Paris: Marais Walk Self Guided Audio Tour

The Sainte-Chapelle is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century

It is also inextricably bound up with the history of royalty, as the palace was for a long time the residence of kings.

A splendid Gothic palace. The Salle des Gardes (Guards Room) and the immense Salle des Gens d'armes (Hall of the soldiers), built under King Philip the Fair, still remain from the days of the medieval palace, as do the kitchens built under King John the Good.

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, is the most visited monument in France. It was built in the Middle Ages, at the far end of the Île de la Cité.

The Hôtel de Ville de Paris has been the seat of the Paris City Council since 1357. The current building, with a neo-renaissance style, was built by architects Théodore Ballu and Edouard Deperthes on the site of the former Hôtel de Ville which burnt down during the Paris Commune in 1871.

Classed as a historic monument in 1887, the Pont Marie connects the Marais with the Ile Saint-Louis, home to several restaurants and to Berthillon, the famed artisanal ice cream parlour.

Both a residential and historical quarter of France’s capital city, this island is home to several flamboyant-fronted hotels overlooking the river Seine. Formerly known as the Ile des Palais because of these very hotels, the perfect architectural cohesion of the island draws in visitors.

Amongst every surrounding walls that have been built in Paris, the one constructed by King Philippe-Auguste is the most ancient which remains are still visible today, although the exact drawing had been supplanted by new plans.

The facade, completed last, was the first example of the French baroque style in Paris.