
Paris to the Past
Traveling Through French History by Train
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $29.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Christa Lewis
-
By:
-
Ina Caro
About this listen
In one of the most inventive travel books in years, Ina Caro invites listeners on 25 one-day train trips that depart from Paris and transport us back through 700 years of French history. Whether taking us to Orléans to evoke the visions of Joan of Arc or to the Place de la Concorde to witness the beheading of Marie Antoinette, Caro animates history with her lush descriptions of architectural splendors and tales of court intrigue. “[An] enchanting travelogue” (Publishers Weekly), Paris to the Past has become one of the classic guidebooks of our time.
©2011 Ina Caro (P)2013 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Discovery of France
- A Historical Geography
- By: Graham Robb
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A narrative of exploration - full of strange landscapes and even stranger inhabitants - that explains the enduring fascination of France. While Gustave Eiffel was changing the skyline of Paris, large parts of France were still terra incognita. Even in the age of railways and newspapers, France was a land of ancient tribal divisions, prehistoric communication networks, and pre-Christian beliefs. French itself was a minority language.
-
-
Great history of the cultural formation of France
- By Scotty on 07-31-21
By: Graham Robb
-
A History of France
- By: John Julius Norwich
- Narrated by: John Julius Norwich
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Julius Norwich - called a "true master of narrative history" by Simon Sebag Montefiore - returns with the book he has spent his distinguished career wanting to write, A History of France, a portrait of the past two centuries of the country he loves best. Beginning with Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in the first century BC, this study of French history comprises a cast of legendary characters - Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Joan of Arc, and Marie Antionette, to name a few - as Norwich chronicles France's often violent, always fascinating history.
-
-
Kings and Wars
- By Awake Tex on 08-22-19
-
The Streets of Paris
- A Guide to the City of Light Following in the Footsteps of Famous Parisians Throughout History
- By: Susan Cahill
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For hundreds of years, the City of Light has set the stage for larger-than-life characters-from medieval lovers Heloïse and Abelard to the defiant King Henri IV to the brilliant scientist Madame Curie, beloved chanteuse Edith Piaf, and the writer Colette. In this book, Susan Cahill recounts the lives of 22 famous Parisians and then takes you through the seductive streets of Paris to the quartiers where they lived and worked: the scenes of their greatest triumphs and tragedies, their favorite cafes, bars, and restaurants, and the places where they found inspiration and love.
-
-
I feel there should be a pdf.
- By Matthew Spinola on 09-20-21
By: Susan Cahill
-
Paris, City of Dreams
- Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann, and the Creation of Paris
- By: Mary McAuliffe
- Narrated by: Tim H. Dixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed historian Mary McAuliffe vividly recaptures the Paris of Napoleon III, Claude Monet, and Victor Hugo as Georges Haussmann tore down and rebuilt Paris into the beautiful City of Light we know today. Paris, City of Dreams traces the transformation of the City of Light during Napoleon III’s Second Empire into the beloved city of today.
-
-
Outstanding! Entertaining and informative
- By SF Insider on 11-03-22
By: Mary McAuliffe
-
Notre Dame
- Travel Paris
- By: iMinds
- Narrated by: Margot Knight
- Length: 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Learn about the history of Notre Dame in Paris with iMinds Travel's insightful audio knowledge series. The French term Notre Dame literally means 'Our Lady'. It refers specifically to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus in the Christian faith. 'Notre-Dame de Paris' is known as the mother church of all Parisians. Beyond Paris, it is also one of the most famous cathedrals in the world.
-
-
Good overview, out of date
- By grey on 11-14-21
By: iMinds
-
His Majesty's Airship
- The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine
- By: S. C. Gwynne
- Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The tragic fate of the British airship R101—which went down in a spectacular fireball in 1930, killing more people than died in the Hindenburg disaster seven years later—has been largely forgotten. In His Majesty’s Airship, S.C. Gwynne resurrects it in vivid detail, telling the epic story of great ambition gone terribly wrong.
-
-
O, The Humanity
- By Glenn G Poole II on 06-11-23
By: S. C. Gwynne
-
The Discovery of France
- A Historical Geography
- By: Graham Robb
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A narrative of exploration - full of strange landscapes and even stranger inhabitants - that explains the enduring fascination of France. While Gustave Eiffel was changing the skyline of Paris, large parts of France were still terra incognita. Even in the age of railways and newspapers, France was a land of ancient tribal divisions, prehistoric communication networks, and pre-Christian beliefs. French itself was a minority language.
-
-
Great history of the cultural formation of France
- By Scotty on 07-31-21
By: Graham Robb
-
A History of France
- By: John Julius Norwich
- Narrated by: John Julius Norwich
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Julius Norwich - called a "true master of narrative history" by Simon Sebag Montefiore - returns with the book he has spent his distinguished career wanting to write, A History of France, a portrait of the past two centuries of the country he loves best. Beginning with Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul in the first century BC, this study of French history comprises a cast of legendary characters - Charlemagne, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Joan of Arc, and Marie Antionette, to name a few - as Norwich chronicles France's often violent, always fascinating history.
-
-
Kings and Wars
- By Awake Tex on 08-22-19
-
The Streets of Paris
- A Guide to the City of Light Following in the Footsteps of Famous Parisians Throughout History
- By: Susan Cahill
- Narrated by: Christa Lewis
- Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For hundreds of years, the City of Light has set the stage for larger-than-life characters-from medieval lovers Heloïse and Abelard to the defiant King Henri IV to the brilliant scientist Madame Curie, beloved chanteuse Edith Piaf, and the writer Colette. In this book, Susan Cahill recounts the lives of 22 famous Parisians and then takes you through the seductive streets of Paris to the quartiers where they lived and worked: the scenes of their greatest triumphs and tragedies, their favorite cafes, bars, and restaurants, and the places where they found inspiration and love.
-
-
I feel there should be a pdf.
- By Matthew Spinola on 09-20-21
By: Susan Cahill
-
Paris, City of Dreams
- Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann, and the Creation of Paris
- By: Mary McAuliffe
- Narrated by: Tim H. Dixon
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed historian Mary McAuliffe vividly recaptures the Paris of Napoleon III, Claude Monet, and Victor Hugo as Georges Haussmann tore down and rebuilt Paris into the beautiful City of Light we know today. Paris, City of Dreams traces the transformation of the City of Light during Napoleon III’s Second Empire into the beloved city of today.
-
-
Outstanding! Entertaining and informative
- By SF Insider on 11-03-22
By: Mary McAuliffe
-
Notre Dame
- Travel Paris
- By: iMinds
- Narrated by: Margot Knight
- Length: 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Learn about the history of Notre Dame in Paris with iMinds Travel's insightful audio knowledge series. The French term Notre Dame literally means 'Our Lady'. It refers specifically to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus in the Christian faith. 'Notre-Dame de Paris' is known as the mother church of all Parisians. Beyond Paris, it is also one of the most famous cathedrals in the world.
-
-
Good overview, out of date
- By grey on 11-14-21
By: iMinds
-
His Majesty's Airship
- The Life and Tragic Death of the World's Largest Flying Machine
- By: S. C. Gwynne
- Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton
- Length: 9 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The tragic fate of the British airship R101—which went down in a spectacular fireball in 1930, killing more people than died in the Hindenburg disaster seven years later—has been largely forgotten. In His Majesty’s Airship, S.C. Gwynne resurrects it in vivid detail, telling the epic story of great ambition gone terribly wrong.
-
-
O, The Humanity
- By Glenn G Poole II on 06-11-23
By: S. C. Gwynne
-
Emperor of Rome
- Ruling the Ancient World
- By: Mary Beard
- Narrated by: Mary Beard
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her international bestseller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome. Now she shines her spotlight on the emperors who ruled the Roman empire, from Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) to Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Emperor of Rome is not your usual chronological account of Roman rulers, one after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius.
-
-
Wasn't sure but won me over
- By John S. on 01-26-24
By: Mary Beard
-
Hero of Two Worlds
- The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution
- By: Mike Duncan
- Narrated by: Mike Duncan
- Length: 17 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the massively popular podcaster and New York Times best-selling author comes the story of the Marquis de Lafayette's lifelong quest to protect the principles of democracy, told through the lens of the three revolutions he participated in: the American Revolution, the French Revolution, and the Revolution of 1830.
-
-
Thrillingly storytelling — brilliant narration
- By Byron on 08-24-21
By: Mike Duncan
-
Avid Reader
- A Life
- By: Robert Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Robert Gottlieb
- Length: 12 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After editing The Columbia Review, staging plays at Cambridge, and a stint in the greeting-card department of Macy's, Robert Gottlieb stumbled into a job at Simon & Schuster. By the time he left to run Alfred A. Knopf a dozen years later, he was the editor in chief, having discovered and edited Catch-22 and The American Way of Death, among other best sellers. At Knopf, Gottlieb edited an astonishing list of authors, including Toni Morrison, John Cheever, Doris Lessing, and John le Carré - not to mention Bruno Bettelheim and Miss Piggy.
-
-
A Lifetime of Reading and Editing
- By David P on 12-06-16
By: Robert Gottlieb
-
Shakespeare
- The World as Stage
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
William Shakespeare, the most celebrated poet in the English language, left behind nearly a million words of text, but his biography has long been a thicket of wild supposition arranged around scant facts. With a steady hand and his trademark wit, Bill Bryson sorts through this colorful muddle to reveal the man himself.
-
-
Too Little, Too Short
- By Charles L. Burkins on 11-30-07
By: Bill Bryson
-
Provence A-Z
- A Francophile's Essential Handbook
- By: Peter Mayle
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An indispensable, richly informative, and always entertaining audio sourcebook on Provence, by the writer who has made the region his own. Though organized from A to Z, this is hardly a conventional work of reference. It is rather a selection of those aspects of Provence that Peter Mayle, in almost 20 years there, has found to be the most interesting, curious, delicious, or down-right fun.
-
-
A review of all things "Provencale"
- By Dennis on 08-13-08
By: Peter Mayle
-
Paris
- The Novel
- By: Edward Rutherfurd
- Narrated by: Jean Gilpin
- Length: 38 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Internationally best-selling author Edward Rutherfurd has enchanted millions of readers with his sweeping, multigenerational dramas that illuminate the great achievements and travails throughout history. In this breathtaking saga of love, war, art, and intrigue, Rutherfurd has set his sights on the most magnificent city in the world: Paris. Moving back and forth in time across centuries, the story unfolds through intimate and vivid tales of self-discovery, divided loyalties, passion, and long-kept secrets of characters both fictional and real, all set against the backdrop of the glorious city.
-
-
Paris: The Novel (is that helpful?)
- By Mel on 05-07-13
-
Seven Ages of Paris
- By: Alistair Horne
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 20 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With a keen eye for the telling anecdote and pivotal moment, he portrays an array of vivid incidents to show us how Paris endures through each age, is altered but always emerges more brilliant and beautiful than ever. The Seven Ages of Paris is a great historian's tribute to a city he loves and has spent a lifetime learning to know.
-
-
Very well researched, but difficult to follow
- By Aw on 05-23-19
By: Alistair Horne
-
(Not Quite) Mastering the Art of French Living
- By: Mark Greenside
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every year upon arriving in Plobien, the small Breton town where he spends his summers, American writer Mark Greenside picks back up where he left off with his faux-pas-filled Francophile life. Mellowed and humbled, but not daunted (OK, slightly daunted), he faces imminent concerns: What does he cook for a French person? Who has the right-of-way when entering or exiting a roundabout? Where does he pay for a parking ticket? And most dauntingly of all, when can he touch the tomatoes?
-
-
Awesome Sequel, Even Better than the First Book
- By beanibubble on 12-30-21
By: Mark Greenside
-
Elixir
- A Parisian Perfume House and the Quest for the Secret of Life
- By: Theresa Levitt
- Narrated by: Esther Wane
- Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For centuries, scientists believed that living matter possessed a special quality—a spirit or essence—that differentiated it from nonliving matter. But by the nineteenth century, the scientific consensus was that the building blocks of one were identical to the building blocks of the other. Elixir tells the story of two young chemists who were not convinced, and how their work rewrote the boundary between life and nonlife.
-
-
Thrilling History of Organic Chemistry
- By Mark E. White on 06-13-23
By: Theresa Levitt
-
At Home
- A Short History of Private Life
- By: Bill Bryson
- Narrated by: Bill Bryson
- Length: 16 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to “write a history of the world without leaving home.”
-
-
Bryson does it again
- By Robert on 10-15-10
By: Bill Bryson
-
Alaska
- A Novel
- By: James A. Michener
- Narrated by: Larry McKeever
- Length: 57 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The high points in the story of Alaska since the American acquisition are brought vividly to life through more than 100 characters, real and fictional.
-
-
I KNOW ALASKA LIKE THE BACK OF MY HAND
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 08-19-15
-
The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England
- A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century
- By: Ian Mortimer
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Imagine you could travel back to the 14th century. What would you see? What would you smell? More to the point, where are you going to stay? And what are you going to eat? Ian Mortimer shows us that the past is not just something to be studied; it is also something to be lived. He sets out to explain what life was like in the most immediate way, through taking you to the Middle Ages. The result is the most astonishing social history book you are ever likely to read: evolutionary in its concept, informative and entertaining in its detail.
-
-
Detailed, Interesting and Entertaining
- By Marc-Andr? on 05-13-10
By: Ian Mortimer
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Paris to the Past
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Simone
- 11-19-13
Day Trip From Paris?... Look No Further!
It’s a first hand account of the author’s travels through France, most sights and destinations are within a 90-minute radius from Paris, all accessible either by metro or train (regional train or fast train / TGV). The destinations are set up in chronological order in an attempt to educate the reader a bit about French History – it works! It’s a wonderful guidebook – although not the type you’d carry around with you.
Perhaps it’s because I am planning a trip to Paris for next spring and I am all ears when it comes to suggestions that I was so enamoured by this book, but I think anyone could benefit from the ideas presented.
You can be sure this book will be a resource for every trip to France I ever make! The entire thing was interesting, but I really perked up when it covered places I’d already visited (most of Paris, Versailles, Fontainebleau, Chartres and Rouen) or the parts that cover things I plan to see and do on my next trip (more of Paris, Tours and Lyon).
It was a great book, and excellent idea, and a lot of fun to read! Can’t wait to get over there and follow in her footsteps!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cynthia A. Toles
- 05-01-19
Paris to the Past is wonderful! The reader is not so good
The reader makes the lovely Ina seem pompous -- which she clearly is not — and does this wonderful book a disservice. Her pronunciation of French is awful - mainly because she seems to actually believe it is competent. But she misses the mark by so much. I can barely understand her showy attempts to pronounce words “properly”, uttering sounds I’ve never heard in any language. So embarrassing. I would rather have had a reader proficient in French or someone who didn’t pretend to be, rather than someone who apparently unknowingly has failed so miserably. Nonetheless the content is worth putting up with the annoyance.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Crisitna Tunon
- 08-25-15
Great listen!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, I thought this book was so well done. It's done in chronological order and follows the same families throughout history while you also get general history about the town and castles she is visiting.
What did you like best about this story?
All the fun facts about the royal families she talks about.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me laugh at times, but mostly it just made me happy. Every time I listened to it, it was like I was traveling through time with the author and traveling to France.
Any additional comments?
Great read, I really enjoyed it!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Claudine
- 08-16-17
Great book
Great book and story but the constant mispronouncing of words like Notre Dame made it hard to get past
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jean D. Bates
- 04-02-16
loved it
Would you listen to Paris to the Past again? Why?
I liked it so much that I bought the book. I've been to France without understanding the history. Now I am going back and this book has given me a great deal of insight
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jim Kane
- 02-21-25
Recommended with Caveats
This book represents a massive undertaking by Ina Caro to document and organize a lot of information about sites and the history of France. Though certain sections were really interesting, by the end of the book I felt like the author wasn't very good at making history come alive. She does connect the places to personal anecdotes, but in a very detached way that may diffuse the reader's excitement. The narrator Christa Lewis is great, I don't fault her at all for some mispronunciations, in fact it fits well with the character the author portrays.
The problem is that some first time travelers to France will pick this up thinking it's a travel guide for Paris. It is not, it's a dense history book, and Paris isn't really the focus until part 4. Furthermore, it reinforces some old school stereotypes that the only people who visit France are wealthy, fussy, and pretentious white people. A Paris newbie or maybe someone not interested in this quantity of french history would be much better off with a book like 'Paris, Paris' by David Downie.
That being said it's the product of a massive amount of meticulous research, it's just rendered pretty dry. It's similar to 'The Discovery of France' by Graham Robb, which I also had reservations about.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Brit
- 09-05-13
Wonderful stories of incredible people & places
This is the perfect book to have in your arsenal when planning a trip to Paris/France! Such great storytelling (and gossip) about the epic people,places, art, and food that one finds when travelling by way of French history. I can't wait to go to these places. Caro has truly whet my appetite and I am certain my travel experiences will be much richer because of each and every one of her lovely and thoroughly researched chapters.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- eclectic reader
- 06-05-15
One of the two best books on France I know
One of the two best books on France I know. The other is Ina Caros book the road through history the predecessor to this book. If you are traveling to France or enjoy France you will love this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- EBD
- 06-06-24
I download it every time I go to France
Ms. Caro is an excellent companion in Paris, and great armchair companion. She tells fun stories from history and is a great tour guide.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kirsty
- 10-01-13
History comes to life
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I love the history but am really quite uninterested in where the picnics happened, or which restaurants were eaten in. In this respect, I found the juxtaposition of personal preference for one diner over another very distracting. However, I used the historical information to plan a number of day trips when I was staying in Paris. I feel there should be two editions and I would prefer the abridged one with the non historical detail taken out.
Would you be willing to try another book from Ina Caro? Why or why not?
Also purchased Roads to the Past (hard copy) and used it as the basis for exploring the Loire
What aspect of Christa Lewis’s performance would you have changed?
Some of her French pronunciation was difficult
Did Paris to the Past inspire you to do anything?
Visited a number of the places after listening - including Chartres and Vincennes, and are planning quite a number of others in our next trip
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful