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.<\/p>\n
1. \u00cele de la Cit\u00e9: the birthplace of Paris<\/p>\n
This is where it all began. In Gallo-Roman times, Paris was called Lutetia, and the \u00cele de la Cit\u00e9 was its heart.
\nEven today, it’s home to iconic monuments:Notre-Dame de Paris (XII\u1d49 century)La Conciergerie, former royal palaceLa Sainte-Chapelle
\nWalking on the \u00cele de la Cit\u00e9 is literally walking on more than 2,000 years of history.<\/p>\n
2. Les Ar\u00e8nes de Lut\u00e8ce: Paris in Roman times<\/p>\n
Located in the 5\u1d49 arrondissement, the Ar\u00e8nes de Lut\u00e8ce are one of the few visible vestiges of the Roman period.
\nBuilt in the I\u1d49\u02b3 century AD, they were home to gladiatorial combat and public spectacles. Long buried, they were rediscovered in the XIX\u1d49 century.
\nToday, it’s a peaceful place, often overlooked by tourists, where you’ll come across p\u00e9tanque players and strollers… in a former Roman amphitheater.<\/p>\n
3. Les Thermes de Cluny: Roman comfort<\/p>\n
Just a stone’s throw from the arena are the Thermes de Cluny, part of the Mus\u00e9e de Cluny – mus\u00e9e national du Moyen \u00c2ge.
\nDating from the late I\u1d49\u02b3 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.<\/p>\n
4. Saint-Germain-des-Pr\u00e9s: the oldest church in Paris<\/p>\n
Founded in the VI\u1d49 century, Saint-Germain-des-Pr\u00e9s is Paris’ oldest surviving church.
\nAround it grew one of the capital’s most famous districts, now associated with mythical caf\u00e9s, intellectuals and artists. A fascinating contrast between antiquity, spirituality and modern Parisian life.<\/p>\n
5. Rue Saint-Jacques: the historic Roman axis<\/p>\n
Rue Saint-Jacques, in the 5\u1d49 arrondissement, follows exactly the line of the ancient Roman road that crossed Lutetia from north to south.
\nIt’s one of the oldest streets in Paris, used for over 2,000 years and still bustling with activity today.<\/p>\n
6. The oldest tree in Paris<\/p>\n
In the Square Ren\u00e9-Viviani, near Notre-Dame, stands the oldest tree in Paris: a robinia planted in 1601 by the botanist Jean Robin.
\nParis, a city with a thousand layers of history
\nParis 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.
\nExploring the oldest parts of Paris means discovering a different side of the capital, more intimate, more authentic, far from the tourist clich\u00e9s.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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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. \u00cele de la Cit\u00e9: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephanieinparis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephanieinparis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephanieinparis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephanieinparis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephanieinparis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1512"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stephanieinparis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1517,"href":"https:\/\/stephanieinparis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1512\/revisions\/1517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stephanieinparis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephanieinparis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stephanieinparis.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}