Essential Paris Walking Tour with Île de la Cité

Stand in the elegant embrace of the mighty arms of the Louvre, the principal residence of France’s kings for more than 2 centuries. Majestic Baroque façades watch over the courtyard, where visitors queue for the museum, local business people enjoy a glass of champagne in the sun, and children frolic and cavort among the fountains. Scattered across the grand courtyard are the glass and steel pyramids designed be world-renowned Chinese American architect I.M. Pei, reminding us of the need to be solidly rooted to the past while inspiring us to venture ever more boldly into the future.

The Arc of the Carrousel – a testament to the ambitions and achievements of Napoleon Bonaparte – serves as a gateway to the rolling lawns and gravel paths of the Tuileries Gardens. Once part of the royal estate, these spectacular Renaissance gardens were designed for Queen Catherine de Medici in the 16th century. Now anyone can amble along, admiring seasonal flora and timeless statuary, smiling at youngsters maneuvering their miniature sailboats over the glittering surfaces of the park’s various pools. This is also where the famed Champs-Elysées begins its westward march toward the Arc de Triomphe, the big brother to that of the Carrousel.

Originally developed by monastic orders in the 12th century on what were then the swampy outskirts of town, Le Marais quarter in the early 1600s was the place to see and be seen. King Henry IV had expensive town homes built around an expansive square, the very first in the city, and the crème de la crème of the aristocracy moved in and took up residence. The French Revolution brought an end to the dreamy days of the urban élite here, and the area was opened to all. In honor of the first of the provinces to pay taxes to the new Revolutionary régime, the square received the name it still bears today – Place des Vosges – and now all Parisians can enjoy the sprawling lawns and arbored avenues of what remains one of Paris’ most elegant addresses.

Le Marais is where Paris’ spectacular Hôtel de Ville, or City Hall, is located. The magnificent façade reflects the grand ideals of the French Renaissance, embellished by architectural elements of France’s Classical period. Not far away is a testament to the city’s playful side: the Centre Pompidou. Formally named after the French president who envisioned and commissioned this beacon of artistic experimentation, locals more commonly call it Beaubourg, after the surrounding neighborhood. In constant evolution, the Centre Pompidou never fails to inspire and delight.

Le Marais first became home to Paris’ growing Jewish population in the 1200s. Around the turn of the 20th century, successive waves of Jewish immigrants arrived, fleeing misery and persecution in Eastern Europe. This eclectic community still thrives in the area around Rue des Rosiers, and the Place Saint-Paul, known as the Pletzl (little square in Yiddish), where you will find synagogues, discreet gardens, Hebrew schools and kosher food stands frequented by black-clad men and boys and demurely-dressed women and girls, alongside other neighborhood residents and well-informed visitors.

More recently, Le Marais has established itself as the fashionable haven of the City of Lights’ LGBTQ+ communities. Slick clubs, trendy bars, chic cafés, and dining experiences that range from très sophistiqué to the bit-and-run street food provide all the stylishly social needs of Gay Paris’ bourgeois Bohemians. This eclectic mix of old and new, of tradition and experimentation, of easy camaraderie and mutual affection and respect is right at home in Le Marais.

* Food is always a good idea, although it’s not included in this tour and its pricing please let our office team know if you are interested in enjoining some nibbles in the wonderful Le Marais neighborhood. We will give you some options and the surcharge for this option.

A short stroll along the banks of the River Seine brings you to the bridge you will cross to the Île de la Cité. It is here that the ancient Romans erected their garrison town, and it is here that, in the 6th century, the Frankish kings established their residence. Part of the Medieval Palais de la Cité still stands today in the Conciergerie, whose turreted towers and cone-capped bastions stood guard as bards regaled the royal household with epic tales of heroic knights and daring damsels who risked it all for love and honor nearly a millennium ago. That grand palace was expanded in the 13th century by King Louis IX – later to be canonized as Saint Louis – with the construction of a magnificent chapel, one fit to hold such sacred relics as Christ’s crown of thorns. The Sainte-Chapelle’s upper chamber features walls of windows that are 50 feet (15 meters) high, with more than 2000 square feet (185m²) of stained glass, constituting one of the world’s most important examples of this High Medieval art from.