Paris Conciergerie

Located on la Cité, the larger of the Seine river's two islands in the heart of Paris, Conciergerie was a royal palace in the 14th century, then - with perfect irony - converted into a prison during the French Revolution. Thousands of aristocratic victims were held and tortured there. Marie-Antoinette's cell can be visited, and the Capelle des Girondins still keeps her crucifix and the guillotine blade that permanently cured her headache.
The entry fee includes entrance to the spectacular and delicate Saint Chapelle church next door, which is also well worth of a traveller's time and quite different from the hulking mass of the Notre Dame nearby.

Paris Travel Guide | Paris Pictures | France Map | France Travel Guide | French Beach Pictures

Picture by Ikuko Koga