the old jewish quarter.
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 Saint-André des Arts - 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.
Start
Meet your guide at the Place Saint Michel
Stop 1
Saint Michel District - historical centre of Jewish community in Paris
Stop 2
Walk around the Le Marais with its outstanding buildings of historic and architectural importance
Stop 3
We will pass by Shoah Museum (entrance is not included)
Stop 4
Le Pletzl - the Jewish quarter
End
Goodbyes
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
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
Unknown
17 August 2023
Lucien is extremely knowledgeable about the history of Jews in Paris. He answered all our questions and presented events within their historical content and with great nuance. Cannot recommend highly enough.Excellent Tour of Jewish Paris
Hilda 🇳🇱 Netherlands
4 August 2023
Fijne wandeling met Lucian gemaakt vanaf Quartier Latin richting Le Marais waarin hij bondig over de joodse geschiedenis door de eeuwen heen vertelde. Leuke manier om zo een stukje van Parijs te zien.Geschiedenis
Andrea🇺🇸 United States
26 October 2021
Lucien created a fascinating tour of the marais. I had asked him to include French history in his Jewish tour and he did it masterfully. He has such a wealth of information at his fingertips and expresses it quite well. He also has a good sense of humor which comes across quite well. I highly recommend Lucien.Creative & informative
Kate
5 December 2019
we had a great time with Lucen and enjoyed every minute of it. he was incredibly knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. we would like to see him on our next visit to Paris. really enjoyed our tour!
Nina🇺🇸 United States
3 October 2019
Lucien was a wealth of knowledge!! So prepared and so nice. He would have gotten a perfect rating and I do not hold this against him but...he is not a good tour guide for kids. Lucien has a wonderful French accent but I brought my granddaughters (10 years old) on this tour and it was quite difficult for them to understand him. He was actually a little difficult for the adults as well but we could manage. He was very amenable to repeating what he said to the kids so he could not have been nicer but...for me, I would choose someone else if you are bringing kids. Thanks for a et but wonderful morning Lucien!!Torung with Lucien
Lisa🇺🇸 United States
14 August 2019
Lucien was just a pleasure to spend the morning with. We met him at a very easy location and we walked and he talked and gave us a beautiful tour of the Jewish quarter and the surrounding areas. He answered our questions and showed us all we had hoped to see. I would highly recommend taking a tour with Lucien, you will not be disappointed.What a wonder day!
Leslie🇺🇸 United States
18 July 2019
Interesting and enjoyable tour with Lucien.
Tony🇬🇧 United Kingdom
12 July 2019
We thoroughly enjoyed the Jewish tour of Le Marais with Lucien. He was charming, professional and very knowledgeable of the subject matter despite not being Jewish himself. He’d clearly studied a lot and retained the knowledge. He had an engaging manner and explained everything very well. Highly recommend! Excellent Tour with Lucien
Susan🇺🇸 United States
5 July 2019
The tour was terrific! We enjoyed the information given to us by Lucien. It was apparent that he was quite a historian. We found Lucien very pleasant,
willing to answer questions, and thorough.Great Historian!
Tanya🇦🇺 Australia
15 April 2019
Excellent summary of French history with emphasis on French Jewish history. Lucien was wonderful.History lesson
Kathleen🇺🇸 United States
23 March 2019
Lucien was an amazing tour guide. Incredibly knowledgeable, funny, and excited to talk to us! I would highly recommend Lucien if you want to learn about the history of Paris and the Jews from someone who knows what they are talking about!Great Guide!
Paul
15 January 2019
Lucen was extremely well informed and prepared in his guide us through the history of Jews in Paris. Lucien is highly educated articulate and a very pleasant guide. Our time with him was a high lightAeesome guide
Mitch🇺🇸 United States
4 January 2019
We took two tours with Lucien. Lucien’s love of history and ability to weave the points in history into a relatable story and tour was incredible. The details he pointed out on the Jewish History tour truly brought to light the deep history of Jews in Paris. His level of knowledge and presentation and love for his profession came through during the entire time we spent together. French History and Cultue came alive via L
Daniëlle🇳🇱 Netherlands
29 December 2018
Lucien is an history fanatic, in the best sense of the word. If you let him, he’ll walk and talk you through the entire history of Paris and probably more:)
But, besides the history, he knows himself too and sticks to the tour and the story, told from the ages gone till now, complemented with his own expert opinion.
With the right amount of wit and knowledge he is the right person to shed light on forgotten artifacts.Living history
Talia🇺🇸 United States
26 November 2018
Lucien’s tour was by far one of the highlights of our trip to Paris! He is clearly very invested into the subject matter and is extremely patient. He is very thorough and honest and I would definitely recommend using him!!!So knowledgable and patient!
Andrea🇺🇸 United States
10 November 2018
Excellent tour with Lucien!! Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic! Also made great suggestions about places to come back to. Highly recommended!!!Jewish tour of paris
Shirley🇺🇸 United States
10 October 2018
Lucien hosted our group of three for a personalized tour about the Jewish history of Paris: from the left bank to the Marais. He was knowledgeable and familiar with the area and was able to explain background and information relevant to the sites we visited. The route we followed was very interesting following the left bank to the Marais. This provided us with a great understanding of the area and allowed us to then go back and explore. Before the tour, he connected with us to confirm our meeting place which was very helpful. This tour along with Lucien ‘s expertise is a recommendation for your visit to Paris! Discover the Jewish history of Paris: from the left bank to the Marais
Nicol🇦🇺 Australia
30 September 2018
Lucien is a highly skilled, knowledgeable tour guide and he has created a really fantastic tour. Charming, thought-provoking and combines his love of history with a very stimulating and entertaining walk through the Jewish history of Paris. I hope we will have the pleasure of being guided by him again. Even the kids loved his work!Awesome tour with awesome guide!
Naomi🇺🇸 United States
30 September 2018
Lucien created an individualized walking tour for us that included so much history and many interesting details of the area. It was very informative and I learned so many new things. Thank you Lucien!Marais
Robert🇺🇸 United States
18 August 2018
Lucien was at the Cafe waiting for us and we were right on time. He is a native Parisienne
and his passion for his city is very evident. As a former school teacher, he was able to communicate very well with my 11 yr old granddaughter. Overall, we enjoyed the tour very much. A delightful tour with a very knowledgeabl
Shayna
19 July 2018
Lucien was our guide an a private walking tour of the Jewish area in Paris. He was very knowledgeable and an excellent communicator. The tour was informative and covered the history of the city back to Roman times and the movement of the Jewish people during historical times. We really enjoyed the tour of the Old Jewish quarter at the end of the tour. Highly recommend Lucien for a walking tour while in Paris. Great Tour
Wendy🇺🇸 United States
30 June 2018
Lucien was a fantastic guide and host, loved the Discover the Jewish history of Paris: from tthe left bank to the Marais tour! He is so personable and knowledgeable, and as a former history teacher, his passion came through in all of our conventions during the walk. He shared such great details about history as well as info about local shops and restaurants. And he has a sense of humor which is thoroughly enjoyable! Book Aour with Lucien if you have the opportunity, you won't be disappointed!Fantastique!
Alyssa🇺🇸 United States
12 June 2018
Lucien was a great tour guide. Our tour of the Jewish Quarter was so interesting. Lucien was great with our small children I would recommend him for any tour. Great tour
Sandi🇨🇦 Canada
12 June 2018
Lucien gave us an excellent tour of the history of the Jews in Paris. He pointed out some interesting facts about Notre Dame . He told us many things about the Marais district. He was very personableexcellent tour
Eileen
2 June 2018
Lucien was informative and pleasant. Our experience was goodDiscover the Jewish history of Paris: from the left bank to the Marais
Shelley🇺🇸 United States
30 May 2018
What a great tour with Lucien! He is a world of knowledge and is so passionate about Paris and the tour! We learned a lot, walked a lot and enjoyed a lot!Such passion!
Lauren🇺🇸 United States
16 May 2018
My small group enjoyed our tour with Lucien. He was not only extremely knowledgeable about Jewish history but also the history of Paris.
Lucien was a pleasure to be with and I highly recommend this tour or any other tour that he leads. Jewish walking tour
Nancy🇺🇸 United States
14 April 2018
My friend and I met with Lucien and had a nice long walk through the Marais district. He has been a teacher so presented Jewish history as well as history of Paris while we walked. We saw interesting streets, he took us to an amazing patisserie and we ended up at a exceptional little restaurant for dinner. We got lots of pictures before we ran out of energy! I would recommend Withlocals and especially Lucien to anyone that is interested in History delivered in a personal, congenial manner. Very enjoyable tour
michelle🇺🇸 United States
26 March 2018
Lucien was very knowledgable and very thorough. We had a great tour of Notre Dame and learned many details about the History of the Marais and of Paris as we walked
to the beautiful off the beaten path sites he knew about. I highly recommend this guide!Wonderful Guide
Ann🇺🇸 United States
7 January 2018
Lucien is excited about being a professional tour guide and it shows! He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and he is well read in his topics. We walked the Marais district with him and learned much about the historical aspects of the area, including pointing out structures from previous eras and the plight of the Jewish people in the area. He told stories which made history come alive. If you'd like this type of experience, contact Lucien.Walk the Marais with someone in the know!
Leonard🇺🇸 United States
30 December 2017
It was a pleasure having Lucien as our guide in Paris. He gave us many details along our walk before arriving in the Marais so that we would understand the whole picture. It was fun starting our walk with a cup of hot tea, which he brought with. He was friendly, pleasant, outgoing, and we certainly enjoyed our experience with him. thanks, Lucien!Walking tour of the Jewish Marias district
Laura🇺🇸 United States
26 December 2017
Lucien was great! He really took the time to explain everything and had little tidbits of information thrown in from a personal note, etc. I would use him again for any tour!Fabulous Tour
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
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
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
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
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
Withlocals experiences
are always
Private & personalizedNo strangers, just you. Fully customize your trip to your needs.
With a local expertFrom historical facts to the most up-to-date health regulations.
Without the crowdsExperiences designed to take you away from the crowds towards authentic local spots.
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.
