Notre-Dame, Île de la Cité, Quartier Latin
Along this third day you will cross a quartier of the city but also centuries of city history: from the roman Paris (well, it remains very little, most of that is in the toponymy), to the medieval Notre-Dame, till the magnificient residence du luxemburg built under Maria de Medici in the early XVII century.
But before crossing the Seine and venturing along the streets of the Ile de la Cite, it's worth to get off at the Chatelet metro station and take a look at the crazy facade of Rue de Rivoli 59. The building is a Berlin-style squot that for over 15 years it has been considered the temple of alternative art in Paris
You can now head to Notre-Dame. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, after the fire of April 2019 the famous gothic cathedral is closed to the public and it can therefore be admired only from the outside, walking along the fences. If, however, before the trip you have reminded to watch Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" animated movie with your children, the visit will be certainly exciting: the bell towers, the statues and above all the gargoyles are clearly visible and the kids will easily recognise them, being the ones strongly evoking the story of Quasimodo.
Visiting Notre-Dame on a Sunday can be a very smart idea. A little further on, in fact, and precisely in place Louis-Lépine, every Sunday the historic market of flowers and birds takss place: regardless you like or reject these kind of things, but there is no doubt that the abundance of cages with canaries , parakeets and parrots is exactly what you kids will immediately become crazy for. Therefore be prepared, they will ask you to bring home them all!
Crossing the Seine again (this time we are on the left bank), you can now enter the Latin quarter, with its renowned churches, universities and cafes for students. Saint Sulpice and Saint Germain de Pres are the most reccommended, being among the oldest and most monumental churches of whole Paris.
Keep walking south-wards along rue Bonaparte and head to the Jardin du Luxembourg, a place that will leave you breathless: the Palace, the immense and well-kept gardens, the fountain with the toy-sailboats to be handly pushed... Here everything is special and extremely harmonious, elegant... and funny: you can for example challenge your children to look for the bronze replica of the statue of liberty of New York! That's not all: inside the gardens there is a large private area with playground and games for children (the cost is 3 euro/kid), the right occasion to make them run around and, for you, to rest for a while.
Your visit can now continue towards the Pantheon and behind the corner there's Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, another marvellous church worth to see inside. At this point of the day you will certainly be tired, but don't despair, the Arena of Lutezia is pretty close: it is what remains of the ancient arena of the roman era. Sit on the steps and watch the people playing bowls or playing with the wooden sticks (quite popular, here in Paris) in the arena.
Finally, If you still have energy to spend, there is a last mile that will repay for all the hard work done so far: the Jardin de Plantes, the largest botanical garden in France, with numerous species of plants from all over the world (access free). Furthermore, the garden includes a ménagerie, one of the most beautiful and ancient zoos in the world (for a fee), much appreciated by children and where there are also very rare animals. Look, how lovely is the litlle kangaroo in this photo?
Enjoy!
***
In questa giornata attraverseremo un quartiere ma anche secoli di storia cittadina: toccheremo la Parigi romana (di cui resta poco, se non nella toponomastica), quella medievale di Notre-Dame e quella di ispirazione rinascimentale di Maria de Medici. Ma prima di attraversare la Senna e avventurarsi per le vie dell'Ile de la cite, suggerisco di scendere alla fermata del metro Chatelet e dare un'occhiata alla pazza facciata di Rue de Rivoli 59. Il palazzo e' uno squot in stile berlinese che da oltre 15 anni è considerato il tempio dell’arte alternativa di Parigi
But before crossing the Seine and venturing along the streets of the Ile de la Cite, it's worth to get off at the Chatelet metro station and take a look at the crazy facade of Rue de Rivoli 59. The building is a Berlin-style squot that for over 15 years it has been considered the temple of alternative art in Paris
You can now head to Notre-Dame. Unfortunately, as everyone knows, after the fire of April 2019 the famous gothic cathedral is closed to the public and it can therefore be admired only from the outside, walking along the fences. If, however, before the trip you have reminded to watch Disney's "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame" animated movie with your children, the visit will be certainly exciting: the bell towers, the statues and above all the gargoyles are clearly visible and the kids will easily recognise them, being the ones strongly evoking the story of Quasimodo.
Visiting Notre-Dame on a Sunday can be a very smart idea. A little further on, in fact, and precisely in place Louis-Lépine, every Sunday the historic market of flowers and birds takss place: regardless you like or reject these kind of things, but there is no doubt that the abundance of cages with canaries , parakeets and parrots is exactly what you kids will immediately become crazy for. Therefore be prepared, they will ask you to bring home them all!
Crossing the Seine again (this time we are on the left bank), you can now enter the Latin quarter, with its renowned churches, universities and cafes for students. Saint Sulpice and Saint Germain de Pres are the most reccommended, being among the oldest and most monumental churches of whole Paris.
Keep walking south-wards along rue Bonaparte and head to the Jardin du Luxembourg, a place that will leave you breathless: the Palace, the immense and well-kept gardens, the fountain with the toy-sailboats to be handly pushed... Here everything is special and extremely harmonious, elegant... and funny: you can for example challenge your children to look for the bronze replica of the statue of liberty of New York! That's not all: inside the gardens there is a large private area with playground and games for children (the cost is 3 euro/kid), the right occasion to make them run around and, for you, to rest for a while.
Your visit can now continue towards the Pantheon and behind the corner there's Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, another marvellous church worth to see inside. At this point of the day you will certainly be tired, but don't despair, the Arena of Lutezia is pretty close: it is what remains of the ancient arena of the roman era. Sit on the steps and watch the people playing bowls or playing with the wooden sticks (quite popular, here in Paris) in the arena.
Finally, If you still have energy to spend, there is a last mile that will repay for all the hard work done so far: the Jardin de Plantes, the largest botanical garden in France, with numerous species of plants from all over the world (access free). Furthermore, the garden includes a ménagerie, one of the most beautiful and ancient zoos in the world (for a fee), much appreciated by children and where there are also very rare animals. Look, how lovely is the litlle kangaroo in this photo?
Enjoy!
***
In questa giornata attraverseremo un quartiere ma anche secoli di storia cittadina: toccheremo la Parigi romana (di cui resta poco, se non nella toponomastica), quella medievale di Notre-Dame e quella di ispirazione rinascimentale di Maria de Medici. Ma prima di attraversare la Senna e avventurarsi per le vie dell'Ile de la cite, suggerisco di scendere alla fermata del metro Chatelet e dare un'occhiata alla pazza facciata di Rue de Rivoli 59. Il palazzo e' uno squot in stile berlinese che da oltre 15 anni è considerato il tempio dell’arte alternativa di Parigi
Bene, ora dirigetevi in direzione di Notre-Dame. Purtroppo, come noto, dopo l'incendio dell'Aprile 2019 la celeberrima cattedrale gotica e' stata interdetta al pubblico e la si può quindi ammirare solo dall'esterno, girando intorno alle recinzioni. Se, tuttavia, prima del viaggio vi sarete premurati di guardare assieme ai vostri bambini il film di animazione "il Gobbo di Notre-Dame" della Disney, sono certo che la visita sarà comunque emozionante: le torri campanarie, le statue e soprattutto i gargouilles sono ben visibili e riconoscibili ed evocano con forza la storia di Quasimodo.
La nostra visita a Notre-Dame e' caduta di domenica e non per caso. Poco oltre, infatti, e precisamente in place Louis-Lépine, la domenica si tiene infatti lo storico mercato dei fiori e degli uccelli: personalmente non amo questo genere di cose, ma non c'e' alcun dubbio che la dovizia di gabbie con canarini, cocorite e pappagalli stregheranno all'istante i vostri bambini. Preparatevi, quindi, al fatto che vi chiederanno di portarli a casa tutti.
Attraversata di nuovo la Senna (questa volta siamo sulla riva sinistra), si entra nel quartiere latino, con le sue rinomate chiese, università e locali per studenti. Raccomando, in particolare, una visita a Saint Sulpice e di Saint Germain de Pres, tra le più antiche e monumentali chiese di Parigi. Quindi dirigetevi senza indugio al Jardin du Luxembourg, un posto che vi lascerà senza fiato: il Palazzo, gli immensi e curatissimi giardini (cercate la replica della statua della libertà di New York), la fontana con le barche da sospingere... Qui tutto e' speciale ed estremamente armonioso ed elegante. E non e' tutto: all'interno dei giardini c'e' una grande area con playground e giochi per i bambini (si paga, prezzi modici), l'occasione giusta per farli scorrazzare e, per voi genitori, per riposare un po'.
La passeggiata continua in direzione del Pantheon, che eviterei, mentre merita un'occhiata all'interno la chiesa di Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. A questo punto della giornata sarete senz'altro stanchi, ma non disperate, l'Arena di Lutezia e' ormai vicina: si tratta di ciò che resta dell'antica arena della Parigi romana. Sedetevi sui gradoni ed osservate la gente che nell'arena gioca a bocce oppure al gioco dei legnetti.
Se avete ancora delle energie da spendere, c'e' un'ultima tappa che vi ripagherà di tutte le fatiche: il Jardin de Plantes, il più grande orto botanico di Francia, con numerosissime specie di piante provenienti da vari luoghi del mondo (accesso gratuito). Inoltre, il giardino comprende una ménagerie, uno degli zoo più belli e antichi del mondo (a pagamento), molto apprezzato dai più piccini e dove sono presenti anche animali molto rari.
Buon divertimento!
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