Starting point: Hotel de Ville
The Hôtel de Ville (English: City Hall) houses the city’s local administration. Standing on the place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville in the 4th arrondissement, it has been the headquarters of the municipality of Paris since 1357. It serves multiple functions, housing the local administration, the Mayor of Paris (since 1977), and also serves as a venue for large receptions.
Directions: The 1 line and the 11 line both stop at the Hotel de Ville subway stop.
Tour St Jacques
Saint-Jacques Tower (French: Tour Saint-Jacques) is a monument located in the 4th arrondissement. This 5Gothic tower is all that remains of the former 16th-century Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie (“Saint James of the butchery”), which was demolished in 1797, during the French Revolution, leaving only the tower.
Directions: Walk straight ahead, away from the Hotel de Ville, down Avenue Victoria.
Conciergerie
The Conciergerie was a prison but is presently used mostly for law courts. It was part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which consisted of the Conciergerie, Palais de Justice and the Sainte-Chapelle. Hundreds of prisoners during the French Revolution were taken from the Conciergerie to be executed by guillotine.
Directions: From Avenue Victoria, take a left on Place du Châtelet and continue across the Pont au Change to Boulevard du Palais.
St Chappelle
The Sainte-Chapelle (English: Holy Chapel) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century. Begun some time after 1238 and consecrated on 26 April 1248, the Sainte-Chapelle is considered among the highest achievements of the Rayonnant period of Gothic architecture. It was commissioned by King Louis IX of France to house his collection of Passion relics, including Christ’s Crown of Thorns—one of the most important relics in medieval Christendom. Along with the Conciergerie, the Sainte-Chapelle is one of the earliest surviving buildings of the Capetian royal palace on the Île de la Cité. Although damaged during the French Revolution, and restored in the 19th century, it has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collection anywhere in the world.
Directions: The entrance to Sainte-Chapelle is next door to the entrance to the Conciergerie.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre-Dame de Paris (English: Our Lady of Paris), also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral or simply Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité. It is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture, and is among the largest and most well-known church buildings in the world. The naturalism of its sculptures and stained glass are in contrast with earlier Romanesque architecture. The cathedral treasury contains a reliquary which houses some of Catholicism’s most important relics, including the purported Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross, and one of the Holy Nails. In the 1790s, Notre-Dame suffered desecration in the radical phase of the French Revolution when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. An extensive restoration began in 1845.
Directions: Walk south on Boulevard du Palais and turn left on Quai de Marche Neuf.
Catacombs
The Catacombs of Paris (French: Catacombes de Paris) are underground ossuaries which hold the remains of over six million people in a small part of the ancient Mines of Paris tunnel network. Located south of the former city gate “Barrière d’Enfer” (Gate of Hell) beneath Rue de la Tombe-Issoire, the ossuary was founded when city officials were faced with two simultaneous problems: a series of cave-ins starting in 1774 and overflowing cemeteries, particularly Saint Innocents. Nightly processions of bones from 1786 to 1788 transferred remains from cemeteries to the reinforced tunnels, and more remains were added in later years. The underground cemetery became a tourist attraction on a small scale from the early 19th century, and has been open to the public on a regular basis since 1874 with surface access from a building at Place Denfert-Rochereau.
Directions: From the front of the Notre Dame cathedral, walk straight ahead to the Rue de la Cite. Take a left here and cross the Petite Pont – Cardinal Lustiger. Take a right at the Quai Saint-Michel. Enter the Saint-Michel – Notre-Dame stop. Take the subway line 4 or the RER B to Denfert-Rochereau.
Montparnasse Tower
Tour Maine-Montparnasse (English: Maine-Montparnasse Tower), also commonly named Tour Montparnasse, is a 689 ft office skyscraper located in the Montparnasse area of Paris, France. Constructed from 1969 to 1973, it was the tallest skyscraper in France until 2011. The 56th floor, with a restaurant called le Ciel de Paris, and the terrace on the top floor, are open to the public for viewing the city. The view covers a radius of 25 miles.
Directions: From the catacombs, walk on Rue Froidevaux. Turn right on Avenue du Maine and Rue du Depart.
Luxembourg Gardens
The Jardin du Luxembourg (English: Luxembourg Garden) was created beginning in 1612 by Marie de’ Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France, for a new residence she constructed, the Luxembourg Palace. The garden today is owned by the French Senate, which meets in the Palace. It covers 23 hectares and is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, flowerbeds, the model sailboats on its circular basin, and for the picturesque Medici Fountain, built in 1620.
Directions: From Rue du Depart, turn right on Boulevard du Montparnasse. Then, turn left on Rue Vavin.
Astier (dinner)
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Eternal Horizon 