Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [63]
Boat Notre Dame Batobus stop (quai Montebello)
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top picks
THE ISLANDS
Cathédrale de Notre Dame de Paris
Ste-Chapelle (opposite)
La Conciergerie (right)
Pont Neuf (opposite)
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Inside, exceptional features include three spectacular rose windows, the most renowned of which are the 10m-wide one over the western façade above the 7800-pipe organ, and the window on the northern side of the transept, which has remained virtually unchanged since the 13th century. The central choir, with its carved wooden stalls and statues representing the Passion of the Christ, is also noteworthy. There are free 1½-hour guided tours ( 2pm Wed & Thu, 2.30pm Sat) of the cathedral, given in English.
The trésor (treasury; adult/3-12yr €3/1; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Sat, 1-6pm Sun) in the southeastern transept contains artwork, liturgical objects, church plate and first-class relics, some of them of dubious origin. Among these is the Ste-Couronne, the ‘Holy Crown’, which is purportedly the wreath of thorns placed on Jesus’ head before he was crucified, and was brought here in the mid-13th century. It is exhibited between 3pm and 4pm on the first Friday of each month, 3pm to 4pm every Friday during Lent, and 10am to 5pm on Good Friday.
The entrance to the Tours de Notre Dame (Towers of Notre Dame; 01 53 10 07 02; www.monum.fr; rue du Cloître Notre Dame; adult/18-25yr/under 18yr €7.50/4.80/free, 1st Sun of the month Oct-Mar free; 10am-6.30pm Apr-Sep, to 7.30pm Jan-Mar & Oct-Dec) is from the North Tower. Climb the 422 spiralling steps to the top of the western façade, where you’ll find yourself face-to-face with the cathedral’s most frightening gargoyles, the 13-tonne bell Emmanuel (all of the cathedral’s bells are named) in the South Tower, and, last but not least, a spectacular view of Paris.
LA CONCIERGERIE Map
01 53 40 60 97; www.monum.fr; 2 blvd du Palais, 1er; adult/18-25yr/under 18yr €8/6/free, 1st Sun of the month Oct-Mar free; 9.30am-6pm Mar-Oct, 9am-5pm Nov-Feb; Cité
The Conciergerie was built as a royal palace in the 14th century for the concierge of the Palais de la Cité, but later lost favour with the kings of France and became a prison and torture chamber. During the Reign of Terror (1793–94) it was used to incarcerate alleged enemies of the Revolution before they were brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal, which met next door in the Palais de Justice. Among the 2700 prisoners held in the dungeons here before being sent in tumbrels to the guillotine were Queen Marie-Antoinette (see a reproduction of her cell) and, as the Revolution began to turn on its own, the radicals Danton, Robespierre and, finally, the judges of the Tribunal themselves.
The 14th-century Salle des Gens d’Armes (Cavalrymen’s Hall) is a fine example of the Rayonnant Gothic style. It is the largest surviving medieval hall in Europe. The Tour de l’Horloge (Map; cnr blvd du Palais & quai de l’Horloge, 1er), built in 1353, has held a public clock aloft since 1370.
A joint ticket with Ste-Chapelle (opposite) costs adult/18-25yr/under 18yr €11.50/9/free.
CRYPTE ARCHÉOLOGIQUE Map
01 55 42 50 10; 1 place du Parvis Notre Dame, 4e; adult/14-26yr/under 14yr €3.50/1.60/free; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun; Cité
The Archaeological Crypt is under the square in front of Notre Dame. The 117m-long and 28m-wide area displays in situ the remains of structures built on this site during the Gallo-Roman period, a 4th-century enclosure wall, the foundations of the medieval foundlings hospice and a few of the sewers sunk by Haussman.
MARCHÉ AUX FLEURS Map
place Louis Lépin, 4e; 8am-7.30pm Mon-Sat; Cité
The Île de la Cité’s flower market has brightened up this square since 1808. On Sundays it becomes a Marché aux Oiseaux (bird market; 9am-7pm).
MÉMORIAL DES MARTYRS DE LA DÉPORTATION Map
square de l’Île de France, 4e; 10am-noon, 2-7pm Apr-Sep, 10am-noon, 2-5pm Oct-Mar; St-Michel Notre Dame
The Memorial to the Victims of the Deportation, erected in 1962, is a haunting monument to the 160,000 residents of France