Paris City Tour

Our history begins here. More than 2,200 years ago the Celtic tribe of the Parisii settled on the Île de la Cité, the heart of the city. Today the island floats like a small, green oasis in the middle of the big city jungle, where traffic is hectic and the masses always seem to be in a hurry. ‘Square du Vert Galant’ is the green garden at the very tip of the island. The name is an allusion to the romantic adventures of Henry IV. An equestrian statue was erected for the king. A passage connects the statue with the idyllic park.

We leave the bon vivant behind and stroll across Quai de l’Horloge to the Conciergerie, a part of the old royal palace that already served as a state prison in the 14th century. The blue-blooded ‘visitors’book’ starts with Ravaillac, who murdered Henry IV in 1610, and goes on to Cartouche, the notorious highwayman, and to Robespierre and Danton. Do you hear sobbing in that cell over there? Here the fate of that proud queen Marie-Antoinette was sealed.

Around the corner, erected on the spot of the former royal palace, stands the Palais de Justice, the high court. During the Revolution more than 2,600 death sentences were pronounced here in two years’time. The condemned were then taken by cart to the guillotine on Place de la Concorde.

Let’s return to more pleasant things. In the complex of buildings that is the Palais de Justice lies Sainte-Chapelle. With its wonderful stained-glass windows it is one of the oldest and most beautiful houses of God in Paris.

Our tour leads us along Quai de la Corse. We pass the blooming splendour of the flower stalls and arrive at the grand Notre-Dame. Plans to build the cathedral already existed in 1163, but the construction only finished in the 13th century. This medieval symbol of the city is one of the most important sacral buildings in Early Gothic style in the world. Admire the gothic west front with its three portals, the beautiful rose window, the king’s gallery and the church towers, of which the tops offer a fantastic view on the city. It is well worth a climb. And Quasimodo sends you his greetings!

We continue our stroll through Rue d’Arcole with its souvenir shops. Crossing the bridge to the other Bank of the River Seine, we can see the bouquinistes (booksellers) on the right along Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville waiting for customers. The mobile bookshops are called ‘boîtes’ (boxes). Rumours abound about customers finding ancient treasures, but even if they are only legends and perhaps a PR-stunt from the guild of literary bookstalll holders, browsing amongst old books and pictures, picture postcards and maps is always good fun…and free!

Let’s leave this mini book fair behind now, and let’s have a look at the beautiful façade of the Hôtel de Ville. The big square in front used to be called ‘Place de Grève’ or ‘Embankment.’

It was here that the River Seine bargemen unloaded their cargo.

We leave the Paris government seat behind and turn into Rue de Rivoli with its milling human masses. The name of the street refers to one of Napoleon’s military victories, when he defeated the Austrians close to Rivoli, a town in the north of Italy, in 1797. The emperor did not live to see this great street. Rue de Rivoli was only finished in 1833, when Napoleon had already passed away. Today the street is a paradise for strollers and window-shoppers alike, what with its eminent consumer temples under vaulted passages, its cafés and restaurants, bookshops and art shops where you can buy fine art prints and reproductions of famous paintings. The Louvre already casts its shadow!

There it is! The Louvre. With its 15 acres (6 hectares) of exhibition surface it is undoubtedly the largest museum in the world! The origin of this impressive complex goes back to the 12th century. First the Louvre was a fortress and a royal palace, but after the Revolution it opened its doors in 1793 as an art museum. Do go in, if only for just one glance at the serene smile of the Mona Lisa. The restaurant (‘Le Grand Louvre’) is a must for lunch as it has a good view of the gigantic glass pyramid, designed by the American architect Ming Pei. The pyramid ‘graces’ the main entrance to the museum. This glass and steel construction was for a long time one of the most contested buildings in the country. Some called it ‘gigantomania’ of the then President. Mitterrand loved grand buildings, and he wished to extend and modernize the huge art collection of the Louvre. The construction started in 1987 and finished in 1998. It cost a staggering total of 1 miljard Euro.

Let us proceed and make a little stroll through the Tuileries. This garden (25,000 square metres) enclosed the 17th century house of Catherine de Médici. The palace itself was torn down in 1882, but the classical park in renaissance style has been preserved. The stressed out Parisian is sure to find peace and quiet amongst its many flowerbeds, sculptures, basins and intimate avenues.

Place de la Concorde will bring you back to earth. Only a moment ago you were mesmerised by flowers and splashing fountains. Now cars, buses and motorcycles rush past you in a hellish dance on the huge roundabout that is the Place de la Concorde. In spite of the racket and the noise the vast square remains one of the most beautiful squares in the French capital. The construction started in 1755. In honour of Louis XV an equestrian statue was erected. During the Revolution the fate of the square took a different turn. The statue was removed from its plinth by the rebellious people, and the head of Louis XVI rolled in the sand. Today the imposing square is graced by a more than 3,000 year old obelisk. Mehmet Ali, the Egyptian governor, presented the heavy colossus, that until then had guarded a tempel at Luxor, to the French king in 1831.

Breathtakingly beautiful is the view that opens up from Place de la Concorde: the Champs-Elysées, France’s most famous boulevard, stretches out glitteringly to the Arc de Triomphe in the distance. This magnificent street has recently undergone a cleaning-up operation. The work took two years. Today the boulevard once more radiates its splendour: broadened pavements, new benches and lantern posts, a second row of trees and no more parked cars. They are banished to underground car parks. The image of the 1.8 km long avenue has finally been fully restored! The question remains, however, whether the investment of around 35,5 million Euro was worth it. The Champs-Elysées, once the meetingplace of the Haute Volée (the high and mighty), has lost much of its charm. What remains is its eternal magical appeal.

Have you finished admiring the boulevard? Let’s go underground then. From the Arc de Triomphe we take a tube ride on line 6 ‘Nation’ to Bir Hakeim. Back above ground, we are greeted by the giant steel skeleton of the Eiffel Tower, the symbol par excellence of the city on the River Seine. Once dubbed ‘awful’ and ‘superfluous’, today tourists flock to this iron palissade. Expect to queue before you will be able to ascend by lift to one of the several platforms of this ‘Dame de Fer’ (Iron Lady). Conclude your tour through Paris with the legendary view from the highest floor of the Eiffel Tower. Look down on the sea of houses of this grand metropolis, and feel closer to the heavens above Paris!

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