Download the free tour Map of metro system Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code is a worldwide success. Millions of books have yet been sold and it's Hollywood adaptation, with Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, was a huge success. If you are planning to visit Paris, you must have seen all the sights that are mentioned in the book. You can book an expensive tour, but wouldn't it be nicer to explore everything yourself? With this free tour, you can! So, go on. Book a romantic hotel online, print this exclusive tour and explore Paris! The Cryptex of Sophie and Langdon. We assume that you are a huge Da Vinci Code fan, so you will take the book along while exploring the sights. Nevertheless, we have printed short passages from the book to taste a bit of the tension in the story while you are on the actual site. At the end of each description, you can see some useful information about the specific neighbourhood and the name of the nearest metro station. Paris' metro system is the most convenient and cheapest way to travel around Paris. You can download the map of the Paris metro system here. Have fun! The entrance of the famous Ritz hotel. 1 | An unexpected visit: The Ritz Hotel In the story: After a lecture for the American University of Paris, Robert Langdon returns to his hotel: The Ritz. At 12:32 AM the hotel's reception wakes him up to tell him that he has a visitor. Lieutenant Collet tells Langdon that Jacques Saunière, with whom Langdon would have met earlier that day, was murdered in The Louvre. After seeing a picture of the crime scene, Langdon leaves with Collet to The Louvre. In the book: "A telephone was ringing in the darkness — a tinny, unfamiliar ring. He fumbled for the bedside lamp and turned it on. Squinting at his surroundings he saw a plush Renaissance bedroom with Louis XVI furniture, handfrescoed walls, and a colossal mahogany four-poster bed. Where the hell am I? The jacquard bathrobe hanging on his bedpost bore the monogram: HOTEL RITZ PARIS." A luxurious room in The Ritz Hotel. The tour: The Ritz Hotel. After the events in Angels and Demons, another long night begins on this very spot for Robert Langdon. Langdon was staying in this hotel when he was taken to the crime scene at The Louvre by the French police. The building was constructed in the early 18th century as a private dwelling. In 1898 César Ritz converted the building to a hotel. From that moment, this imposing hotel stands for luxury and wealth. The hotel is visited regularly by the Rich & Famous. The most luxurious rooms even carry their names like Coco Chanel, Prince Charles, and Elton John. On august 31, 1997 Princess Diana left the hotel with Dodi al-Fayed after dinner. Seven paparazzi photographers chased their car. The tragic outcome of this event is well known. A fatal crash in the Pont d´Alma tunnel ended the life of Princess Diana and Al-Fayed. Trivia: The rate for a standard room is approximately 700 euro (930 dollar) per night. Address: The Ritz Hotel, 15 Place Place Vendôme The neighbourhood: Louvre/Tuileries Metro station: Opéra 2 | A secret message: The Louvre In the story: The body of Jacques Saunière is found naked in the "Grande Galerie" of The Louvre. The police found a message alongside the body. Langdon becomes the prime suspect because the message is directed to him. Bezu Fache, Captain of the Central Directorate Judicial Police, interrogates Langdon in his "surveillance cachée". He hopes that Langdon will confess. Saunière's grand daughter, cryptographer Sophie Neveu, believes Langdon and helps him to escape from Fache. They decipher Saunière's cryptic message and flee from The Louvre. Saunière's body is found on the floor of the "Grande Galerie". The tour: Langdon is taken to the Denon Wing of The Louvre. The entrance of The Louvre is an enormous glass pyramid, which stands on the axis of the Champs-Élysées. The pyramid was commissioned by Mitterrand, designed by the Chinese architect leoh Ming Pei and was inaugurated in 1989. Many people objected the construction of the pyramid because it would dishonour the Louvre's classical appearance. In the book you can read about the 666 windows of the pyramid. "666" is the number of Satan. Fortunately, the pyramid has actually 673 windows, so you can enter The Louvre safely by this entrance. The Louvre was originally constructed as a medieval castle. Through the years, many kings have lived in The Louvre and made their own adjustments. Since the French Revolution of 1793, the building has been used as a museum. We go down the stairs under the pyramid. The body of Jacques Saunière was found in the Denon Wing, which is our destination. To the west of the central hall, you can see the "Pyramid Inversée". You probably know what these two reversed pyramids stand for and what is beneath the smaller pyramid. We follow the signs to the Denon Wing. We are going to the "Grande Galerie", the place of many Italian master pieces. This is the place where Jacques Saunière laid on the floor, like "The Vitruvian Man". The impressive "Grande Galerie". "Although the Grand Gallery housed the Louvre's most famous Italian art, many visitors felt the wing's most stunning offering was actually its famous parquet floor. Laid out in a dazzling geometric design of diagonal oak slats, the floor produced an ephemeral optical illusion — a multi-dimensional network that gave visitors the sense they were floating through the gallery on a surface that changed with every step." On the floor, alongside Saunières body, a strange message is to be seen: The cryptic message of Saunière. 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5 O, Draconian Devil! Oh, lame saint! P.S. Find Robert Langdon Langdon and Sophie translate this message to "Leonardo Da Vinci!" and "The Mona Lisa!" This is why we go to the Mona Lisa first. Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) was the illegitimate son of a notary, Messer Piero, and a peasant woman, Caterina and was born near Vinci (Italy). He was not only a skilful painter, he was also an architect, astronomer, anatomist and an inventor. The words on the glass in front of the Mona Lisa. "So dark the con of man". What does it mean? Da Vinci's Mona Lisa presents the first clues to Langdon and Sophie. Da Vinci painted his Mona Lisa between 1503 en 1506 in Florence. You can see it is very crowded around this particular painting. It seems like there is more than meets the eye. Can you see the hidden words on the glass in front of the Mona Lisa? Probably you will need an UV-pen, just like Langdon and Sophie. It looks like the Mona Lisa says hello to everyone in the room with her puzzling smile. Pay attention to the fantastic contrast between the light and the dark areas. The Mona Lisa is a great example of the famous "sfumato technique" Da Vinci developed. In this technique, the painter blurs the edges of his subject. This makes the subject vibrant and not a static figure in front of a static background. "Sfumato" means "smoky" in Italian. The Mona Lisa is also known as "La Gioconda", named after Francesco del Giocondo, who was married to the 24 year old model, Lisa Gherardini. Some historians claim that Da Vinci painted The Mona Lisa, after she died. Langdon has his own theory about the origin of the painting. The words "So dark the con of man" on the Mona Lisa take Sophie and Langdon to the painting "Madonna of the Rocks". The painting has, according to Langdon, many Pagan Symbols. Sophie finds the key to the greatest secret of the Priory behind this painting. We escape The Louvre with them to the next location. In the book: "The security alarm on the west end of the Denon Wing sent the pigeons in the nearby Tuileries Gardens scattering as Langdon and Sophie dashed out of the bulkhead into the Paris night. As they ran across the plaza to Sophie's car, Langdon could hear police sirens wailing in the distance." Address: Musée du Louvre, 34 Quai du Louvre The neighbourhood: Louvre/Tuileries Metro station: Palais Royal Musée du Louvre The Champs-Élysées. 3 | Pursuit in Paris: Champs-Élysées & Gare Saint-Lazare In the story: Sophie and Langdon flee The Louvre together in Sophie's Smart. They first pass the Tuileries Gardens on Rue de Rivoli and drive to the Champs-Élysées, in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe. They drive around the roundabout of the Arc de Triomphe leave it in the northern direction to go right on Boulevard Malesherbes op. Sophie buys two tickets to Caen on the train station of Gare Saint-Lazare as the perfect decoy. Sophie and Langdon are racing on the Champs-Élysées. The tour (Champs-Élysées): Langdon and Sophie are driving on the Champs-Élysées while they try to escape from the police. The Champs-Élysées is unquestionably the most famous street in Paris, located in one of the most up class neighbourhoods. You will find here consulates, 5 star hotels, fashion designer stores like Luis Vuitton and the finest restaurants. Originally, this place consisted of meadows with cows, crowding the place. This came to an end around 1667, when the Royal landscape architect André Le Nôtre extended the Tuileries gardens westward with this boulevard. It was named "Grand Cours" which means "great road" and was later named "Champs-Élysées" which means Elysian Fields. Life was good on the Champs-Élysées. It became a popular spot in Paris to meet people. The street looks different now. You are standing in a crowded street with loud traffic and busy people. But, when you are walking along the Champs-Élysées, you will discover that there is still a good atmosphere. Enjoy the beautiful shops with their beautiful windows, expensive jewellery and beautiful people while you stroll in the direction of the Arc de Triomphe. Remember that Langdon and Sophie had less time to enjoy this beautiful street. The neighbourhood: Champs-Élysées Metro station: Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George V The tour (Gare Saint-Lazare): Gare Saint Lazare. Sophie and Langdon buy a ticket to Caen as the perfect decoy for Bezu Fache. In the book: "Ahead of them, the glass-roofed train terminal resembled the awkward offspring of an airplane hangar and a greenhouse. European train stations never slept. Even at this hour, a half-dozen taxis idled near the main entrance. Vendors manned carts of sandwiches and mineral water while grungy kids in backpacks emerged from the station rubbing their eyes, looking around as if trying to remember what city they were in now. Up ahead on the street, a couple of city policemen stood on the curb giving directions to some confused tourists." The exterior of the station. The Gare Saint-Lazare railway station has been constructed for the visitors of the expo exhibition in 1889 (The Eiffel tower was also built for this exhibition). It is difficult to imagine what the station looked like in that time with al the modern trains inside. Monet's famous painting "La Gare Saint-Lazare" serves as a unique look in the past. Sophie left her Smart in front of the station to take a taxi to the Depository Bank of Zurich. The neighbourhood: Montmartre Metro station: Gare Saint-Lazare The "Bois de Boulogne". 4 | A wild taxi ride through the Bois de Boulogne In the story: After losing the police of their back, Langdon and Sophie leave to the western part of Paris by taxi. They are headed for the Depository Bank of Zurich. The key Sophie found behind the painting seems to be a key of this bank. The Depository Bank is near Roland Garros, in the southern part of the park. The tour: Bois de Boulogne. This popular park was originally larger, when it was part of the oak forest of Rouvray. Jean-Charles Alphand transformed it into a park with beautiful promenades and lakes. In the summer, the park attracts a large number of residents who come here to kayak, picnic or jogging. The Depository Bank of Zurich is not to be found here. The famous tennis court Roland Garros fortunately, is. Trivia: The Bois de Boulogne has an area of 8.459 km² (3.266 sq. miles, or 2,090 acres), which is smaller than Monsanto Park in Lisbon, but 2.5 times larger than Central Park in New York, and 3.3 times larger than Hyde Park in London. Address: The main entrance is at the end of Avenue Foch The neighbourhood: Bois de Boulogne Metro station: Porte Dauphine De Saint-Sulpice. 5 | Silas on his quest: Saint-Sulpice In the story: The albino monk Silas, connected to the Opus Dei, parks his black Audi in front of the Saint-Sulpice church. He is looking for the keystone, that would unveil the secret of the Holy Grail. It is information he got of the three Sénéchaux, before he killed them. Sister Sandrine keeps an eye on the monk from a distance, and does not know what consequences this will have for her that night. The obelisk in the Saint-Sulpice church. Is the stone broken? The tour: The Saint-Sulpice church. This church has had many faces through the years.After 134 years, and six different architects, the construction of the church was finished. During the French Revolution, The Saint-Sulpice church was used as a victory temple for Napoleon. You can see two beautiful fresco's of Eugène Delacroix in the Chapelle des Anges (Chapel of the Angels). The organ is with it's 6500 pipes one of the largest organs in the world. In the floor you can see the "Rose Line" which was the zero-longitude line before it was transfered to Greenwich. Silas knows, he will find what he is looking for at the base of the obelisk beneath the "sign of the rose". He will be disappointed . Silas tries to break the keystone at the obelisk. Address: Place St-Sulpice The neighbourhood: Saint-Germain-des-Prés Metro station: Saint-Sulpice Open: 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM Costs: free 6 | The help of an old friend: To Château Villette In the story: Langdon and Sophie are not successful in braking the code, so they go to art historian and grale expert Sir Leigh Teabing. He lives in the luxurious Château Villette, with his servant Rémy. The splendid Château Villette. The tour: Château Villette. Within a half an hour drive from Paris, lies Château Villette, close to Versailles. People can stay in this château, but does not come cheap. If you have this amounts of money on your bank account, you can spend 6500 euro (8700 dollar) for one week. For this amount, you get 17 bedrooms with their own bathrooms. The château is surrounded by a beautiful garden, designed by landscape architect André le Nôtre, famous for his Versailles gardens.  Now