Walk route along the Seine: from Pont Neuf to Pont d’Austerlitz

Start: Metro Pont Neuf
End: Metro Gare d’Austerlitz
Distance: 3.4 km
Duration: 1.5 – 2 hours
Last update: December 1, 2022

Overview

Route information

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.