Ramble through the Historical Center of Paris


Marais - Notre Dame - Louvre

  • Starting point is the Marais with its numerous early 17th c buildings. 
  • At the next stop, the Ile Saint-Louis (Seine river island), we will admire mansions dating back to the mid 17th c. 
  • From there we will cross over to Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, the two illustrating the various states of the Gothic style. These important places of worship and the buildings of the old royal palace remind us that the political and religious power used to be concentrated on the Île de la Cité ever since the Roman era up to the late Middle Ages.
  • Place Dauphine
  • From there we’ll take the oldest bridge of Paris, the Pont Neuf, and we’ll see a 19th c Department store building, now turned into the Louis Vuitton headquarters illustrating the iron and glass architecture.
  • Last stop: the Louvre, once just a fortress, then a royal palace and since the French Revolution an art museum considered one of the most important ones worldwide. 
  • 2.5-hour walking tour covering 4 km (2.5 mi) approx.