Your experience

BARBARA, GRÉCO, GAINSBOURG, AZNAVOUR, MOULOUDJI, FERRÉ, VIAN… through a selection of anecdotes and a cappella songs, experience Saint-Germain-des-Prés as you’ve never seen it before, guided by Anne-Sophie Guerrier, a professional singer.

After the war, the young people of Saint-Germain-des-Prés would gather in the cellars, where jazz and songs filled the air. There, you’d come across the neighbourhood’s entire intelligentsia: Juliette Gréco, Serge Gainsbourg, Boris Vian, Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel, Léo Ferré, Barbara, Marcel Mouloudji, Cora Vaucaire, as well as numerous American jazz musicians. 
 

Anne-Sophie evokes this existentialist effervescence and the spellbinding post-war nights, amidst the hushed atmosphere of Parisian cellars. Taking in some thirty unusual spots – from charming squares to secret passageways, picturesque courtyards and typical narrow streets – and set to the rhythm of around twenty French songs from the post-war period up to 1968, along with numerous anecdotes, she reveals the artists’ ‘hidden gems’, as well as the cellars where they first made their mark. She also takes you to remarkable sites such as the Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Café de Flore, Les Deux Magots, the Monnaie de Paris, the Church of Saint-Sulpice and the Pont des Arts...

At every stage, she punctuates the tour with historical anecdotes as well as juicy stories about the singers’ lives and the spirit of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, illustrated with authentic photographs and excerpts from French songs that are both realistic and emblematic of Saint-Germain, performed a cappella, their melodies echoing the stories told and the places visited.

In a true spirit of sharing, visitors join in to sing the great classics in unison: “Les feuilles mortes”, “Dis quand reviendras-tu”, “La javanaise”, “Il n’y a plus d’après”…

A unique journey through history, jazz and French songs, offering a fresh way to immerse yourself in Saint-Germain!

Practical information

Starting point:

Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris 6th arrondissement, in front of the church

Saint-Germain-des-Prés metro station (line 4).

Language:

French.

Times:

Selected Tuesdays, Sundays and public holidays, from 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm.

Duration:

2 hours.

Price:

€20 per adult, €13 for under-18s, €1 for under-6s.

Season:

From late March to mid-November