Seine: Île de la Cité - Île Saint-Louis

Hotels on the islands (Cité and St-Louis)

You won't find a more central location for sightseeing than the Île de la Cité (the site of Nôtre Dame Cathedral, La Conciergerie, and the church of Sainte-Chapelle). From the island, short bridges lead to the Left Bank and Right Bank, which are so close that the Left Bank's Saint-Michel Métro and RER station has entrances on both the mainland and the island.

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Hotels are in short supply on the Île de la Cité, but you'll have better luck on the immediately adjacent Île Saint-Louis, a small and narrow island that is one of the most exclusive residential neighborhoods in Paris. Hotels on the Île Saint-Louis include the highly-rated Hôtel de Lutèce, the cheerful Hôtel des Deux Îles, and the four-star Hôtel du Jeu de Pomme. The Hôtel Saint-Louis en l'Île is another possibility.

We should mention that the Île Saint-Louis is quiet at night and in the early morning, but on weekends or during peak season, the main street down the center of the island is packed with tourists and locals from other neighborhoods.

The footbridge to the Île de la Cité can be almost impassable on Sundays and at other busy times when it's taken over by street performers. If you're going to stay on the Île Saint-Louis, we'd recommend coming outside of the busiest tourist months.

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Transportation to the islands: From Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly Airport, or the Eurostar terminal at Gare du Nord, take the RER "B" line to the Saint-Michel station and exit via the stairs on Île de la Cité. From there, you can walk to your hotel or apartment.

Next page: Montmartre

About the author:

Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation.

After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors (including Paris for Visitors) in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post.

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