Step into Hemingway’s Paris
During the Roaring Twenties, Paris was for Ernest Hemingway a city of light, brilliance, and excess. Between the lively streets of the Latin Quarter, the cafés of Montparnasse, and the bookshops frequented by the Lost Generation, the French capital was a hub of unparalleled artistic energy.
Even today, you can follow in his footsteps on a literary walking tour of Paris, where nostalgia meets inspiration.
Lunch at Polidor, a Historic Parisian Café
Begin your journey in Hemingway’s footsteps with lunch at Le Polidor, one of his favorite cafés.
Open since 1845, Le Polidor is one of the oldest bistros in Paris. With its wooden tables, timeworn mirrors, and timeless charm, it perfectly captures the bohemian spirit of the city’s writers. It’s easy to imagine Hemingway here, revising his manuscripts with a glass of red wine in hand, watching passersby through the café window.
Guided Tour of the Latin Quarter: In the Footsteps of the Lost Generation
Continue your guided tour of the Latin Quarter, the beating heart of intellectual life in the 1920s.
At Shakespeare and Company, founded in 1919 by Sylvia Beach — friend and publisher to many expatriate writers — Hemingway found both inspiration and community. It was here he met James Joyce, who completed his masterpiece Ulysses within these very walls.
A little further on lies Rue Mouffetard, where Hemingway lived in his first Paris apartment — a modest but intensely creative life.
Then, stop by Gertrude Stein’s apartment, the celebrated poet and patron whose salon brought together Picasso, Fitzgerald, Matisse, and many others. Stein encouraged Hemingway to leave journalism behind and devote himself entirely to fiction.
Following in the author’s spirit, wander through the local markets, soak up the neighborhood’s vibrant life, and let yourself be enchanted by the atmosphere of Old Paris — the one that inspired A Moveable Feast.
Guided Tour of Montparnasse: The Writers’ Haven
Your literary tour of Paris continues in Montparnasse, the district that once pulsed with artistic and literary life.
At 113 Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Hemingway settled in 1924 after returning from Toronto, seeking to be near his friend Ezra Pound. The two shared a passion for poetry and precision in writing.
End your visit at the legendary Closerie des Lilas, one of Montparnasse’s most iconic cafés. This was where Hemingway often met F. Scott Fitzgerald, discussing literature and life in America under the watchful eyes of local artists and thinkers.
Experience Paris Differently: A Unique Literary Journey
If you wish to discover Paris in a new and inspiring way, follow the trail of Ernest Hemingway with a tailor-made experience designed just for you.
From historic cafés to iconic bookshops and literary landmarks, this immersive journey takes you back to the Paris of the Roaring Twenties — a city of passion, creativity, and freedom.
Contact us to design your personalized literary tour of Paris, and walk in the footsteps of Hemingway yourself.
