Paris is a city of modernity, fashion and culture… but it also hides treasures from thousands of years ago. Long before the Haussmannian boulevards and the Eiffel Tower, Paris existed. If you’d like to follow in the footsteps of history, here are the oldest sites in Paris, still visible today.
1. Île de la Cité: the birthplace of Paris
This is where it all began. In Gallo-Roman times, Paris was called Lutetia, and the Île de la Cité was its heart.
Even today, it’s home to iconic monuments:Notre-Dame de Paris (XIIᵉ century)La Conciergerie, former royal palaceLa Sainte-Chapelle
Walking on the Île de la Cité is literally walking on more than 2,000 years of history.
2. Les Arènes de Lutèce: Paris in Roman times
Located in the 5ᵉ arrondissement, the Arènes de Lutèce are one of the few visible vestiges of the Roman period.
Built in the Iᵉʳ century AD, they were home to gladiatorial combat and public spectacles. Long buried, they were rediscovered in the XIXᵉ century.
Today, it’s a peaceful place, often overlooked by tourists, where you’ll come across pétanque players and strollers… in a former Roman amphitheater.
3. Les Thermes de Cluny: Roman comfort
Just a stone’s throw from the arena are the Thermes de Cluny, part of the Musée de Cluny – musée national du Moyen Âge.
Dating from the late Iᵉʳ century, these thermal baths bear witness to the importance of Lutetia in Roman times. The frigidarium room, with its impressive vaults, is still perfectly preserved.
4. Saint-Germain-des-Prés: the oldest church in Paris
Founded in the VIᵉ century, Saint-Germain-des-Prés is Paris’ oldest surviving church.
Around it grew one of the capital’s most famous districts, now associated with mythical cafés, intellectuals and artists. A fascinating contrast between antiquity, spirituality and modern Parisian life.
5. Rue Saint-Jacques: the historic Roman axis
Rue Saint-Jacques, in the 5ᵉ arrondissement, follows exactly the line of the ancient Roman road that crossed Lutetia from north to south.
It’s one of the oldest streets in Paris, used for over 2,000 years and still bustling with activity today.
6. The oldest tree in Paris
In the Square René-Viviani, near Notre-Dame, stands the oldest tree in Paris: a robinia planted in 1601 by the botanist Jean Robin.
Paris, a city with a thousand layers of history
Paris is not a city frozen in the past: it is made up of successive layers, from Roman times to the Middle Ages, to the city we know today.
Exploring the oldest parts of Paris means discovering a different side of the capital, more intimate, more authentic, far from the tourist clichés.
Would you like to discover these places with a local perspective and original anecdotes? I offer personalized tours to help you explore Paris in a different way.