From Saint-Paul to the Bastille by the Place des Vosges: audio walk in Paris

Follow the faceless prisoner from his grave to his prison: the church of the king and the cardinal, old Sully, the square of silk and courtesans, Hugo's house, the street of the 1559 tournament, the church where Fouquet was buried and the Bastille that isn't where you'd look for it, with the papers someone rescued from its moat.

1.48 km · ≈ 54 min · 13 stops · ES / EN

From Saint-Paul to the Bastille by the Place des Vosges

What this walk is about

On the Rue Saint-Paul there was once a cemetery where, in 1703, a prisoner nobody had ever seen without his mask was buried under a false name. You walk towards his prison past the church of Louis XIII and Richelieu, the courtyard of old Sully and the Place des Vosges, born on the site of a cursed palace, with its carousel for peace with Spain, its courtesans and Hugo's house. On the Rue Saint-Antoine you hear where the lance broke that killed Henry II, and you pass the church where Fouquet, the false suspect, was buried. On the outline of the Bastille drawn on the ground you discover how the fortress's archives, thrown into the moat in 1789, were saved, and with them the invoice for a bishop's cage. You finish in front of the column that stands where a plaster elephant once stood.

Start
The cemetery of secrets
Finish
The elephant made from captured Spanish cannons
Who it is for
A good starting point for your first visit. A walk for anyone curious about mystery backed by documents and royal history. A choice for families with teenagers.
Languages
Spanish and British English
Underfoot
The walk is mostly level.
Themes
Revolutions, Uprisings and the CommuneMysteries, Crimes and LegendsKings, Queens and Power

The route, stop by stop

An outline of the walk. The full stories are in the app.

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Open a marker to see its page. Use two fingers to move the map on mobile.

  1. 1

    The cemetery of secrets

  2. 2

    The king's and the cardinal's church

  3. 3

    Old Sully and his diamonds

  4. 4

    The ill-fated palace and the horse market

  5. 5

    Silk, a royal celebration and the cardinal's statue

  6. 6

    Seven names and two courtesans

  7. 7

    Victor Hugo's house and Léopoldine's wedding

  8. 8

    Where the lance broke

  9. 9

    Fouquet and the false lead

  10. 10

    Where the Bastille stood

  11. 11

    What survived the moat

  12. 12

    Palloy and the invented martyrs

  13. 13

    The elephant made from captured Spanish cannons

Walking directions are based on mapped pedestrian routes. Check local access and signs; the route is not an accessibility guarantee. Times are approximate.

Paris, before you go

Paris works best a neighbourhood at a time. Combine a walk, a pause and another look: the distances on the map can be deceptive.

More walks nearby

Good to know

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What is Podtour?

An app for self-guided audio walks. Choose a city and a route, then listen to the stories behind its streets. You decide when to start and when to stop.

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