Literary Walks

I conduct private literary walks around Paris for individuals, couples, families and small groups. Each walk lasts about three hours and includes a coffee break at a typical Parisian café. Walks are taken at a leisurely pace and planned for maximum comfort, avoiding unsure footing, staircases etc. However they are not suitable for wheelchairs. In the event of light rain, heat or other inclement weather, walks generally continue, since alternative under-cover routes exist for all tours.

  • The Lost Generation of Montparnasse and The Great Cafés

    Of the flamboyant Café du Dome, one giddy visitor in 1929 wrote “I was uncertain whether it was a place or a state of mind or a disease. It is all three!” In this walk, we follow Ernest Hemingway, Henry Miller, Gertrude Stein, Man Ray and the other writers, painters and party people of les anneés folles, the “crazy years” between the two world wars, who lived the legend of Montparnasse. Sites visited include the former homes of dancer Isadora Duncan, painters Tsuguharu Foujita and Amadeo Modigliani, and Alice Prin, aka Kiki de Montparnasse, and the Dingo Bar, where Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway first met.

  • The Left Bank

    Following the German occupation of Paris, the narrow alleys and impasses between Boulevard St Germain and the Seine, known as the Rive Gauche or Left Bank, emerged as a centre of cultural ferment and an international symbol of glamorous bohemia. Jazz flourished in such clubs as Le Tabou. Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir embodied the new philosophy of Existentialism. James Baldwin, Irwin Shaw and James Jones filled the vacuum left by the departure of Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and the Olympia Press of Maurice Girodias published Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. High spots include the building where Picasso painted his giant canvas Guernica, the cellar jazz clubs of Rue Buci, the off-beat “academy” of eccentric poet Robert Duncan, the bouquiniste book-sellers of the Seine banks, and secluded Place Dauphine, workplace of fictional detective Maigret as well as André Breton’s Surrealist heroine Nadja.

  • Jazz, War & Revolution of St. Germain and Odéon

    A breeding ground of innovation for more than two centuries, the narrow lanes of St Germain are a living museum, rich in sites of literary, architectural, political and historical importance. The cafés where Danton and Robespierre plotted in 1789 to overthrow Louis XVI would also accommodate the Nazi army of occupation in 1940, go on to be patronized by authors Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, followed by students of the Sorbonne planning les événements of 1968. Sites include the building in which the guillotine was perfected, and others associated with Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and the novelist Colette.

  • The Paris Days of Ernest, Hadley, and Pauline Hemingway

    Reporting from a Paris hotel at the end of 1921, Ernest Hemingway crowed that he and new wife Hadley could live there for a year on just $1000. Finding this to be optimistic, they rented a fourth-floor apartment at the seedy end of Montparnasse. As Ernest struggled to make his name, their marriage paid the price. When wealthy Pauline Pfeiffer made him an Offer He Couldn’t Refuse, Ernest traded Montparnasse for a spacious apartment in St. Sulpice. Sites visited in this walk include the homes Ernest shared with his first two wives, and the cafés where he wrote and socialized with Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and other giants of the age when “Paris was where the future was.”

Book Your Tour

Fees

€150 per person for groups up to ten persons

€200 for an unaccompanied individual, and by arrangement thereafter.

Where possible, John prefers limiting groups to no more than six people. 

For any inquiry or booking please contact John at johnbaxterparis6@gmail.com

Testimonials

 

“ John had an incredible depth of knowledge on Hemingway. He has given us a true sense of what it was like to walk in his footsteps and experience his life as it may have been in Paris. His expertise extended far further into the history, art and architecture of Paris. A fantastic experience. 'Exceptional' would be an understatement.”

— J & K - New York City

“John, our walk on Friday was a huge success for each of us. You took us to amazing places which we would have passed unnoticed without you. Your funny, revealing, and often surprising account of the Paris you so obviously love drew us closer too. The wonderful lunch in your home was the perfect tonic after our labors. When the new books hit the street, we'll be all over them.”

— Sharon, Larry, Mary & Glenn - San Francisco, California

“John Baxter’s walking tour was the unqualified highlight of my recent trip to Paris. I thought I was old friends with the sixth arrondissement, but John re-introduced me and made me fall in love with it all over again”

— Patrick McGiligan - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

“Having visited Paris many times and read all the books about the great authors of the first half of the 20th century, I thought I was well-versed. Then I accompanied John Baxter on a walk through St Germaine, and he opened windows onto the lives, works and haunts of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Harry Crosby, John dos Passos and Co, and brought their magical world to life. John is a wise and charming guide, and a wander through Paris in his company is highly recommended. ”

—Larry W - Sydney Australia

“What worked was John's articulate, knowledgeable and detail-oriented talk, and his obvious passion for these literary larger-than-life characters that history has given us. We also appreciated John's love of Paris; how he integrated the history, architecture, politics and other artistic and social dynamics with the focus of the tour. We especially liked his humour and frankness, and of course, his favourite coffee shop.”

— CBK New Orleans

“I just wanted to thank you for a terrific day. I really enjoyed the walk and learning so much more about Paris and the characters who had lived there. Thanks for an informative and insightful experience. ”

— K.F. - Sydney, Australia