Islands on the Seine

Ever heard of Île de la Cité? Thought not.
A lot of people are so caught up on visiting the big attractions in Paris (the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre museum, Sacre-Coeur, etc) that they don't realize that there are other parts of Paris that have just as much to offer as the popular tourist locations. Eating delicious ice cream while watching boats glide down the Seine river is usually more fun than waiting in the hot, crowded line for the Eiffel Tower. So today's blog post is going to be all about the two small islands in the middle of the Seine river. They are named Île de la Cité (the big one), and Île Saint-Louis. On Île de la Cité, one can find the Saint-Chappelle, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and LOTS of pigeons. The following is a guide about getting to and exploring the islands on the Seine.

A map of the two islands. The big one is Ile de la Cite , and the smaller one is Ile Saint-Louis.

Getting to the Islands:

1. If you feel like walking, I'd recommend walking across the Pont-Neuf bridge, Paris's oldest surviving bridge that crosses the Seine river. It has the best views and is a footbridge, so you don't have to worry about being run over by crazy French taxi drivers. You'll arrive at the left (on this map) side of Île de la Cité.  Then, walk past the Conciergerie towards the Notre Dame Cathedral. You'll pass Saint-Chappelle, the fabulous stained-glass chapel on the way (and if you don't see the actual building, you will see the lineup to get in). More on that later.
2. If you want an even more urban, slightly longer walk, start at the Pompidou centre and have lunch at the Stravinsky fountain. (The Pompidou centre is a modern art museum and library, built in a rather... interesting way. Look up a picture of it.) Then, walk down the Rue de Renard until you get to the Seine, then find one of the numerous bridges to take across. 
3. If you feel like less walking, take the Metro to the Cité station. The train burrows right under the river and pops up on Île de la Cité. It's not as fun as walking across on a bridge, although a wonderful feeling to pop up from underground, less than 400m from the Notre Dame Cathedral!

Once you're on the islands, note that these islands are the centre of Paris. (When people came to colonize this area, they built their village on these islands because the Seine created a moat around them for protection. Anyway, the gold marker in front of the Notre Dame cathedral is called Kilometre Zero. If you see a sign that says you're 400km from Paris, you're 400km from the
Notre Dame Cathedral.)

Walk towards the big buildings and the Boulevard de Palais (see the map). It's a lovely shaded street (although crowded) and you'll see the lineup for the Saint-Chapelle on the right side of this photo.

By the way, don't try to take this photo unless you want to get almost run-over by crazy French motorcyclists.









Moving on... the Saint-Chapelle is the most beautiful stained glass cathedral I have ever seen. On the outside, it looks... cathedral-ish, but from the inside it is absolutely a fabulous experience. Nothing can describe floor-to-ceiling stained glass windows in intricate patterns, held up only by the wood and stone of the cathedral. When you exit the claustrophobic stairwell and emerge into this room of light, the silence only enhances the colours. No matter HOW LONG you wait in line for the
Saint-Chapelle, you will never regret the time you spent waiting.

Once you leave the Saint-Chapelle, head for the Notre-Dame cathedral. I don't blame you if you find it very hard to find, because it's easy to get lost with all the tall buildings. Just walk facing the traffic to the end of the Boulevard de Palais, then charge down the Quai des Ourfèvres (don't worry, I have no idea how to pronounce it either). You'll see crowds of people and lots of morbidly obese pigeons. Do not feed the pigeons here... they are already well-fed by the tourists. (One pigeon really seemed to like me, and I nicknamed it Fluffy. If you find it, you'll know... this pigeon probably weighs as much as me.)

Push through the crowds and enjoy the awesomeness of the Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most famous cathedrals in the world.

The Notre Dame Cathedral is... BIG!

By now, you're probably getting tired of waiting in line (like I was) so you might not want to stand around in the massive line for the Notre Dame Cathedral. If you do decide that you want to go inside, bring food for the line wait. I've seen pictures of the inside and I'm sure it's wonderful (although I've never been).
Note: If you have more time in Paris, make Notre Dame a separate trip, which gives you more time to look inside.

After you've been to these major attractions, take some time to wander around. Watch out for pickpockets around Notre Dame, but walk around it quickly and find the bridge to Île Saint-Louis. This island is one of the less crowded parts of central Paris, yet it is in the middle of the city. Find some ice cream and walk to the very edge of the island. There will be people, but it's less well known about than Île de la Cité.
In the bottom corner of Île Saint-Louis there's a little park, and this is a good spot to eat your ice cream and watch the boats on the river Seine.

This is the view from the Quai de Béthune in the morning.

Early morning on Ile Saint-Louis. The Notre Dame Cathedral can be seen in the distance.

And here's a map of Île Saint-Louis. The dot marks the place where the photo was taken.
In general, this island is just a nice place to explore. Walk on the cobblestone streets and immerse yourself in the French lifestyle.

WARNING: Beware of bad weather! Even in the summer, Paris can get rainy. Very rainy. Last year, my dad and I were walking around
Île Saint-Louis after we had finished our ice cream when it started raining. The few drops that materialized from the sky quickly turned into a full-scale downpour. Huge, grey clouds rolled overhead, and darkness covered the city. We ran down the slippery streets and hid in a doorway (many buildings on Île Saint-Louis don't have awnings because there isn't much space). Of course, we were probably the only people in Paris without an umbrella or a raincoat, so we sat down in our doorway and waited for the rain and thunder to stop. Only it didn't. My dad rummaged in his green pack and found some croissants, which were rather squished. From this day on, squashed croissants are known to us as "squassionts". Arcs of lightning laced the sky with brilliant flashes, and still the rain continued. Finally, we decided to make a run for the other side of the Seine, where we could find somewhere better to hang out until the downpour stopped. It was actually pretty fun, running around the island looking for a bridge and dodging puddles. Finally, we ran across the Pont Marie bridge and enjoyed the Pompidou Center until the rain stopped. Overall, not a bad afternoon in Paris. What I learned from this experience: Bring a map that doesn't need a WiFi signal to work.

Anyway, I hope this has been interesting reading for you, even if you're not going to Paris! If you are, stop by the next time you're on Île de la Cité, and maybe you'll find Fluffy the Pigeon.