Expat with Kids in Paris: The charme of Ile de St.Louis

June 29, 2016

The charme of Ile de St.Louis

Evidence of how out of sync I have been this week (due to our move down the road) would be my belief that I was joining a tour about the bridges of Paris when in actual fact we were discovering the delights of the island of St.Louis. It did not help that the meeting point was in the middle of the Pont de la Tourelle and that the guide started explaining the to and fro between the Marais and the little natural islands in the Seine river.

It was half-way though the tour I realised that the lovely and extremly knowledgeable albeit a tad bossy tour guide was taking us through the history and architecture of the Ile de St.Louis named after Louis IX (Saint Louis), King of France.

The responsibility for the development of the Ile Saint-Louis in the 17th century was given to Christophe Marie, general builder for public works. In exchange for his pro bono work, he was granted a license to build elegant residences. Today the Ile Saint-Louis is one of the most authentic and unaffected 17th- and 18th-century neighborhoods in Paris.

This small island is like an oasis from the rush of the city. It's almost as if someone dropped a small French village into the centre of Paris, as it features everything you would want from your neighbourhood: seductive boutiques, bakeries, fromageries and cafés... and of course, the best ice cream in town: Berthillon!