| Paris - Notre Dame and The Islands - Self-Guided Walking Tour - Directions. |
| Today's stroll takes you through the heart the oldest inhabited area of Paris, Ile de la Cité and Ile St.Louis, the two islands in the middle of the Seine, before ending up in the beautiful Jardin des Plantes. Your walk starts at Metro station Pont Neuf (1) on Line 7. |
| 2. Pont Neuf. |
| Pont Neuf (meaning New Bridge in French) is actually the oldest surviving bridge in Paris. At the time of its construction in 1578 there were only two other bridges spanning the Seine. These were both overcrowded (there were houses built on the bridges), in a very poor state of repair, and have since disappeared. |
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| After exiting Pont Neuf Metro station, walk across Pont Neuf until you reach the statue of a horse-riding King Henry IV on your right. |
| 3. Statue of King Henry IV. |
| The original statue here of Henry IV (c.1618) was destroyed during the French Revolution. The statue that you see today was rebuilt in 1818. |
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| Walk down the steps behind the statue and you will arrive at Square du Vert-Galant. This is an excellent spot to while away a few moments, either sitting in the garden, or on the stone quayside. |
| Walk back up the same steps and cross the road in front of you, taking the road to your left (Quai d'Horloge). On your right you will pass Rue de Harlay and the impressive rear entrance of the Palais du Justice (4). If this is the "tradesmans entrance", what's the front door like? You'll see in a moment. |
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| Continue walking along Quai d'Horloge past the Conciergerie on your right. At the junction with the next bridge (Pont au Change), turn right into Boulevard du Palais. Here you will find the entrances to: |
| 5. La Conciergerie. |
| La Conciergerie is part of the larger Palais du Justice complex, and is a former Royal Palace. It was also a prison, and housed hundreds of Parisiens destinned for La Guillotine in Place de la Concorde. Marie Antoinette whiled away her final heady days here. |
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| 6. Palais du Justice. |
| The Palais du Justice is built on the site of the former royal palace of Saint Louis. Today, the building houses a number of courts, including the Cour de Cassation, the highest court in France. |
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| 7. Sainte Chapelle. |
| Sainte Chapelle was part of the original royal palace. The stained glass windows in the upper chapel are what people come here for, and are regarded as the finest examples anywhere in the world. |
| Buying a ticket online, or using a Museum Pass, won't let you skip the queue here. Sainte-Chapelle is located in the same compound as the Palais du Justice. And security is tight. You will need to stand in line for the security check (all bags are X-rayed). |
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| Cross the road here onto the pedestrian Rue de Lutèce. On your left, in Place Louis Lépine,you will find the oldest flower market in Paris. |
| 8. Marché aux Fleurs. |
| The Marché aux Fleurs is open everyday of the week. However, on Sundays the flower market is replaced by a bird market (Marché aux Oiseaux). |
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| Turn right at the end of Rue de Lutèce, into Rue de la Cité. Continue to the crossing, where you will see the next stop on today's walk: Notre Dame |
| 9. Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris |
| There is always a queue here. Or two to be more precise. Queue at the front to access the main cathedral (free - but you should make a donation). Line up at the side to climb the towers (not free - but there is a discount for Paris Viste pass holders). |
| However, early morning and evening are the quieter times. So go early to beat the crowds, getting there around 9:00am. Spend a good half hour/40 minutes inside the cathedral before heading for the queue to climb the towers. The towers open at 10:00am, but the queue starts to form between 09:30 and 09:45. Or go in the evening (Saturday and Sunday only) and see the "City of Lights" from the top of the towers. Just don't go in the middle of the day if possible. |
| Be extra vigilant with your valuables in this area, especially in the square (parvis) in front of the cathedral. |
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| As you leave Notre Dame, turn left and left again so that you are walking alongside Notre Dame with the river on you right. As you walk by Notre Dame you will pass the Rose Window - which is much more impressive from within. Behind Notre Dame you will find the very pleasant Square Jean XXIII (10). |
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| Continue in the same direction, and cross the road into Square de l'Ile de la Cité and the Mémorial de la Déportation. |
| 11. Mémorial de la Déportation. |
| The Mémorial de la Déportation is a living memorial to the 200,000 French men and women who were deported to concentration camps in Nazi Germany. Opened in 1962, the memorial has been designed to give a feeling of claustrophobia, with long and narrow passages. Forgive but Never Forget. |
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| As you leave the park, walk north across the pedestrian part of Pont Île Saint-Louis which leads to the smaller of the two islands. |
| 12. Île Saint-Louis. |
| The smaller of the two islands, Île Saint-Louis has none of the major tourist attractions of its larger neighbour. Île Saint-Louis has an "untouched by modernity" feel to it. People come here, not for specific sites, but to wander through a part of Paris which feels unchanged from centuries gone by. |
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| At the end of the bridge turn to your left and walk down the steps to the quayside, Quai de Bourbon. Stroll around the western point of the island, passing under the first bridge you come to. This bridge is very low - so mind your head. |
| Midway between this bridge and the next, you will see steps on your right, which will lead you back up to street level. At the top of the steps, walk across the road into Rue le Regrattier in front of you. Walk along this road and turn left into Rue Saint-Louis en l'Ile, the main west-east road that runs along the centre of Ile Saint-Louis. On the right hand side of this road, just after the junction with Rue des Deux Ponts, you will find the finest glacier in Paris, the world-famous Berthillon. |
| 13. Berthillon. |
| After wandering through the islands, you'll be hot. What better excuse do you need to stop off at Berthillon, famous the world over for its quality ice cream and sorbets. Grab an ice-cream and head for the quayside, where you can sit and indulge while the Seine slowly rolls by. Mmmm.... |
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| Further along this road, again on the right hand side, you will find the Eglise Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile |
| 14. Eglise Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile |
| Eglise Saint-Louis-en-l'Ile is one of my favourite religious buildings in Paris. The interior may not be as spectacular as Notre Dame, nor the windows as magnificent as those in Sainte-Chapelle. But neither has it the throngs of chattering tourists. Classical music concerts are held here. Check listings when you arrive in Paris. |
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| Once you reach the end of the road, cross over into Square Barye (15) at the eastern point of Ile St Louis. |
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| On leaving the park, turn to your left and walk (south) across Pont de Sully and across the main road to the Institut du Monde Arabe. |
| 16. Institut du Monde Arabe. |
| The Arab World Institute was created in Paris in 1980 and was set up by 18 Arab countries to disseminate and promote Arab culture and to encourage cultural exchanges between the Arab world and France. The Institut du Monde Arabe building was constructed between 1981 and 1987. There are excellent views of Notre Dame from the roof. |
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| Cross back across the main road and turn right. Follow the path down to the riverside on your left. This is the Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air - the Open Air Sculpture Museum. |
| 17. Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air. |
| There are over 50 sculptures in the Musée de la Sculpture en Plein Air (Open-air Sculpture Museum) which stretches for 600m along the southern bank of the Seine. By day, those semi-circular "ampitheatres" by the river's edge are a great place to sit, relax and watch the Seine trundle past. By night, in the Summer, they come alive to the sound of salsa music and dancers. |
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| Continue walking through Park Tino Rossi with the river on your left until you see a large barge that houses the river Police (you'll see lots of inflatable boats in their quayside compound. To your right, you will see a road leading back up to street level. |
| At the top of the road, continue walking in the same direction until you reach the traffic lights at the junction with the bridge. Cross the road to your right here (away from the river). You will clearly see where you are going anyway. The crossing ends directly outside the gates to the Jardin des Plantes. |
| 18. Jardin des Plantes. |
| The Jardin des Plantes is France's botanical garden, housing no less than four different galleries, l'Évolution, Mineralogy, Paleontology and Entomology. There is a small zoo (menagerie) here which is great for kids. The Menagerie was created in 1795 to house the animals liberated from Versailles during the Revolution. |
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| On exiting the park you will find the entrance to Gare d'Austerlitz Metro/RER station on your right, directly outside MacDonalds - the end of this self-guided walk through the Islands of Paris. |
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| We hope that you enjoy your day strolling through the Islands of central Paris. |
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