Route: Paris
Area: France
Date of walk: 13th June 2019
Walkers: Andrew and Gilly
Distance: 6.7 miles
Ascent: 300 feet
Weather: Sunny intervals, a few showers
A few months ago we’d booked a holiday with Inntravel ‘Hiking in the Bernese Oberland’, and had arranged to travel to Switzerland via rail. The train schedules gave us the chance to have an overnight stop in Paris, with sufficient time for a short afternoon walk. We were based in the Saint‑Germain‑des‑Prés area of the city, not far from the River Seine to the north. The area is well known for its restaurants and cafés, and in the past was the home of many well known playwrights, musicians and philopophers, including Oscar Wilde, Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre
We set off in the general direction of the River Seine, with a vague plan to walk along its banks, visit the Île de la Cité, and return via a different route. I’ve included the route which we walked just for the record, but as is usually the case with city walks it’s best to go where your fancy takes you, rather than follow a prescribed itinerary (click here or on the Map Page icon for the route map)
After passing numerous bustling cafés we arrived at the north bank of the Seine and turned right along the Quai de Conti, joining the riverside path below the road. A little further along we reached the Île de la Cité, one of the islands in the River Seine. The island is best known for being the home to Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most widely recognized symbols of France. Sadly on 15 April 2019 the cathedral caught fire, destroying the spire and the oak frame and lead roof. It was speculated that the fire was linked to ongoing renovation work. The main structure was left intact, but firefighters managed to save the façade, towers, walls, buttresses, and stained glass windows. Despite the damage, and the fact that renovation work is being carried out, the cathedral was still a magnificent sight
We crossed one of the several bridges onto the Île de la Cité and walked back along its north shore, crossing back onto the south bank via the Pont Neuf. From here we retraced our steps for a short distance before heading back through the streets of Paris to our hotel. It had been an enjoyable meander, and a good limbering up exercise for the hiking in Switzerland which is to follow over the next few days
Click on the icon below for the route map
Scroll down – or click on any photo to enlarge it and you can then view as a slideshow
St Pancras Station London earlier in the day....
Next stop Paris...
2 hours 15 minutes later we're in Paris and after checking in to our hotel there's time for a short afternoon walk
Café life in Paris as we stroll along Rue Monsieur le Prince...
We arrive at the bank of the River Seine, looking towards Pont Neuf which spans the Île de la Cité
The Institut de France seen from the Pont des Arts
We walk along the riverside path, passing by a wall which shows the high watermarks of the Seine in flood years
Pont Neuf ahead - we walk beneath one of its arches
Pont Saint-Michel ahead, another of the bridges which links the Île de la Cité with the left bank
Looking across to some of the splendid buildings on the Île de la Cité
Place Saint-Michel
Looking back along the river from Pont Saint-Michel
Approaching Notre Dame Cathderal on the Île de la Cité
Looking back to the left bank as we cross over onto the island
Notre Dame, still a magnificent sight despite the missing spire
We return to the left bank and walk along the Quai de Montebello
Looking back to Notre Dame
We cross back over to Île de la Cité via The Pont de l'Archevêché (Archbishop's Bridge)
A barge passes below as we cross the bridge
Looking across to the Hôtel de Ville as we walk along the north side of the island
We pass by the Pont Notre Dame
Looking back to the Pont d'Arcole
The gothic Tower of St Jacques, all that remains of a former 16th century church
We stroll round the famous Marché aux fleurs, but it's late in the afternoon by now and many of the stalls are closing for the day
Looking back to Pont au Change, which connects Île de la Cité with the right bank
We cross back onto the left bank via Pont Neuf
Looking back to the Square du Vert-Galant at the tip of Île de la Cité
The Louvre seen from Pont des Arts, and from here we walk away from the river back into the Saint‑Germain‑des‑Prés area of the city
We pass by the former house of Serge Gainsbourg, a local landmark, which is is almost completely covered in ever-changing tributes and graffiti
Les Deux Magots, another landmark, which was once a meeting place for the literary and intellectual élite of Paris
The Church of Saint-Sulpice
We walk back through the quiet streets...
Our hotel is just around the corner, and the end of a fascinating afternoon's stroll
Next morning, we had an hour to spare before catching the train to Switzerland, and so we decided to visit the nearby Luxembourg Gardens, which date back to 1612
The garden covers 57 acres and is known for its lawns and tree-lined promenades
It is owned by the French Senate, which meets in the Palace
The Medici Fountain, a fitting climax to our visit to Paris. Time to be off, there's a train to catch
A few hours later we arrive at our destination, Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland area of Switzerland, full of anticipation of the walks that lie ahead...
