Paris île De La Cité And île St-louis

The ground zero of Paris, there are a lot of big hitters on the islands. If you're looking for grand architecture, hundreds of years of history, and mobs of tourists, Île de la Cité is a wonderful place to start. Notre Dame Cathedral is at the center of it all, rising above lesser-known (i.e., not in a Disney movie) but equally impressive locations like Ste-Chapelle. Even without all the grandeur, the Île's sheer level of historical significance makes it worth a visit; the birthplace of Paris, the island's narrow streets offer a glimpse of the city's humble beginnings. Just across the way, the Rue St-Louis-En-L'Île was historically home to some of the most famous Parisiens in history. The main thoroughfare strings together a collection of clothing boutiques, gourmet food stores, galleries, and ice-cream shops, including the famous Berthillon glacerie.

Notre Dame, Île de la Cité (☎01 53 10 07 00), Interior: Notre Dame can seat over 10,000 churchgoers. The arched ceiling is achieved by the spidery flying buttresses that support the vaults of the ceiling from outside, allowing light to fill the cathedral through delicate stained-glass windows. Down the nave is the transept and a view of the rose windows. The 21m north window (to the left when your back is to the entrance) is still composed almost entirely of 13th-century glass. The Virgin is situated at its center, and depicted as the descendant of the Old Testament kings and judges who surround her. While the north window is spectacularly well preserved, the south and west windows have had to undergo modern renovations. The base of the south window shows Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John on the shoulders of Old Testament prophets, while the central window depicts Christ surrounded by his 12 apostles. The cathedral's treasury, Adults €8, under 18 free. Cathedral open daily 7:45am-7pm. Towers open Jan-Mar and Oct-Dec 10am-5:30pm, Apr-Sept 10am-6:30pm, June-Aug Sa-Su until 11pm. Last admission 45min. before close. €8, ages 18-25 €6, under 18 free. Audio tours €5; includes visit of treasury. Tours begin at Takes credit cards.
Sainte-Chapelle, 6 bld. du Palais; Île de la Cité (☎01 53 40 60 97; www.monuments-nationaux.fr), Everybody needs the occasional diversion to get through a service. For French royalty in the 13th century, it was the color of the church's walls. When light pours through the floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows in the Upper Chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, illuminating bright dreamscapes of biblical scenes, the church becomes one of the most stunning and mesmerizing sights in Paris. The 15 panes date from 1136, and depict 1,113 religious scenes. They narrate the Bible from Genesis to the Apocalypse, and are designed to be read from bottom to top, left to right; the bottom-to-top organization of the stories is meant to represent and enable the elevation of the soul through knowledge. Sainte-Chapelle is the foremost example of flamboyant Gothic architecture, and a tribute to the craft of medieval stained-glass—at 618 square meters, there's more of it than stone. The chapel was constructed in 1241 to house King Louis IX's most precious possession: the Crown of Thorns from Chris €8, ages 18-25 €5 (under handicapped and caretaker) EU citizens 18-25 and under18 free. Twin ticket with Concierge €11, ages 18-25 €7.50, under 18 and EU citizens 18-25 free. Open daily Nov-Feb 9am-5pm and Mar-Oct 9:30am-6pm, last entry 30min. before close. Chapel closed M-F 1-2:15pm. Guided tours in French 11am, 3pm and 4:40pm. English 3:30pm. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Memorial de la Déportation, Paris's Holocaust memorial is a claustrophobic and deeply moving experience. Narrow staircases, spiked gates, and high concrete walls are meant to evoke the atmosphere of the concentration camps; only a few visitors are allowed to enter the exhibition at a time, and the solitude that the museum imposes upon its viewers only increases the pervasive sense of sadness. The focal point of the insitution is a tunnel lined with 200,000 lit quartz pebbles, one for each of the French citizens who were deported. The pebbles are an homage to the Jewish custom of placing stones on the graves of the deceased. Empty cells and walls bear the names of the most infamous camps, as well as a series of humanitarian statements by famous writers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Antoine de St-Exupéry. Near the exit is the simplest and most arresting of these quotes, “Pardonne. N'Oublie Pas.” (Forgive. Do Not Forget.) Free. Open Apr-Sept Tu-Su 10am-noon and 2-7pm, last entrance 11:45am and 6:30pm; Oct-Mar 10am-noon and 2-5pm. Wheelchair access.
Conciergerie, 2 bld. du Palais (☎01 53 40 60 97; www.monuments-nationaux. fr), At the farthest corner on the right, a stepped parapet marks the oldest tower, the Tour Bonbec,which once housed the in-house torture chambers. The modern entrance lies between the Tour d'Argent, the stronghold of the royal treasury, and the Tour de César, used by the Revolutionary Tribunal. Past the entrance hall, stairs lead to rows of cells complete with somewhat blank-faced replicas of prisoners and prison conditions. Plaques explain how, in a bit of opportunism on the part of the Revolutionary leaders, the rich and famous could buy themselves private cells with cots and tables for writing while the poor slept on straw and with each other in pestilential cells. A model of Marie-Antoinette's rather comfortable-looking room suggests the extent to which class distinction remained preserved during the Revolution. If you follow the corridor named for “Monsieur de Paris,” the executioner during the Revolution, you'll be tracing the final footsteps €7, students €4.50, handicapped and caretaker, EU citizens 18-25 and under 18 free. Includes tour in French, 11am and 3pm. Open daily Mar-Oct 9:30am-6pm, Nov-Feb 9am-5pm. Last entry 30 mins before close. Takes credit cards.
Hotel de Dieu, 1 pl. du Paris (☎01 42 34 82 34), Upon realizing that it might be helpful to save actual people in addition to their Christian souls (this was the Dark Ages: the idea was new at the time), Bishop St. Landry built this hospital in 651 CE. Today, it is the oldest hospital in Paris. In the Middle Ages, Hôtel de Dieu confined the sick rather than cured them; guards were posted at the doors to keep the patients from escaping and infecting the rest of the city. Over a millenia later, world renowned chemist and biologist Louis Pasteur utilized the hospital's resources to conduct much of his pioneering research. In 1871, the hospital's proximity to Notre Dame saved the Cathedral from the fires of hell, so to speak—Communards were dissuaded from burning the monument for fear that the flames would engulf their hospitalized comrades nearby. The hospital has seen quieter days for some time now. The serene and well-groomed gardens in the inner courtyard feature sculpture exhibits. Free. Open daily 7am-8pm.
Palais de Justice, 4 bld. du Palais (☎01 44 32 51 51), This is the place to get a prison sentence. The Palais has borne witness to the German spy Mata Hari's death sentence; Sarah Bernhardt's divorce from the Comédie Française; Emile Zola's trial following the Dreyfus Affair; Dreyfus' declaration of his innocence; and the trial of Maréchal Pétain after WWII. The institution's architecture is organized around the theme of—unsurprisingly enough— “justice,” and features symbolic representations of its basic concepts. The portrayals of Zeus and Medusa symbolize royal justice and punishment; the swords and sunlight recall the general concepts of justice and the law. A wide set of stone steps at the main entrance of the Palais de Justice leads to three doorways, each marked with Liberté, Egalité, or Fraternité—words that once signified revolution and now serve as the bedrock of the French legal tradition, not to mention many a photo. All trials are open to the public, and even if your French is not up to legalese, the theatrical
Pont Neuf, Though its name might suggest otherwise, the bridge cutting through the western tip of Île de la Cité is the oldest in Paris. Completed in 1607, the bridge was a marvel at the time because its sides were not lined with houses. Now, less atypically, its sides are lined with lip-locked lovers, seated in the many romantic enclaves overlooking the Seine. Before the construction of the Champs-Élysées, the white stone bridge was Paris's most popular thoroughfare, attracting nobles, peddlers, and street performers. In the middle of the bridge is a towering statue of Henri IV on horseback, commissioned by Henri's widow, Marie de Médicis, perhaps to honor his never-ending vitality. You can see the comic gargoyle faces carved into the supports from a bâteau-mouche or from the park at the base of the bridge, Sq. du Vert-Galant.
Crypte Archeologique, 7 parvis Notre-Dame; pl. Jean-Paul II 01 55 42 50 10 (www.crypte.paris.fr), Far below the cathedral towers, beneath the pavement of the square in front of Notre Dame, the Crypte Archéologique houses artifacts unearthed during the construction of a nearby parking garage. The self proclaimed “more than a museum” is much cooler than its creation story. The crypt provides a virtual tour of the history of Île de la Cité from its initial settlement through the 17th century and features extensive architectural fragments, including the oldest rampart of Paris and a series of 19th-century sewers. Takes credit cards.
Quai bourbon, Île St-Louis It may seem like any other quai along the Seine, but this was where sculptor Camille Claudel lived out the soap opera that was her existence. The protégé, and, as it often goes, lover of famed sculptor Auguste Rodin, worked here at no. 19 from 1899 until 1913. She spent her years on the quai de Bourbon wavering between prolific artistic brilliance and crippling insanity, both of which were probably provoked by her obsessive love for Rodin, who simply refused, as it often goes, to leave his long-time girlfriend Rose Beuret. Finally, following the death of her father in 1913, Claudel's brother committed her to an insane asylum. The wrought-iron and grilled facade of the cafe Au Franc-Pinot, at the intersection of the quai and rue des Deux Ponts, is also high on the historical drama factor. Closed in 1716 after authorities found a basement stash of anti-government tracts, the cafe-cabaret re-emerged as a treasonous address during the Revolution.
Église St-Louis-en-l'Île, 19bis rue St-Louis-en-l'Île 01 46 34 11 60 (www.saintlouisenlile.com), Built by Le Vau in 1726 and vandalized during the Revolution, this church seems to prove that God does his work on the sly. Though the building is burdened with a sooty and humdrum facade, the overwhelming Rococo interior is elaborate and occasionally gaudy, with soaring domed ceilings, gilded carvings, and a towering organ. Legendary for its acoustics, the church hosts concerts (usually classical) throughout the year. Ticket prices vary; around €20, students €15.
Quai d'Anjou, With a row of lovely houses that hug the bank of the Seine, this quai embodies exactly what excites us about Paris. No. 37 on this street was once home to Lost Generation writer John Dos Passos. No. 29 housed the Three Mountains Press, which published books by Hemingway and Ford Madox Ford and was edited by Ezra Pound. About 70 years previously, no. 9 was the address of Realist painter and caricaturist Honoré Daumier from 1846 to 1863, during which time he painted, among other works, La Blanchisseuse (The Washer Woman), now hanging in the Louvre. Poet Charles Baudelaire lived in the Hôtel Lausan (a.k.a. Hôtel Pimodoran) at no. 17 from 1843 to 1845. The Hôtel Lambert, at no. 2, was designed by Le Vau in 1640 for Lambert le Riche and was home to Voltaire and Mme. de Châtelet, his mathematician mistress. If you don't give two cents about all that (though if you're spending any time in Paris, you probably do), some of the city's most beaut
Quai de Béthune, Just about every notable person in Paris lived on the Île St-Louis at some point. This quai had the honor of being home to Marie Curie, who lived at no. 34 until she died of radiation-induced cancer in 1934. French President Georges Pompidou lived at no. 24 for 63 years until his death in 1974.