In the footsteps of „The Da Vinci Code”

The year 2023 will mark exactly 20 years from the release of Dan Brown’s bestselling novel “The Da Vinci Code." On this occasion, I would like to take you on an unforgettable tour of Paris in the footsteps of the novel’s characters since it is mainly in this city that the action of the novel takes place. It all starts with a murder at the Louvre – it is here, at the so-called Grand Gallery that the museum’s curator, Jacques Saunière, gets fatally shot, which, as it will later turn out, triggers a whole avalanche of events. The Parisian police summon Professor Langdon, a world-renowned specialist in the language of symbols, to the crime scene. This is where he meets French cryptologist Sophie Neveu, privately the granddaughter of the murdered curator. Things get complicated, Langdon goes from being an expert to being a prime suspect and has to save himself by running away. He is aided by Sophie Neveu and together they set off on the trail of a secret of the Priory of Sion closely guarded for centuries. Solving puzzles left behind by Sophie’s grandfather just before his death, they find the key to the Priory’s treasure and more and more clues as to where to look for the treasure itself – the Holy Grail. We are going to set out in their footsteps, visiting the most important places where the events of the book take place. We'll start at the Ritz Hotel, where Professor Langdon stayed. We will then traverse his route to the Louvre, passing the Tuileries Gardens and the Arc du Carrousel, among others, which the professor admired from his car windows along the way. Then we will delve into the depths of the Louvre to see the most important works indicated in the book, as well as, important for solving the mystery, the Inverted Pyramid. Then we'll head to the amazing Church of Saint-Sulpice, where Saunière erroneously directed his murderer to protect the Priory's secret. We will end our walk at Saint-Lazare Station. This is where Langdon and Neveu arrived, just before outwitting their pursuit and safely leaving Paris. Faithful fans of the book will probably ask why the tour avoids the Deposit Bank of Zurich. Well, the answer is very simple – it is a place invented for the purpose of the book and looking for it in Paris is futile.So, are you ready for an excitement filled walk?