Right in the heart of Paris, the Ile de la Cite is another world, another Paris, accessed on foot, where you anticipate laying eyes on the most famous cathedral in the world: Notre Dame.
An outsized neo-gothic edifice to be admired from the outside and inside. A climb to the top of one of its towers provides a wonderful view of Paris.
At the base of the cathedral is 'point zero' represented by a stone and from which all distances between the capital and other French cities are calculated. On the place Louis Lepine, the flower market adds to the romantic atmosphere of the place which is best experienced in the Square du Vert Galant, a little jewel of green which forms the tip of the ile.
A unique area of Paris which is teeming with history, the Ile de la Cite is famous for its Conciergerie (a prison in the times of the French Revolution), the Sainte Chapelle and its noble stained glass windows and the imposing Palais de Justice.
Make sure you take only two bridges: the Pont Neuf to get to the Ile de la Cite and the St Louis bridge to get to the neighbouring isle of the same name. To enjoy, at all times of the day, the wonderful ice-creams of Berthillon.
