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Notre-Dame de Paris
The beginning of its long construction coincided with the choice of Paris as a capital and, on the square in front of the cathedral, a bronze star inscribed “zero kilometre” indicates the centre of the country in terms of travelling distances. A symbol of Gothic art, its harmonious layout seems to be the work of just one architect, yet dozens followed on from the 12th to the 19th century, the date of its restoration by Viollet-le-Duc. The cathedral has witnessed Saint Louis, barefoot, wearing the Crown of Thorns in 1239, the coronation of Napoléon in 1804, the celebration of the Liberation of Paris in 1944… and you too, as you climb the 422 steps leading to the top. Like Victor Hugo’s Quasimodo, you will then find yourself face to face with some of its grimacing gargoyles. You will also be able to make the acquaintance of the thirteen-ton bell named Emmanuel, and enjoy a breathtaking view across the rooftops of Paris.
Parvis Notre-Dame. Place Jean-Paul-II (4th). M° Cité.
La cathédrale
Tél.: 01 42 34 56 10. Mon to Fri: 8am-6.45pm. Sat and Sun: 9am-6pm. Limited access on Sun due to services.
www.cathedraledeparis.com
Les tours.
Tél. : 01 53 10 07 00. 1 Oct to 31 Mar: 10am-5.30pm. 1 Apr to 31 May and 1 to 30 Sept: 10am-6.30pm. 1 June to 31 Aug: 10am-6.30pm and until 11pm Sat and Sun. €8 – RR: €5. Under 18s and 1st Sun of the month (from Nov to Mar): free.
www.monuments-nationaux.fr
La crypte archéologique Tél. : 01 55 42 50 10. Daily: 10am-6pm, except Mon and public hols. €3.30 – RR: €2.20. 14-26yrs: €1.60. Under 14s: free.
www.carnavalet.paris.fr


Les Iles de la Cité et Saint-Louis
Despite being the birthplace of Paris, these two neighbouring islands, embraced by the arms of the Seine, are very different. On the Île de la Cité, amid a flurry of uniforms and lawyers’ gowns, you go from one historic site to another: place Dauphine, the Conciergerie, Sainte-Chapelle, Hôtel-Dieu, Notre-Dame… The Pont Saint-Louis marks the boundary – often with music – beyond which lies the tranquility of sumptuous mansion houses. A refuge for artists and poets, the Île Saint-Louis is also a haven for gourmets judging by the profusion of restaurants, cafés, ice-cream makers and confectioners, whose tempting windows line the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île.


Panthéon
Its dome dominates the Latin Quarter and gives its name to the similarly solemn square, at the centre of which it stands. This colossal civic temple worthily upholds the motto inscribed on its pediment that honours the nations great men. An irony of history, this monument dedicated to Republican liturgies was commissioned by Louis XV in 1744 to honour Sainte-Geneviève. But with the Revolution underway, the scarcely finished basilica was transformed into a civic temple in 1791 and consecrated as the national Panthéon in 1885, at the funeral of Victor Hugo. A synthesis of neoclassical and Gothic-style architecture, it also houses the tombs of Pierre and Marie Curie, Alexandre Dumas, Jean Jaurès, André Malraux, Jean Moulin, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire.
Place du Panthéon (5e). RER Luxembourg. Tél. : 01 44 32 18 00. Summer: 10am-6.30pm. Winter: 10am-6pm. Colonnade: from 1 Apr to 31 Oct. €8 – RR: €5. Under 18s (accompanied by an adult) and 1st Sun of the month from Nov to Mar: free.
www.monuments-nationaux.fr


Quartier latin
On the Left Bank, in the vicinity of the University founded in the 12th century, latin was the language most commonly spoken by professors and students. This tradition seems to have died out but the name remains. Around the Sorbonne, the Collège de France, prestigious schools and the Sainte-Geneviève library, there are still numerous bookshops, publishers, and cafés, where

students revise for their exams, as well as tiny art-house cinemas. Of course, the Saint- Michel fountain is not only a meeting point for students, many businesses have now moved into the area, but the memory of Professor Abélard and the paving stones of May 1968 still remain here and there.


Conciergerie
The Conciergerie was once a royal palace. Imagine the enormous Salle des Gens d’Armes with two thousand persons sitting down to eat, and kitchens buzzing with kitchen boys. Above all the Conciergerie was a prison up until the 19th century: the regicidal Ravaillac, Marie- Antoinette and many others, especially during the darker days of the French Revolution, spent their last days here.
Palais de la Cité. 2, bd du Palais (1st). M° Cité. Tél. : 01 53 40 60 80. Summer: 9.30am-6pm. Winter: 9am-5pm. 1 Jan, 1 May and 25 Dec: closed. €7 – RR: €4.50. Combined ticket with the Sainte-Chapelle: €11 – RR: €7.50. Under 18s and 1st Sun of the month (from Nov to Mar): free.
www.monuments-nationaux.fr


Sainte-Chapelle
Next to the Palais de Justice (law courts), Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie are the precious remains of what was once the palace of the kings of France from the 10th to the 14th century. The Sainte-Chapelle, a triumphantly flamboyant example of the Gothic style, was commissioned by Saint Louis. In the lower chapel, dedicated to the Virgin, gilded lilies on an azure-blue star-studded vault are a wonderful sight. But reserve your praise for the upper chapel, designed to house the relics of Christ’s Passion, dispersed during the French Revolution, and lined with predominantly red and blue stained-glass windows – the largest expanse of 13th century stained glass in the world.
6, bd du Palais (1er). M° Cité. Tél. : 01 53 40 60 80. Daily except 1 Jan, 1 May and 25 Dec. Summer: 9.30am-6pm. Winter: 9am-5pm. €8 – RR: €5. Combined ticket with the Conciergerie: €11 – RR: €7.50. Under 18s and 1st Sun of the month (from Nov to Mar): free.
www.monuments-nationaux.fr.