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Notre Dame Island Medieval Tour with Skip the Line of Sainte-Chapelle Combo Tour
2 h
Skip The Line
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Ile de la Cite, 75001 Paris France
This walking tour of Île de la Cité will explore the architecture of medieval Paris over the course of two hours. Your English-speaking historian guide will take you through the history of the settlement from the time of the Parissi tribe up to the modern day. You will discover pagan temples, Roman remains, and royal palaces. The highpoint was during the medieval period when the French kings decided to make this their home. That is why there are so many royal buildings here. Along with the Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte Chapelle you will also stroll down streets where the Palais de Justice and the threatening Conciergerie overlook your route. All of these, you will discover, were the homes and private buildings of the monarchy. These streets echoed with tales of courtly romance, political intrigue between the monarchy and the church and the terror which came from the guillotine during the revolution. Walking through the island you’ll learn how the French kings lent their weight to Christianity. Without them, the church would not have become so powerful. It was this relationship which led to an explosion of gothic church building. The result of this are the UNESCO world heritage sites of Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle.
Although Notre Dame Cathedral* is closed after the recent fire and is undergoing restoration your guide will enlighten you on how this new church type was so different. Nobody had seen such a detailed façade before. The combination of hypnotic gargoyles, climbing spires, and rib-like vaults are now the norm, but they would have looked alien to Parisians at the time. Despite being nearly destroyed many times and witnessing the weakening of the church and monarchy in France, it is still loved by the people. Picasso painted it, Walt Disney animated it and gamers immersed themselves in it over the years. To get a better view of it your guide will take you across to the Left Bank where you can also see the celebrated Parisian bookstore Shakespeare & Co. Notre Dame is not the only medieval gem worth visiting on Île de la Cité.
*Please note that the streets around the Cathedral are closed until further notice. Therefore, we won’t be able to access the square in front of Notre Dame and see the 0km point. However, your guide will ensure to take you through alternative routes so you can get as close as possible to the Cathedral
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Sainte-Chapelle, 8 Boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris France
Continue to Sainte-Chapelle, a former chapel of King Louis IX. Enjoy skip-the-line entry to step straight inside and marvel at the chapel’s display of stained glass windows, it’s one of the most extensive displays in the world. When your Sainte-Chappelle visit comes to an end, step outside the chapel to conclude your tour.
Duration: 1 hour
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This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Ile de la Cite, 75001 Paris France
This walking tour of Île de la Cité will explore the architecture of medieval Paris over the course of two hours. Your English-speaking historian guide will take you through the history of the settlement from the time of the Parissi tribe up to the modern day. You will discover pagan temples, Roman remains, and royal palaces. The highpoint was during the medieval period when the French kings decided to make this their home. That is why there are so many royal buildings here. Along with the Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte Chapelle you will also stroll down streets where the Palais de Justice and the threatening Conciergerie overlook your route. All of these, you will discover, were the homes and private buildings of the monarchy. These streets echoed with tales of courtly romance, political intrigue between the monarchy and the church and the terror which came from the guillotine during the revolution. Walking through the island you’ll learn how the French kings lent their weight to Christianity. Without them, the church would not have become so powerful. It was this relationship which led to an explosion of gothic church building. The result of this are the UNESCO world heritage sites of Notre Dame and Sainte Chapelle.
Although Notre Dame Cathedral* is closed after the recent fire and is undergoing restoration your guide will enlighten you on how this new church type was so different. Nobody had seen such a detailed façade before. The combination of hypnotic gargoyles, climbing spires, and rib-like vaults are now the norm, but they would have looked alien to Parisians at the time. Despite being nearly destroyed many times and witnessing the weakening of the church and monarchy in France, it is still loved by the people. Picasso painted it, Walt Disney animated it and gamers immersed themselves in it over the years. To get a better view of it your guide will take you across to the Left Bank where you can also see the celebrated Parisian bookstore Shakespeare & Co. Notre Dame is not the only medieval gem worth visiting on Île de la Cité.
*Please note that the streets around the Cathedral are closed until further notice. Therefore, we won’t be able to access the square in front of Notre Dame and see the 0km point. However, your guide will ensure to take you through alternative routes so you can get as close as possible to the Cathedral
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Sainte-Chapelle, 8 Boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris France
Continue to Sainte-Chapelle, a former chapel of King Louis IX. Enjoy skip-the-line entry to step straight inside and marvel at the chapel’s display of stained glass windows, it’s one of the most extensive displays in the world. When your Sainte-Chappelle visit comes to an end, step outside the chapel to conclude your tour.
Duration: 1 hour
Included
- Local tour guide
- Entrance ticket and Skip the Line access to Sainte Chapelle
- Headsets when appropriate, so you can always hear your guide
- Entry/Admission - Sainte-Chapelle
Not included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Entrance into religious sites requires a strict dress code. Knees and shoulders MUST be covered for both men and women
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
Features
Tourism
85%
Cultural
65%
Reviews
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The guide was a young lady (from India) who had spent 8 whole months in Paris. She was rather clueless on the history of the place. Very disappointing. City Wonders was the local tour operator.
Brilliant...guide knowledge and enthusiasm was awesome. Time inside the cathedral needed to be longer as we have to go back today to see it all.
Shannon was great. Very informative tour. My teens loved the historical details.
THIS TOUR IS A SCAM. DO NOT BOOK! When we arrived at the tour, we were told Notre Dame was closed due to a religious ceremony and that Sainte Chappelle was closed until 4:00. THESE TURNED OUT TO BE LIES! We were NOT given a tour of the old city either.
Tour was well organized and sites were amazing.
Notre Dame was very good but Sainte Chapelle is not to be missed - so beautiful.
We could only wish that our tour guide, Avi, had personal time to lead more tours. We were exceptionally pleased with the information provided, both historic and artistic style, as our guide was not only a student but a teacher as well. This was easily one of the best tours we participated in during our ten days stay in France. Meeting on the Pont Neuf, and walking along the Seine River, past the Hall of Justice where trials of those accused of crimes against the people of France during the French Revolution was fascinating. Our arrival to the grounds of Notre Dame Cathedral through the center front gate was awe inspiring. Avi drew our attention to the architectural features as well as the symbolism and reminded us of the time span involved in the construction of this landmark. We look forward to a return trip to France based on what we have seen, experienced and learned on this trip. Vive La France!