- Walk along the Seine: from Pont de la Concorde to Pont Neuf
- Walk along the Seine: from Pont Neuf to Pont d’Austerlitz
- Walk along the Ile
Walk along the Seine:
From Pont de la Concorde to Pont Neuf
This walk goes through the 1st, 6th and 7th arrondissements
start: metro Concorde
end: metro Pont Neuf
distance: 4 km
duration: 1.5-2 hours
Walk along the Seine: from Pont de la Concorde to Pont Neuf view on a larger map.
The octagonal Place de la Concorde is an immense square full of traffic. It is almost impossible to cross, but you can also walk around it. The square is a beautiful point with impressive buildings around it. The Champs-Elysées ends on the west side, on the other side is the Jardin des Tuileries with the Jeu de Paume and the Orangerie. On the north side are two beautiful buildings, the very expensive Hôtel Crillon and the Ministry of the Navy, both built by architect Gabriel. To the south of the square flows the Seine with the Pont de la Concorde.
The square was built in 1775 as Place Louis-XV, but in 1792 the statue of that king was pulled down and the square was renamed Place de la Révolution. A year later a guillotine was set up and within a short time more than 1300 people were beheaded here.
After the Revolution the square was called Place de la Concorde (Place of Concord). In the middle, an obelisk from Luxor, a gift from Egypt, was erected. In the eight corners of the square are statues of the French cities of Brest, Rouen, Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and Nantes.
1. Cross the Seine via the Pont de la Concorde, partly built with stones from the destroyed Bastille.
On the other side is the Palais Bourbon, which houses the Assemblée nationale (roughly the French House of Representatives). This building was built in 1726 for a daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan. The gardens ran in terraces down to the Seine. Later, it was enlarged and merged with the adjacent Hôtel de Lassay, where the President of the Assembly now lives. In 1806, Napoleon had a new façade put in, which was to resemble the Eglise de la Madeleine, which was located directly opposite on the right bank. The interior is magnificent, but not often seen.
2. Walk down to the Seine quay in an easterly direction.
Here, in 2013, the highway on the Seine quay between the Pont Royal and the Pont de l’Alma was closed and transformed into a promenade with all kinds of entertainment: walking, playing games, picnicking, walking into the floating gardens or making music yourself. You can eat and drink something on one of the terraces or get something to eat and eat along the Seine, sitting on the wooden Mikado benches, which look a bit like Kapla blocks. Under the Pont de la Concorde you can plug in your own musical instrument via Bluetooth and start playing. Five different green floating islands with plants and flowers are connected to each other by wooden paths and on each island there is different furniture to sit on.
3. Take the Passerelle Senghor pedestrian bridge to the right bank and follow the Quai des Tuileries.
The bridge is named after the first president of Senegal. From the benches on the bridge you have a beautiful view of the Jardin des Tuileries. It is the oldest and largest park in Paris, laid out in 1564 at the initiative of Catherine de Medicis as an enclosed garden at her Tuileries Palace. Until then, there were roof tile factories (tuileries). A hundred years later, Le Nôtre turned it into an open garden and between 1991 and 1996, the garden was completely renovated. It is a real strolling garden, many trees, flower beds and lawns with terraces, statues, ponds and benches in between. You can eat or drink something in various places.
4. Cross the Seine via the next bridge, the Pont Royal from 1689, and turn left into the quai Voltaire.
On your right is the Musée d’Orsay, the former Gare d’Orsay. The station was opened in 1900 for the World Exhibition. It only served as a station for a short time, because from 1939 onwards the platforms proved to be too short for the new long trains. Since 1986, it has been a museum for art from the second half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.
The Quai Voltaire has many beautiful mansions from the 17th and 18th centuries. At no. 27, the writer and philosopher Voltaire lived the last months of his life in 1778 in the house of his friend the Marquis de la Villette. This marquis later ensured that the quay was called Quai Voltaire. When Voltaire’s remains were transported to the Panthéon in 1791, 500,000 mourning Parisians were on their feet.
5. Continue along the Quai Voltaire and cross the Seine via the Pont du Carrousel
The bridge is decorated with four statues on the corners representing prosperity, industry, the Seine and the city of Paris. There are also street lamps that used to be extendable up to 22 m high. You come across the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, built by order of Napoleon I in 1805 to celebrate his victories. The statue group with the goddess of Peace has been there since 1828.
On the right is the Louvre, once a medieval fortress for the French kings and since 1793 a world-famous museum for art from prehistory to the 19th century. Until the 19th century, the Palais des Tuileries stood here with a view of the Jardin des Tuileries. It burned down in 1870 and was demolished in 1887.
6. Continue along the Quai du Louvre and cross the Seine via the footbridge, the Pont des Arts.
From here you can take beautiful photos of the Ile de la Cité and enjoy the view over the Seine. Parisians picnic here when the weather is nice. Note the locks that couples in love used to attach to the bridge here.
When you go back, you will come across the Institut de France. It was founded in 1795 and comprises five academies, including the famous Académie française. The building was built in 1661 at the request of Cardinal Mazarin. It is built in the Baroque style and has a beautiful dome, under which stands the mausoleum of Cardinal Mazarin. This is where the members of the Academies hold their meetings.
A little further on is the neoclassical Hôtel des Monnaies (the Mint) from the 18th century, a building that is 117 metres long. Only medals and commemorative coins are minted here. The building also houses a museum.
7. Turn left onto the quai de Conti. Cross the Seine via the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, built in 1603 during the reign of Henri IV.
The bridge runs over the westernmost point of the Ile de la Cité. On the left is a statue of Henri IV and behind it is a romantic park, the square du Vert-Galant. From the tip of this park you have a great view of the Seine and the Pont des Arts, the Pont du Carrousel and the Pont Royal. The park and the quays are popular picnic spots.
8. From the statue, walk right via the rue R.H. Robert to the place Dauphine.
The square is named after the crown prince (‘dauphin’) Louis XIII in the 17th century and was designed according to an idea of Henri IV. This is a quiet triangular square with benches in the middle. The chestnut trees that were here were cut down in 2009 because they were affected by the chestnut disease. But there are now 25 new red chestnuts. Only a few original facades remain (no. 14 and 26), the rest are of a later date. Singer/actor Yves Montand and actress Simone Signoret once lived on this square.
9. Walk back to the Pont Neuf and walk down the bridge to the Pont Neuf metro station.
Walk along the Seine:
from Pont Neuf to Pont d’Austerlitz
This walk takes you through the 1st, 4th and 5th arrondissements
Start: Metro Pont Neuf
End: Metro Gare d’Austerlitz
Duration: 1.5-2 hours
Walk along the Seine: from Pont Neuf to Pont d’Austerlitz view on a larger map.
1. Walk from the metro station along the quai de la Mégisserie to the place du Châtelet.
On the quai de la Mégisserie you will find many pet shops (dogs, cats, geese, weasels) and shops with garden supplies. The place du Châtelet was built on the site of the fort du Châtelet that guarded the entrance to Paris until 1802. Hausmann redesigned this area around 1860, wiping out a characteristic and medieval part of Paris. There are two theaters on the square, the Théâtre du Châtelet and the Théâtre de la Ville, both built by Davioud. Sarah Bernhardt played her leading roles here. Behind the square is the Tour Saint-Jacques, which is currently being renovated.
2. Cross the Pont au Change to the Ile de la Cité.
On the right is the quai de l’Horloge with the Conciergerie. This was once the residence of the French kings and from the 14th century to the 19th century a prison where many famous players from French history were held. During the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century, 2800 people were imprisoned here who would all die by guillotine, including Marie-Antoinette.
3. Turn left onto the quai de la Corse, past the flower market, pass the Pont Notre-Dame and cross the Seine via the Pont d’Arcole.
You will come across the Paris city hall, the Hôtel de Ville, with the enormous place de l’Hôtel de Ville in front of it. This square was once called place de Grève, the place where boats used to dock to load and unload their merchandise. The name of this square refers to the French word for strike: ‘grève’, because many protest meetings were held here in the past. The city hall has been rebuilt several times, the last time in 1882 after a fire destroyed the building. The mayor has his office on the side of the Seine.
4. From the square, turn left onto the quai de l’Hotel de Ville and cross the Seine via the Pont Louis Philippe to the Ile Saint-Louis. Turn left onto the quai de Bourbon and go straight on to the quai d’Anjou.
On the relatively quiet Ile Saint-Louis you will find beautiful mansions from the 17th century, including on the quai de Bourbon (no. 19, hôtel de Jassaud, no. 41-53, built by architect Le Vau) and the quai d’Anjou (no. 1, hôtel Lambert, no. 3, hôtel Le Vau, no. 17 hôtel de Lauzun).
5. At the end of the quai d’Anjoude, cross Boulevard Henri IV. At the very tip of the island is the square Barye.
On the square Barye there is a monument in memory of Antoine-Louis Barye, a sculptor and painter from the 19th century. His statue used to be on top, but it was melted down by the Germans during the Second World War. From here you have a beautiful view of the Seine to the east and of the Bibliothèque nationale François Mitterrand. If you go down to the Seine here, you will come to a beautiful picnic area.
6. Cross the Pont de Sully to the left bank.
Diagonally to the left you will see the modern building of the Institut du Monde Arabe, designed by Jean Nouvel in 1987. It houses a collection of Arab-Islamic art. The building is made of glass and aluminium with 240 geometric panels in the south façade that work like photo slats: they open when it is dark and close further as it gets lighter.
7. Cross the street in front of the Institut and take the stairs to the Seine quay.
Here you will find the Jardin Tino Rossi, a long and narrow park with sculptures by Brancusi and Zadkine, among others. Here you can rest and watch the Seine. On summer evenings there is dancing. On the other side lies the Quai Henri IV. Behind this quay lies a former island, the Ile Louviers, which was connected to the shore in 1843.
8. Leave the park to the east. At the Pont d’Austerlitz, turn right onto the Boulevard de l’Hôpital until you reach the Gare d’Austerlitz metro station.
Walk on the Ile de la Cité
This walk takes you through the 1st and 4th arrondissements
Start: Metro Pont-Neuf
End: Metro Maubert-Mutualité
Duration: 1-1.5 hours
Walk on the Ile de la Cité view a larger map.
1. From the metro station, walk towards the Seine and cross the first part of the Pont Neuf.
The Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge in Paris, built in 1603. You are now on the Ile de la Cité, where the people of the Parisii built the first settlements of Paris more than 2000 years ago. On the right of the square du Vert Galant is a statue of King Henri IV (1553-1610). ‘Vert galant’ means something like womanizer, and the king was given that nickname because of his extramarital affairs that often got him into trouble.
To the right of the statue is a small park with weeping willows and benches that offers a beautiful view of the Seine on two sides.
2. Opposite the square du Vert Galant, go into the rue H. Robert and continue until you reach the place Dauphine.
This is a quiet 17th century square in a triangular shape with chestnut trees and benches in the middle. The chestnut trees were cut down in 2009 because they were affected by chestnut blight, but there are now 25 new red chestnuts. The square was built on the orders of Henri IV. There are still some original facades (nos. 14 and 26), the rest are of a later date.
3. Turn left into rue de Harlay and then right onto quai de l’Horloge.
Here you can see the medieval building of the Conciergerie along the Seine, part of the Palais de la Cité where the French kings lived until the 14th century. Later it became a famous prison where thousands of prisoners (including Robespierre and Marie-Antoinette) waited their turn for the guillotine during the French Revolution. The building has four towers, the tower on the corner is the Tour de l’Horloge, the first clock in Paris in 1370. The entrance to the Conciergerie is on the boulevard du Palais.
4. Turn right onto the boulevard du Palais.
Here, behind the beautiful gold-coloured gate, lies the Palais de Justice, the building complex of the French court of justice. This building was also part of the Palais de la Cité, but was transferred to the court of justice in 1431. The sessions are in principle free to visit.
Past the gold-coloured gate of the Palais de Justice, you come to the Sainte Chapelle. This is a beautiful Gothic chapel from 1248 with famous stained glass windows. From the street, the pointed tower protrudes just above the surrounding buildings, but in the past the chapel stood in a spacious courtyard.
5. Walk opposite the gold-coloured gate into the rue de Lutèce.
The Cité metro station on your left still has an original Art Nouveau entrance by Hector Guimard. Behind it is the flower market (bird market on Sundays) that continues onto the quai de la Corse.
6. Walk down the rue de Lutèce and turn right into the rue de la Cité. Continue until you reach the square.
You are now standing on the place du Parvis Notre Dame in front of the cathedral. On the left is a hospital, the Hotel Dieu, which was originally on the south side of the square but was moved to the north side in the 19th century. This created a beautiful square with a view of the Notre Dame de Paris, the most famous Gothic church in the world, built between 1163 and 1330. On the right of the square is a statue of Charlemagne on horseback. In the middle of the square is the zero point for the distances from Paris to other places in France. In the Crypte Archéologique you can still see Roman remains of the city.
7. Walk through the park to the right of the church.
From this side you can see the beautiful side of the cathedral with the buttresses that carry a large part of the weight of the church. At the same time you can look out over the Seine and the left bank.
Walk back to the place du Parvis Notre Dame and turn right into the rue d’Arcole. Take the first street on the right, the rue Chanoinesse, then the first on the left, the rue de la Colombe. Turn right into the rue des Ursins and left into the rue des Chantres, then right onto the quai des Fleurs.
These are the original medieval streets of the Ile de la Cité. The entire island used to consist of such streets, but in the 19th century many streets and houses were demolished to create space, among other things for the increasingly busy traffic.
8. Walk down the quai des Fleurs, which turns into the quai de l’Archevêché.
On your left, on the square de l’Ile de France, is the Mémorial de la Déportation, a monument commemorating the 200,000 French people who were deported to a concentration camp during the Second World War. It consists of an underground crypt with urns of the victims. The walls are decorated with 200,000 pieces of quartz.
9. Cross the Pont de l’Archevêché and turn right onto the quai de Montebello.
You will walk along the Pont au Double, a previous version of which was used as an extension to the Hôtel Dieu hospital, which was then on this side of the Ile de la Cité.
Just after the Pont au Double, on the left is a small park on the square René Viviani. From this old park you have a beautiful view of the south side of the Notre Dame. The church of Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre borders the park on the south side. On that side there is also a dilapidated acacia from 1601, one of the oldest trees in Paris. It is supported by concrete beams. In the middle of the park is a triangular bronze fountain from 1995 by Georges Jeanclos.
10. Leave the park via the rue Lagrange. Continue along this street until you reach the place Maubert and the Maubert-Mutualité metro station.