Notre Dame and the islands

If you are tired, stop by many cafes and restaurants in the area or head over to L’Ile Saint Louis for a sweet treat at at these places:

M. Berthillon

31, rue St Louis en l'ile

Maker of mouth watering fruit sorbets, try as many as you can.

Charlotte en L'Isle

24 Rue St-Louis-en-L'Ile

Warning—this place serve the richest hot chocolate in Paris and unlike many cafes in Paris, doesn't provide an extra pitcher of milk.

L’Ile Saint Louis

For centuries, Ile St-Louis was nothing but swampy pastureland. The island was first called L'Ile Notre Dame, and was uninhabited until 1614, when the seventeenth century version of a real estate developer, Christophe Marie, got the bright idea of filling it with elegant mansions. The new bridges connected were built to connect it with the mainland and the Ile de la Cité. Saint Louis, or Louis IX gave his name to this island.

You can spend few hours in leisurely walks on these two island, crossing many beautiful bridges from which you can take many beautiful photos of Paris.

Check out some of the oldest bridges in Paris: the Pont Marie, the Pont Neuf, the Pont Notre-Dame,the Petit Pont and the Grand Pont, renamed into Pont-au-Change ( Exchange bridge).

Your first stop, early in the morning should be

The Notre Dame Cathedral

The River Seine flows in an arc through the middle from east to west, around its two islands called the Ile de la Cite and Ile St-Louis.

It is at Ile de la Cite, where Notre Dame sits at the historic heart of the capital.

Every year, approximately 13 million worshippers and tourists visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. Under a law from 1905, Notre Dame belongs to the French government, which maintains it, but the Catholic Church has the exclusive right to use the cathedral.

Address: 6 place du Parvis Notre Dame, 4e, Metro: Cité

More information on www.cathedraledeparis.com/

Opening hours

cathedral 8am-6.45pm Mon-Fri, to 7.15pm Sat & Sun, towers 10am-6.30pm Sun-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat Jul & Aug, 10am-6.30pm Apr-Jun & Sep, 10am-5pm Oct-Mar, treasury 9.30am-6pm Apr-Sep, 10am-5.30pm Oct-Mar

Your next stop should be the Sainte-Shapelle (Holy Chapel) and the ancient structure of the Consiergerie.

The most beautiful parts of the Sainte-Shapelle are its stained glass windows framed by a delicate stonework.

The chapel suffered its worst destruction during the French Revolution and much of the chapel as it appears today is a recreation, although nearly two-thirds of the windows are authentic.The Sainte Chapelle has been a national historic monument since 1862.

The Conciergerie (La Conciergerie) is a former royal palace and prison in Paris. During the French Revolution nearly 2,600 hundreds of prisoners, were taken from La Conciergerie to be executed on the Guillotine.

The Saint Chapelle
8, boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris

Metro: Cité

More information on www.sainte-chapelle.fr/en

Opening hours

From1st July to 31st August

Monday - Tuesday - Thursday - Friday - Saturday - Sunday 9.30-18.00 Wednesday 9.30-12.45 /14.15-21.30

From 1st Nov to 31st Dec

Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday - Thursday - Friday 9.00-13.00/ 14.15-17.00 Saturday - Sunday 9.00-17.00

La Conciergerie
2, boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris

Metro: Cité

More information on www.paris-conciergerie.fr/en/

Opening hours