It’s officially spooky season! So it’s time to talk about all things haunted and scary – and one of my favorite things to do this time of year is ghost tours!

Okay, I’ll admit anytime of year is the right time of year for a ghost tour.

It doesn’t take much to convince me to book one when we travel and I knew we had to explore Paris’ dark side and haunted history when we were there last month.

We found the Paris Dark City Secrets Walking Tour when researching Paris ghost tours and opted to go for it as it was super convenient for us as we were already going to be staying in the Latin Quarter.

I will say this tour is definitely more about the city’s dark history and true crime than active hauntings. But, the tour was still fantastic even without some of the more typical ghost stories. The tales told were still creepy and gory and eerie.

Paris ghost tour review

Highlights

Some highlights from our dark side of Paris tour includes:

• The Sweeney Todd of Paris
• The beheaded statues at Notre Dame
• The man who was killed for being a wizard
• The mafia using a local trade to cover up killings
• The 1981 cannibal of Paris
• The duchess who perfected poisons to go after rapists
• The hanging tree and a death penalty that annoyed citizens of the time because it was too fast

Like I said, this did focus more on the violent and macabre history and true crime of Paris’ past. It was an interesting and gruesome look at the city’s history and the people that called Paris home. Definitely a good tour if you like the history side of guided tours more than the talk of apparitions and scary sightings.

Tour guide

Our tour guide was Leo and he was great! He was informative and engaging and enjoyed telling us these stories. He also sprinkled in some local information, such as where to eat on a certain street we were walking down or other museums to check out if we were interested in a particular topic covered during the tour.

He was easy to keep up with and talked loud enough that we could all hear him while spread out and taking photos. Speaking of photos, he even had a few of his own to show us during the tour.

Group size & pace

There were about 10 of us on the tour, so it was a small group tour but that made it very easy for us to move about to each location and not have to crowd in super close to hear Leo.

I do wonder if going in September did help keep our group small and I might expect to see a bigger group in the summer or in October when everyone is looking for a good scare.

The pace was also great. The tour is about two hours and we made several stops along the way, but Leo made sure to take his time in each place to tell us the stories and history of where we were. I never felt his stories were rushed nor were we constantly on the move.

It is billed as a walking tour, but we only stayed in the Latin Quarter. I don’t think we walked more than a mile or mile and a half at most over those two hours.

Booking information

• Duration: 2 hours
• Distance: About a mile, walking tour
• Days offered: Daily, but check ahead for availability
• Times: Our tour started at 7:30 p.m.
• Price: $32 per adult
• Meeting point: 1 Rue d’Arcole
• Tickets: Buy tickets online 

Tips for the Paris ghost tour

After taking this tour, here are some tips to help you get the most out of it!

• Wear comfortable shoes: This is a walking tour and on some of Paris’ older streets. Wear shoes that are easy to walk in and comfortable standing in while listening to the stories.
• Bring water: It was hotter than I expected Paris to be in September so we made sure to bring a bottle of water to stay hydrated during our walk.
• Bring an umbrella or jacket: Paris was boiling when we were there but the tour does go on rain or shine so prepare for a change in the weather should it happen.
• Charge your phone before the tour: I take a billion photos when we travel but I was definitely using up my phone’s battery on this tour as you visit so many photographable locations – and those sunsets we saw were truly something else! Come prepared to take great pictures of Paris on this tour.
• Be prepared for grisly details: If true crime or gore isn’t your jam, this tour might not be for you. The tour guides aren’t going in-depth on the gruesome deets, but there is talk of dismemberment and such.
• Tip your guide: Lastly, like we always say, if you enjoyed your tour be sure to show your appreciation to the guide.