Ile de la Cité
Paris 4^e

You can’t help but stop in front of Notre-Dame-de-Paris, each time your eye picking out a new gargoyle or bas-relief carved to illustrate the chapters of the Bible at a time when the masses were not taught to read. It’s like discovering this venerated cathedral every time for the first time.

Its paved square marks France’s ‘Kilometre Zero’, the starting point of all the country’s roads and the ideal base from which to explore this fascinating district.

The arcades and delightful boutiques around Place Dauphine, the only triangular and almost enclosed square in Paris, provide ample means to pass the time

before heading along the quays to the Conciergerie, built by King Louis-Philippe. The former palace of the Capetian dynasty, this monument with its medieval architecture has become a centre for contemporary art in recent years, along with the Sainte-Chapelle, hosting major international artists. It is also where you’ll find the capital’s oldest clock. 

The flower market, another legacy of the Middle Ages, offers an enchanting interlude to any day, especially on Sundays when it becomes a bustling and chirping bird market.

And last but not least, soak in the view of Paris from the Pont Neuf bridge before walking down to the gardens of the Vert Galant square, the last residence of the Templar masters and now a popular picnic spot on sunny days.

The sight of the sun setting below the weeping willow is simply magical.