Your Paris Prime experience begins when you meet your expert, English-speaking guide who will lead you on a fascinating two-hour walking tour of Île de la Cité. (The Island of the City).

The island, situated in the middle of the River Seine that divides the Left and Right Banks of Paris, is truly the original and Medieval heart of Paris thanks to the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral – which you will view from the outside- , the gothic splendor of the Sainte Chapelle, the infamous Courts of Justice where King Louis and Queen Marie Antoinette were tried for treason, right next to the stunning building called the Conciergerie – a medieval castle that was home to the French monarchy, and became their prison during the French Revolution. But the island has a history stretching way back to before the Romans and is where a Gallic tribe called the ‘Parisii’ first settled during the Iron Age.

You’ll learn all about the origins of Paris, from the Parisii to the Roman conquest and the rise of the French Kings during the middle ages – from Clovis King of the Franks to Charlemagne and the Carolingians, the Capetians, the Valois, the Bourbons, Robespierre, and the Revolution – and finally Napoleon. The island holds all the secrets to France’s past!

After free time for lunch, you’ll next enjoy skip-the-line access and a fully guided in-depth tour of the Louvre museum. The Louvre is as much a symbol of Paris as Notre Dame. It was built to be a magnificent royal palace, home to many generations of French Monarchs. Today, it is arguably the most famous museum in the world – housing such masterpieces as Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, and the Hellenistic Venus de Milo. Your tour guide will show you opulent jewels worn by the Queens of France, an amazing collection of the French Romantics from Delacroix to Gericault, the masters of the Italian Renaissance from Botticelli to Da Vinci, Raphael to Caravaggio – as well as the spectacular collections from Ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Mesopotamia.

Your tour ends inside the Museum, where you can choose to continue or head directly out with a newfound appreciation for the incredible city you’re in.