Paris Free Tour: An Investigation into the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre

On the night of August 23–24, 1572, a massacre targeting Protestants began in Paris, just a few days after a wedding intended to reconcile the kingdom. Who gave the order?

For 1 hour and 30 minutes, from the Île de la Cité to the Marais, you’ll conduct the investigation as a team. At each of the five stops—from the forecourt of Notre-Dame to the former Hôtel de Guise—you’ll receive clues drawn from contemporary accounts and historical research. You’ll cross-reference them, identify biased sources, and then direct your suspicions toward four suspects: the king, the queen mother, the Duke of Guise, and the king’s brother.

No culprit is predetermined: historians themselves are still debating the matter. You’ll leave with what is known, what remains unknown, and the places where Paris has commemorated the victims.

A walking tour—unadorned and grounded in historical sources—where the memory of the victims remains at the forefront.