île de la Cité

The Ile de la Cite is the largest Seine island and the historic core of Paris; on its original eight hectares the Parisii Celts founded Lutetia around the 3rd century BCE, later a Roman city. In the Middle Ages the island grew into a center of power and faith: Notre-Dame de Paris, the Sainte-Chapelle with its world-famous stained glass, and the Conciergerie, the medieval royal palace where Marie-Antoinette was held during the Revolution, all stand here. Haussmann razed much of the dense medieval fabric in the 19th century, which is why the island feels surprisingly open today. Nine bridges connect it to both banks and to Ile Saint-Louis; the flower and bird market and the quiet Square du Vert-Galant at the western tip remain calm pockets in the tourist flow.