Île de la Cité Travel Guide

  seen from the west : ile de la cite and...
by mariev
 
  • seen from the west : ile de la cite and notre dame
      seen from the west : ile de la cite and...
    by mariev
  • My favourite gargoyle - Sainte Chapelle
      My favourite gargoyle - Sainte Chapelle
    by mariev
  • The Pont Neuf and the Cite
      The Pont Neuf and the Cite
    by mariev
  •   Île de la Cité
    by Carmela71
  • Tour de l'horloge
      Tour de l'horloge
    by mariev
 

Explore Île de la Cité

Things to Do  

Enter the Sainte Chapelle

Enter the Sainte Chapelle, Île de la Cité

 mariev Says:  When Louis IX (Saint Louis) ordered the Sainte Chapelle to receive the relics of the crucifixion he had acquired (crown of spines, fragments of the Holy Cross), he chose to include the church in the Palais de la Cité to mark the link between sovereignty and religion. The... 

A little trip in jail : La Conciergerie

A little trip in jail : La Conciergerie, Île de la Cité

 mariev Says:  Maybe not an absolute must see, but a good place to go when the queues are too long for the Sainte-Chapelle (it's just a couple of meters from there and i quite never have seen any noticeable queuing (a good place to buy your museum pass) - this certainly comes from the... 

The eldest Paris' bridge : le Pont Neuf

The eldest Paris' bridge : le Pont Neuf, Île de la Cité

 mariev Says:  Despite what its name may suggest, the Pont Neuf (the new bridge) is the eldest bridge in Paris.Built between 1578 and 1604 (ordered by Henri III, finished under Henri IV whose statue stands upon the bridge's platform), linking the Ile de la Cite to both the right and the... 

Looking for Quasimodo : Notre Dame de Paris

Looking for Quasimodo : Notre Dame de Paris, Île de la Cité

 mariev Says:  As long as history is recorded, the place where Notre Dame de Paris stands has been a place of devotion : pagan first, christian later.The construction of the now existing cathedral stretched between the 12th and the 14 th centuries.After the 1789 revolution, except for... 

Restaurants  

Les Deux Palais: ok we are addicted to coffe, but wanna stop again?

Les Deux Palais: ok we are addicted to coffe, but wanna stop again?, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  Just in front of the Palais Royal, in the corner is this brasserie.I think they expected us to have some dinner with them, and not to stop only for a coffee, but the truth is that we were dying for the toilet (I will talk about this matter of the toilets in another occasion... 

La Pomme: Wanna stop for a coffe?

La Pomme: Wanna stop for a coffe?, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  At Place Dauphine in between Pont Deneuf and the Palais de Justice is this little square where we founded this nice terrace.3 euros for a cup of tea and 4 euros the cup of coffe, but even with that prices they did not gave us enough sugar ... snif snifLovely place ...Ok... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Stairs to the Tower

Stairs to the Tower, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  You get fit in Paris, with all this steps up and down, and also dizzy lol. This ones are at the Tours of Notre Dame, but also at Eiffel (even if we got the lift we went up and down stairs to make better photos), Arch de Triumph…… 

Reparations?

Reparations?, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  Hope they did not fall over any tourist lol... This is all outside of Saint Chapelle .... I guess they are doing reparations….At least here you do not have to pay to enter in the toilets while visiting this area. Something really grateful  

Off The Beaten Path  

Le Palais de Justice

Le Palais de Justice, Île de la Cité

 mariev Says:  The huge Palais de Justice (law courts) occupies more than 4 hectares, 1/3 of the island.As French justice is rendered before public (bar childrens’ trials) and everyone is free to attend, the place attracts lots of people (about 15 000 a day). The visitors' access (common... 

Quai des Orfevres

Quai des Orfevres, Île de la Cité

 mariev Says:  An address known by all cinema goers,TV watchers and mystery novels readers in France : The Quai des Orfèvres hosts, in a huge 19th century building, the headquarters of the criminal police (Police Judiciaire) and has become the nickname of the french Scotland Yard or FBI... 

The oldest parisian clock

The oldest parisian clock, Île de la Cité

 mariev Says:  Situated on a wall of the Tour de l'horloge (at the corner Boulevard du Palais/Quai de l'horloge), is the oldest public clock in Paris.The first clock set here in 1370 (created by a german arist : Henri de Vic, ordered by Charles V), it was replced under Henri III by the one... 

Hotel Dieu : the eldest hopital in France

Hotel Dieu : the eldest hopital in France, Île de la Cité

 mariev Says:  Founded in 651, the Hotel Dieu is the oldest french hospital, it is also the only one in the center of Paris.But the building is old, (even if it is not the original one, wich was situated on the other side of Notre Dame cathedral (where now stands a satue of Charlemagne in... 

Ile de la Cite - The Flower Market

Ile de la Cite - The Flower Market, Île de la Cité

 mariev Says:  Situated Place Louis Lepine, on the Ile de la Cite, aproximatly in front of the Sainte Chapelle and along the Quai de la Corse, this is one of the last flower markets in Paris (there are 2 other ones : along the church of La Madeleine (in the 8th) and Place des Ternes (in... 

Statue of Carlomagno

Statue of Carlomagno, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  At the Notre dame square you can also see the statue of Carlomagno. There is nothing as sitting in this square and watching the people from all nationalities 

Square infront Notre Dame

Square infront Notre Dame, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  You may know how much I like this style of Lights, I had photos of them in many places, but here I could not avoid stop and photo them, at the end if the Police department (Pref Police) 

Favorites  

Views from the top of the towers

Views from the top of the towers, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  Views from the towers of Notre Dame are an experience. They were with grids for obvious reasons. But still you can enjoy good views if you choose a good day to go up.Maybe not as spectacular as others, but well deserved. 

Views from Ille de cite of the Louvre

Views from Ille de cite of the Louvre, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  Views from Ille de cite of the Louvre at night.Th best way to enjoy Paris for me was walking at night, the lights made Paris very special ...This was my favourite part of visiting Paris, the nights…. 

Discovering Paris through the Seine

Discovering Paris through the Seine, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  Lots of boats full with tourist explaining the monuments along the Seine.We only took the Batobus for one ride (5 Euros as we were in special season snif snif), but we did not enjoyed much as it was full of people and no explanations .... 

Pref de Police

Pref de Police, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  Views of the Police department from the Seina promenade with the bridge (I think St Michel) ...I wish we had gone in better weather as the photos do not do justice of the beauty 

Pont au Double

Pont au Double, Île de la Cité

 Carmela71 Says:  Walking along the Seine you can enjoy some beautiful views of the bridges and some monuments as the Notre dame...Here it is the views of Notre Dame from Pont au Double 

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Map of Île de la Cité