The heart of the capital beats on these two quite different islands floating, like an ocean liner and her escort, down the middle of the river Seine. Some say Paris's soul is here as well; the small population living in this exclusive world certainly thinks so. Temporary Parisians, lucky enough to snare an island apartment, have cause to feel smug. The combination of spectacular sights and peaceful daily life makes it challenging ever to leave the islands to explore the rest of the city!

Ile de la Cite Neighborhoods - The Islands 1 in islands.html

Notre-Dame itself, the great Gothic masterpiece, is the place for new island citizens to begin their tour. Look up and notice. The scaffolding is down after a major cleaning and the results are radiant. The stones are aglow.

Before entering, place your feet on the worn bronze plate set in the paving in front of the cathedral. You are standing on Point Zéro, the spot from which all distances in France are measured. This is the center of the French world, past and present, where Paris was born twenty centuries ago. On this island, Julius Caesar conquered a small village, Lutèce, inhabited by an ancient tribe called the Parisii.

If claustrophobia and vertigo are not problems for you or your kids, climb the narrow tower stairs together and visit the gargoyles face-to-face. The view is vast and the gargoyles, hideous devils though they were meant to be, are rather sweet up close.

Leave the crowds inside the cathedral and head for the quiet, enclosed garden immediately behind for some solo rose window and flying buttress contemplation. History buffs must not miss the Crypte Archéologique, excavated in the 1960's, deep under the Cathedral square. This museum spans sixteen centuries of Paris's past, right back to a 3rd-century wall from Lutèce.

At the tip of the island, bear witness to a dark chapter in France's history. The Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation, a tribute to the 200,000 French men, women, and children sent to death camps by the Vichy government during WWII, lets no one forget how France went wrong. Children will understand the message.

A happier family place is the year-round daily Flower Market, one of the last in Paris and maybe the best in France. On Sundays, thousands of caged birds (and an occasional ferret) replace the flowers. Who can resist a gray and white flat-top-coifed canary vaguely resembling Liberace?

On to the sublime: Sainte-Chapelle is the most bedazzling of all the jewels in Paris's crown. Do not miss this magical architectural achievement, no matter how long the lines. The impossible fragility of the upstairs chapel will have you holding your breath. If possible, see it when the sun is shining through its already heavenly windows.

The Conciergerie is a great place for teaching kids the consequences of bad behavior. The reign of terror in all its gory is on display here. The list of prisoners who spent their last days awaiting the guillotine in this cold place is endless, but it is Marie Antoinette's little cell that touches the heart.

Just beyond, Place Dauphine is a quiet green triangle of choice real estate and the locale of many Parisians' apartment fantasies. If you manage to pass up a casual lunch with the regulars at the refurbished Taverne Henri IV, (the open-faced sandwiches—tartines—and wine selections are famous), a hearty sit-down meal awaits you at Restaurant Paul, serving authentic food in an ancient room since way before Yves Montand and Simone Signoret moved in upstairs. After ample wine, the Pont Neuf (new bridge) may seem an example of French naming-logic. But indeed, Paris's oldest bridge was its newest when Henri opened it in 1607.

If you are getting island fever, leave for a tour of the rest of the city by river. Boats —Vedettes de Pont Neuf—leave frequently from the romantic Square du Vert-Galant, at the very tip.

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ADDRESSES

Ile de la Cite

Crypte Archéologique enter west end of place du Parvis-Notre-Dame

Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation square de l'Ile-de-France

Flower Market place Louis-Lépine

Sainte-Chapelle 2, boulevard du Palais

Conciergerie 1, quai de l'Horloge

Place Dauphine enter by rue Henri-Robert

Taverne Henri IV 13, place du Pont-Neuf

Restaurant Paul 15, place Dauphine

Vedettes de Pont Neuf, Square du Vert-Galant west of place du Pont-Neuf