Paris, Sainte-Chapelle, Maison de Victor Hugo, Tiffany, and More

Southern wing of the Hôtel de Ville (city hall) in sunrise light (see here for the sunset variant, which I prefer)

When the topic of churches in Paris comes up, Notre-Dame is the one that many people think of, and for good reason. It’s incredible and has a thousand years of history. Victor Hugo’s novel Notre-Dame de Paris (or The Hunchback of Notre-Dame) was instrumental in saving the building from demolition in the 1800s. With reconstruction still underway after the 2019 fire, we knew visiting Notre-Dame wouldn’t be possible this trip, but Maggi had read that Sainte-Chapelle, although very small in comparison, was worth a visit—“especially if you like stained glass windows.” That brought on some skepticism, because basically every historic cathedral talks up their stained glass windows, and we usually come away underwhelmed (the exception being Sagrada Família in Barcelona).

A quick bit of research led us to visit at opening for the best light, so we waited in a line first thing in the morning and shuffled in with a group of about twenty other people.

Palais de Justice with Sainte-Chapelle reaching into the sky on the left

The Exodus panel, with Genesis on the left and Numbers on the right (see here for a full-resolution 48 megapixel version)

Left: Detail of a statue in the Upper Chapel
Right: Rose window depicting the Apocalypse (see here for a full-resolution 48 megapixel version), which is in view as one departs the Upper Chapel

Pictured here are two people pleasantly astonished at the colors in this church

The apse of the Upper Chapel: (left to right) Judges, Isaiah and the “Jesse Tree,” John the Evangelist and the Childhood of Christ, the Passion of Christ, John the Baptist and Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah and Tobias

Some depictions of Genesis 3 at the entrance to the Upper Chapel (but the photobomber is the real star)

The Esther panel, with Judith and Job on the left and Kings on the right (see here for a full-resolution 48 megapixel version)

Another glorious view of the apse of the Upper Chapel

Small (relatively), but definitely not underwhelming! We were stunned at the amount of windows and the color flooding in around the entire Upper Chapel. We are pleased with the photos, and yet they cannot do justice to the feeling of being in the space.

Statue of Louis IX in the Lower Chapel with elements from before the restoration

Constructed between 1242 and 1248, Sainte-Chapelle was built to house relics purchased by Louis IX, including a Crown of Thorns. It underwent major restorations in the mid 1800s.

Detail of the Palais de Justice as we exited Sainte-Chapelle

Clock of the Tower of the Horloge, restored in 2012, on Île de la Cité

Left: Looking east on Rue de Rivoli near Hôtel de Ville
Right: Street market at Place Baudoyer

Entrance to Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris

Courtyard of the Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris with reflections of sunlight from the building across the street

The light at the Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris was too good to pass up

We spent much of the afternoon wandering around Le Marais, which includes the former home of Victor Hugo. His apartment at Place des Vosges has been turned into a museum with exhibits covering the different stages of his life and career. It’s full of his personal items, writings, and artwork inspired by scenes from his works.

Gardens at the Hôtel de Sully, original access point for Place des Vosges

Left: Statue of Louis XIII at Place des Vosges
Right: Looking north from Place des Vosges No. 6

Pavillon de la Reine, Place des Vosges No. 28

Maggi in the eastern arcades of Place des Vosges

Esmeralda and Quasimodo by Luc-Olivier Merson

Glass plate negatives at the Victor Hugo Museum

Left: Buffet a Deux Corps
Right: Bust of Victor Hugo by Auguste Rodin

Victor Hugo’s bedroom, where he died in 1885

A delightful courtyard café on the ground floor below the Victor Hugo Museum

Leaving Victor Hugo’s House, we also visited Musée Carnavalet, dedicated to the history of the city of Paris. At the center of its many exhibits is the best courtyard we saw in Le Marais.

Courtyard of Louis XIV (dressed as a Roman Emperor) at the entrance to the museum

Left: The stairway de Luynes at Musée Carnavalet
Right: Hallway at Musée Carnavalet

Maggi at the top of the stairway de Luynes at Musée Carnavalet

The living room of Gilles Demarteau at Musée Carnavalet

Painted decorations of the La Rivière Hotel by Charles Le Brun at Musée Carnavalet

After the museums, we moved on to our evening plans: a trip to Tiffany & Co. for an anniversary gift, followed by dinner reservations at Beefbar—a gorgeous art nouveau-style restaurant near the Arc de Triomphe.

We stumbled upon the Church of St. Paul and St. Louis as we made our way back to the apartment

Left: A flagship decoration at a flagship Tiffany & Co. store
Right: We sat down just long enough to get this photo—the service was predictably exceptional, but even beyond what I would have imagined

Maggi spoke French exclusively for the vast majority of our interactions with people in France, and this was no exception—Achievement Unlocked™

Perfect time to swing by the Arc de Triomphe

It is officially inadvisable to cross a 12-lane roundabout on foot

Left: Random Parisian building at sunset
Right: The American Cathedral in Paris

Plaza Athénée, a hotel famous for (among other things) a show I will never watch

We made it to Beefbar, a restaurant so fancy that we felt like we were eating late, but we actually made a reservation for the moment it opened

Close enough for an Eiffel Tower reflection

Turning around for an Eiffel Tower not-reflection

Left: Where we wanted to sit
Right: Where we actually sat (they had a private party in the red room)

Tired and hungry after a long day, but still buzzing from all of the amazing things we experienced

Left: A sampling of foods available at our table
Right: A sampling of meats available in the restaurant

travelBrent BillingsMarch 6, 2023france, the french connection 2022