Free tour

Paris off the beaten path: the 19th arrondissement from an industrial to a cultural hub by the canal

4.93

Excellent(15)

Paris

Duration: 2 hours

Languages: English

Guru: Mohamed

Registered on 19 November 2021

Hello! My name is Mohamed. I’ve been living in Paris for 4 years, in the 19th arrondissement (a neighborhood I’ve completely fallen in love with). I am passionate about travel, discovering new cultures, history, and electronic music. I am also a big fan of free walking tours, and always join one whenever I visit a new city! Being a curious person, I love meeting new people, hearing different stories and experiences, and seeing atypical places and this is why I decided to create this tour. I am very excited to share the unique and rich history of my local up and coming Parisian neighborhood (the 19th). I want to help you see Paris in a new, different way, by taking you through what used to be Paris' industrial and working class areas, and seeing their transformation to vibrant neighbourhoods where daily flourishes away from the center.

Free reservation and cancellation

Pay-what-you-want tour, no set price, reservation and cancellation are free

Tour description

Intensity: Low to Medium (75 stairs to access our last stop on a hill)

*please remember to bring water, a hat if sunny, and your best sunglasses*
This tour is designed to take you away from the usual tourist beaten path and deeper into the Parisian local life. We will go to a deeper level of connection to the city and areas not usually visited by tourists.

Our themes will be: Water, Industry, Immigration, and Nature.

The 19th arrondissement is a story of transformation from a center of industry with factory chimneys to a residential and a cultural hub. A real melting pot of cultures with many contrasts that contribute to its beauty and uniqueness.

La Rotonde: Built in 1788 as the customs offices of Paris, now a restaurant and a place to dance!
La Villette Basin: Industrial and Port hub of Paris in the 1800s
Crimée Bridge: Last working lift bridge in Paris, built in 1885
La petite ceinture: Old railway lines turned into green urban space and cultural hubs
Russian Orthodox Church: Hidden gem inside the buildings of the 19th arrondissement
City Hall of the 19th: Let's go say hi to the mayor! (not really, we’ll just check the important architecture of the building)
Buttes-Chaumont Park: One of the most beautiful parks of Paris, and an amazing project of transformation.
La Butte Bergeyre: A hidden village in the heart of Paris where we feel like we traveled in space and time.

Join me on this walk to discover part of the history of Paris’s working class and closer to the daily life of Parisians today as well as discovering many restaurants, boats, and cafés.

Highlights

What will we see on this tour?

Meeting point:

La Rotonde Stalingrad, 6-8 Pl. de la Bataille de Stalingrad, 75019 Paris, France

Just in front of "La Rotonde Stalingrad", between this beautiful monument and the fountain. I'll be waiting with my orange umbrella and red sunglasses - if it is sunny :)

Outside visit

La Rotonde Stalingrad

Built before the French revolution in 1788, it was the offices of the customs sitting on the walls of the city of Paris, where armies and kings walked into Paris.

Outside visit

Bassin de la Villette

Industrial hub of Paris in the 19th century and its main port that was the 4th largest port in France at its peak

Outside visit

Pont levant de la rue de Crimée

a historical monument, last working lift bridge on the canals of Paris, built in 1885.

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price, instead, each person gives the guru at the end the amount they consider appropriate (amounts usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).