About this English self-guided 2h:02m bicycle tour in Paris
Welcome to Historic America & UCPlaces’ audio bicycling tour of revolutionary Paris! I’m your tour guide, Aaron Killian. Today we’ll be biking through the revolutionary landscape of the city of light! We will wend our way through grand plazas, admire towering columns, enjoy the city's magnificent landmarks, and then – look beyond it all – to uncover the bloody, boisterous, world changing historical events which took place on this grand stage.
We can’t wait to share the revolutionary story of Paris with you. Vive la revolution!
To get started, make your way to the Velib Metropole bike sharing station on the southern edge of the Place de la Bastille just off the Boulevard Bordon. It should be easy to find because it’s a short walk from the metro and closeby the public toilets. How convenient! I’ll see you there in a flush to begin our ride.
Distance: 0.34mi
, Attraction : Velib Metropole Bike Sharing Station 40001
Bastille, Paris, France
Vive le Revolution!
Once again, welcome to Historic America & UCPlaces’ audio biking tour of revolutionary Paris. We’re glad you could join us! I’m Aaron, your guide (but I also respond to professional history nerd). This is the part of the tour where I fit in my shameless plug for our websites (.historicamerica.org &.ucplaces.com) and invite you to use #historicamericatours on social media while traveling alongside us today. Let’s begin the journey.
First thing’s first – unless you brought a bike with you, you’re gonna have to rent one at this Velib station. Don’t worry. It’s super easy because there are only a couple of steps in the rental process. First, you need to choose and purchase an access pass using the multilingual interactive panel on site OR utilize the downloadable Velib app on your smartphone. Then select the bike you want to ride, key in your code, and … you’re off!
You’ll likely have the choice between a regular OR electric bike. It’s up to you.
I suggest you get an all day or multi-day pass. During the course of our tour, this pass will give you the flexibility to dock your bike at any of the many stations along our route. You are free at any time to explore the sites more thoroughly on foot - or maybe you’d like to take a break to grab an espresso or snack. Then – whenever you're ready – your day pass allows you to unlock another bike and continue our tour. In essence you can make this ride as long or short as you like. I’m here to guide you from point to point and give you some great stories along the way.
Now that I’ve explained myself, get a bike in hand, and proceed to the northern edge of the Place de la Bastille to trigger the first true point of interest on tour.
Oh – one final note – don’t worry if there aren’t enough bikes available at this Velib station. There are other stations nearby. Just use your phone to locate them.
Distance: 0.09mi
, Attraction : Place de la Bastille
Bastille, Paris, France
Beginning of the Revolution
You are now in the Place de la Bastille – the Parisian plaza where the infamous Bastille Prison once stood – that is, until it was destroyed during the first French Revolution of 1789. If you’d like to know the spot, just locate the massive pillar dominating the square. This is the July Column and it was erected decades later atop the former location of the Bastille. The column commemorates ANOTHER French Revolution which took place in 1830 and saw Louis Phillipe’s so called ‘July Monarchy’ overthrow the last Bourbon king of France – Charles X.
The column is over 150 feet high and topped with the shining, gilded representation of liberty. The names of those who died during the Revolution of 1830 are engraved on the column in gold lettering.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “How many revolutions has France had, anyway?”
Well first, let’s define our terms. In the context of this tour, a revolution is when a country’s sitting government is forcibly overthrown and a new governmental system is implemented. The generally accepted answer to the “how many revolutions in France" question is 3; a trio of major revolutions in 1789, 1830, and 1848 interspersed with a number of uprisings and violent seizures of power which occurred throughout the 1800s. The saga of revolutionary France is fascinating, interconnected and very complex. Honestly, if we were to visit every revolution-related site in Paris, it’d take days – and your legs would give out from all the peddling. On this tour, we’ll stick to the highlights and give you a good overview. Let’s start at the beginning with the storming of the Bastille.
On July 14th, 1789 long simmering tensions boiled over in a fit violence as hundreds of French civilians – fed up with the rule of the Bourbon monarchy — became revolutionaries and stormed the Bastille fortress which stood on this very spot. The event was the beginning of the revolutionary era of French history.
Although originally built to protect the city of Paris from foreign invasion, by the time of Louis XVI the Bastille was a prison for political dissidents and a symbol of the French monarchy’s oppression. It was an imposing building — see if you can envision it.
Eight rugged stone towers linked by curtain walls created a stout castle approximately 220 feet long, 120 feet thick, and 80 feet high. Now envision that same castle being overwhelmed by a churning mob of angry Parisians wielding muskets, swords and an assortment of cruel, makeshift weapons. Swarming the fortress’s outer courtyard, the rioters forced open the prison drawbridge amidst a hail of bullets fired at them from the defending garrison. Eventually the revolutionaries compelled the defenders to surrender. Shortly thereafter, they cut off the head of the garrison’s commander and paraded it around the city on a stick. Over a hundred Frenchmen died. Their eyes stung by smoke, their ears ringing with gunfire and the sound of angry men, the smell of powder in their nostrils and the metallic taste of blood in their mouths.
And this is just the first stop on our tour!
The storming of the Bastille is generally regarded as the beginning of the Revolution of 1789 – the granddaddy of French Revolutions – and the date, July 14th 1789 – has ever after been commemorated as a national holiday, Bastille Day.
To get to our next stop, take the Rue de Rivoli westward toward the Hotel DeVille. I’ll join you along the way.
Tour itinerary stops | Additional places you'll see on this self-guided tour
Place 1Vive le Revolution!
Place 2Beginning of the Revolution
Place 3Growing Tension
Place 4Revolutionary Struggles
Place 5Headquarters of Revolution
Place 6Directions
Place 7Directions
Place 8Directions
Place 9Prison of the Revolution
Place 10Directions
Place 11Temple of the Revolution
Place 12La Marseilles
Place 13Burial Ground of Revolution
Place 14Directions
Place 15Directions
Place 16Directions
Place 17Directions
Place 18Directions
Place 19Cafe of Revolution
Place 20Directions
Place 21Directions
Place 22Directions
Place 23Directions
Place 24Directions
Place 25The Louvre
Place 26Directions
Place 27Palace of Revolution
Place 28Directions
Place 29Directions
Place 30Directions
Place 31Pillar of Revolution
Place 32Directions
Place 33Garden of Revolution
Place 34Directions
Place 35Directions
Place 36Execution Site of Revolution
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A self-guided audio tour taken via the UCPlaces app [Android / iOS (iPhone) / Apple CarPlay].
Tour route map and in-app GPS navigation (via the UCPlaces app).
Audio stories for places visited during the tour.
Apple CarPlay connection (for iOS users); for a seamless driving tour experience.
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