The Crypte Archéologique de l'Île de la Cité lies beneath the open square in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral. It is a sprawling, subterranean site that houses the physical foundations of Paris, preserved exactly where they were uncovered.…
Roman Ruins of Lutetia
This walk traces the 2,000-year-old foundations of Roman Paris, taking you to a hidden amphitheater, monumental thermal baths, and ancient street grids.
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1. Crypte Archéologique de l'İle de la Cité
2. Thermes de Cluny
The Thermes de Cluny consist of a monumental complex of stone and brick bands, representing some of the most substantial Roman-era ruins in Paris. Built around the beginning of the third century for the ancient city of Lutetia, these…
3. Collège de France
The Collège de France is recognizable by its historic courtyards and the stone buildings that line the Place Marcelin Berthelot in the Latin Quarter. Founded in fifteen thirty by King Francis the First, the institution was originally…
4. Vestiges du Forum romain de Lutèce
A single, weathered fragment of stone masonry protected behind a glass pane marks the site of what was once the political and religious core of Roman Paris. This remnant sits tucked at the entrance of an underground parking garage at…
5. Cardo Maximus
The Cardo Maximus of ancient Lutetia runs beneath the modern street grid of the Latin Quarter. It functioned as the primary north-south axis of the Roman city, stretching from the heights of the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève down toward the…
6. Arènes de Lutèce
The Arènes de Lutèce is a sunken, elliptical amphitheater built of stone, partially enclosed by terraced seating that sits tucked away from the surrounding city streets. Constructed during the first or second century, this site once…