Modern Paris

Modern Paris is a guided tour designed to tell the story of the architectural and civic evolution of the City of Light from the 19th century onwards. During this pivotal period, the French capital found itself suspended between technical progress and a desire for stability: the French Revolution still left its mark of political and social ferment, while the Bonaparte family had restored imperial power through the military campaigns of Napoleon I.

From the mid-19th century, Napoleon III ascended to the throne and planned a radical transformation of Paris. Under the direction of Baron Haussmann, a senior government official, the city's layout changed profoundly: the shift from a still-medieval, chaotic urban structure to a geometric and linear vision of wide boulevards, open spaces and celebrated monuments was complete.

The walk begins in front of the gilded Opéra Garnier, symbol of Napoleonic power and today home to the National Academy of Music and Classical Dance. The route winds through the elegant streets of the Galeries Lafayette, rue de la Paix and rue Saint-Honoré, where the economic rebirth of Paris can be admired through the refinement of its buildings and the windows of the great French fashion houses.

The tour continues on a more historical note, taking in the Vendôme Column at the centre of Place Vendôme, the Place de la Concorde and the Egyptian obelisk of Luxor — standing on the very spot that, during the Revolution, was known as the "place of the guillotine".