Hemingway in Paris - Small Group Walking Tour
Description
Hemingway spent his formative years in Paris. Surrounded by fellow authors such as James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound & F. Scott Fitzgerald, he transitioned from cub journalist to seasoned novelist. These men & women were known as the "Lost Generation", many of whom had suffered through the horrors of WW1. They flocked to Paris not only for artistic inspiration but also to find themselves. This tour will take you to the places that Hemingway frequented, where he lived, worked & partied. Along the way I share documented research on his life & exploits, archival photos of Hemingway in Paris, and excerpts of his work. From his first trip to Europe as a volunteer Ambulance Driver in WW1, to his final days in Ketchum, Idaho, I will share Hemingway's experiences in Paris, his life, his loves, his work. We will visit his favorite bars and perhaps share a drink while I relate his story from his early years to Paris, and ultimately his tragic end.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We start the tour in the heart of the Left Bank's bohemian quarter. We discover his early days before arriving in Paris. Then we will see Hemingway's1st flat - a cold water flat with no running water, shared toilets in the hallway & a mattress on the floor. Despite his poverty, he loved Paris & opened himself up to discovering a new city, a new life.
Next stop, the place where James Joyce finished writing his masterpiece novel Ulysses. The two men were good friends, perhaps a "Literary Odd Couple" given their differences !
We will visit the original location of the famed bookstore, Shakespeare & Company, on the rue de l'Odéon. Hemingway was a close friend of the owner, Sylvia Beach, and he shared many happy memories of the store & the woman in his novel about Paris, A Moveable Feast.
Hemingway's last flat in Paris was located nearby - the rent was paid by his 2nd wife's family and it was far more posh than his previous digs. We will hear about his friendship with Fitzgerald & discover the behind-the-scenes story of his 1st novel, The Sun Also Rises. It was a divisive book, that cost him the friendship of several close acquaintances, but it catapulted him to fame.
Le Select was popular with all the Lost Generation writers. We end the tour here. Guests can also choose to end the tour in one of the other famed 1920s cafés of Montparnasse (La Rotonde, the Dome, the Closerie de Lilas), at Harry's NY Bar near the Opera, or at the Hemingway Bar in the Ritz Hotel (advance notice required for this option because dress attire is obligatory to enter the bar). Drinks NOT INCLUDED in the tour price.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Please note that I am entirely vaccinated
Reviews(47)
Very detailed tour. Ellen is passionate about her subject matter and is engaging and accommodating. You get it see some really cool spots.
We had a wonderful in depth and insightful Hemingway tour with Ellen. She brought him back to life along with all his friends and counterparts. We loved the tour. My best to you Ellen.
Many thanks !
Very fascinating, informative tour. The weather was hot and the guide to care to give us each a mini fan and buy metro tickets so we didn’t have to walk as far.
It was my pleasure !
A wonderful tour! Ellen is so very knowledgeable on not onlyHemingway, but also the entirety of the Lost Generation and Paris in general. Set up in presentation style, with a walking tour to accompany, you really are able to picture Hemingways life, as well as the vibrancy and pace of the quarter in the time. I’m an avid Hemingway fan and reader and was enthralled from start to finish, my wife has a passive interest but Ellen made it so interesting even she was absorbed by the story and the sites. Ellen is a wonderful guide, and her more than thirty years in Paris really shine on a walking tour. She is knowledgeable on just about everything of note, moves through Paris with ease that helps a new traveler to Paris adjust, and is friendly and pleasant to spend a day with. I recommend this tour thoroughly!
It was my pleasure !!
A very informative history of Hemingway and his Lost Generation cohorts. Nice to see the places they hung out and lived!
It was my pleasure !
First the down side. I was overcharged for this tour, which is advertised at "starting at" $118 on Trip Advisor (and $117 on Airbnb), with a "lowest price guarantee" on TA. I was billed $179. When I inquired, I was told it was because it was a single booking--as opposed to, i guess, a couple? One other single guy was on the trip, and he paid a lot less than I did (as did each of the people in the couple on our trip). Needless to say, the difference was not refunded, so i paid a LOT for this tour and felt baited and switched. That said, the guide, Ellen, was excellent. She knows a TON about Hemingway and tells it in an interesting way, brought along visuals, kept things moving while also answering questions...she was lively, smart, and interesting. I've read a lot of Hemingway, including A Moveable Feast (which is about his life in exactly the spots on this tour), but she still had tons of information to share. Ultimately I was so pleased by the tour that i forgot how much I overpaid. So I give 5 enthusiastic stars. Just make sure you know what you're paying up front!
Thank you for sharing, and I apologize for the misunderstanding over the cost. But I am glad you enjoyed the tour !
I had an amazing time! Ellen is an expert on Hemingway. Her storytelling is rich, detailed and inspiring. Her tour is well organized. I especially enjoyed the iPad photo video portions. It gave the tour another dimension. I would have liked to hear more about Ellen connection to Hemingway and what made her do this tour. Thank you again!
Thank you for your kind words. To answer your question - what made me do it ?? I find Hemingway a fascinating man - an incredibly talented author who could be very charming when he chose, and yet he was frequently unpleasant to those close to him. It was this dichotomy of the individual that I wanted to explore; and I hope I was able to convey some of my passion for the man & his work.
I was the only person signed up for two tours. Ellen, guide, condensed the tour into a 4 hour tour. I didn't expect to watch a video in a cafe and then 2 more videos. However, in light that it rained the entire afternoon it worked out well. Ellen knows her stuff. I wish she could have given me an overview of how the tour would proceed for the duration of the literary journey. She did a great job explaining the writers and the era that they lived in. She did an incredible job creating her videos on the subject matter. I was impressed at her skill set. I would take the tour again, hopefully on a sunny day. Merci, Ellen.
Ellen is knowledgeable, organized, prepared, and thoughtful. The tour is well-designed and includes a couple of short public bus trips in order to see different neighborhoods where Hemingway lived, wrote and loved. Ellen provides a terrific summary of Hemingway's life in Paris as part of the Lost Generation of the 20's.
It was my pleasure to be your host !
Highly recommend this tour! Ellen was very knowledgeable, interesting and accommodating. Thank you Ellen for the wonderful experience!
I am so pleased you came ! Thank you for joining & for the kind review ! See you on your next trip to Paris, I hope.
Our guide ellen was the nicest most knowledgeable person on hemingway i have ever known. Excellent tour presentation!
Thank you ! Coming from a Hemingway "expert" I am grateful !!
Amazing experience! Learned a lot and got to experience Paris from a different perspective... Ellen is extremely knowledgable.
I am so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the tour....many thanks !
The most memorable part of this tour was Ellen - we felt that she brought Hemingway to life and sitting at one of his favourite restaurants , having a drink and some food was an experience we will never forget. It was like having lunch with a wonderful friend.
It was equally pleasurable for me ! Many thanks for making the day so enjoyable.
Like many kids of my age, I was forced to read Hemingway in high school. However, he was one of the few authors. I actually enjoyed and would read on my own as well. What my teachers never got into, was the complicated and fascinating man behind those works. I knew some of the basics. The African Safari, the fishing, the womanizing, the drinking….. But this tour really brought the history of the man and the reasons and motives that drove him to life. The tour was well researched with tons of video clips and fascinating stories around his life. If, like me, you appreciate Hemingway as an author, or we’re just forced to read him, I highly recommend this tour. And my guide, Ellen made the whole event, fascinating and enjoyable
Thank you ever so much for the kind words !
Our guide was fantastic! My wife and I both enjoyed the tour. I'm a bit of a Hemingway fan and have read most of his works and a biography. My wife didn't know Hemingway's history in Paris. Great for Hemingway fans who may already know a lot of his story and for Hemingway "rookies." The tour included great information that set the context for the lost generation in Paris. The pace of the walking tour was easy. We saw cafés that Hemingway frequented and two of his apartments (from the outside) where he lived. We both enjoyed that the tour included more than Hemingway, including where F. Scott Fitzgerald lived, the location of the original Shakespeare and Co bookstore, and where James Joyce lived for a while. Time well spent during our visit to Paris!
It was my pleasure to be your host !
We could not have been more pleased with our tour and wonderful tour guide, Ellen. I knew a lot about Hemingway from reading his books, but not so much about his biography, and Ellen was able to fill in many gaps for me about his life. The information was so comprehensive and covered his entire life-the depth and breath of the information was truly staggering. We also visited many sites that were on my list-for example, Ellen showed us the steps where Owen Wilson waited to be driven back in time in the hit movie, "Midnight in Paris." We ended at the select, and the neighborhood of avant garde bars was so well preserved it felt like stepping back in time to the 1920's! We HIGHLY recommend this tour. Very informative and FUN!
Thank you ever so much for your kind review !
Ellen knows her stuff! As a Hemingway fan, we enjoyed the tour and Ellen’s extensive knowledge. It was wonderful to bring all the biographies to life on the tour! We also enjoyed the visit to the Montparnasse bars!
It was my pleasure ! Many thanks for coming on my tour.
Ellen was an absolutely wonderful guide; incredibly knowledgeable and thorough, this tour of Hemingway’s life is singular if you’re coming to Paris and want to dive into the Lost Generation.
It was my pleasure to be your host ! Thank you for the kind words !!
Great tour for Hemingway fans, with some Fitzgerald and Faulkner info thrown into the mix. Ellen is a knowledgeable and fun tour guide. A big highlight of my Paris trip.
It was my pleasure!
This was a great tour, very well researched and containing interesting media & facts. A must for anyone who is a fan of Hemingway or just enjoys a great historical tour experience.