Today Paris is the City of Love, the home of fashion and the centre of art and culture in France, but it wasn’t always that way. France, and Paris in particular, has a long, tragic history of murder and execution, of rampant disease among the lower classes and of bitter wars fought against a corrupt monarchy. Our Dark Heart of Paris tour takes visitors on a journey through this other side of the city – the rarely seen underbelly of the City of Love.The tour takes place under a cloak of darkness, winding down alleyways and cutting throught the hushed silence of the night. Following your English-speaking guide you will go to the sites of some of Paris’ darkest hours - the Place de la Vert Gallant where the last of the Knights’ Templar was burned at the stake; St Germain de Auxerrois where some estimates say 30,000 were killed in the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre in 1572; and the Palais du Justice where those found guilty by the court were routinely tortured and executed before live audiences.As you walk, your guide will point out places of interest, filling you in on the full details of the gruesome history of Paris. No stone will go unturned as you delve into the dark heart of the city. Starting out with ritual worship in early Paris you will travel through generations wracked by the plague, the French Revolution, and the Paris Commune. You will learn about the characters that have moulded the city, from Henry IV to Marie Antoinette, and the serial killers that once stalked these very streets.The Dark Heart of Paris tour offers a rare opportunity to glimpse a side to Paris that you won’t see advertised on postcards. A chance to learn a little more about the City of Love and those who have loved, hated, died and murdered there.