Overview:
Use a combined ticket to gain entrance to both the Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle. Explore the stunning architecture and illustrious cultural history of these two special places.
Highlights
- Learn about medieval Paris by seeing the beautiful Conciergerie, where you can also view the stunning architecture of the revolutionary court and the jail where Marie Antoinette is said to have been imprisoned.
- Visit the tombs of French Revolution heroes while admiring Gothic buildings from the 14th century, prison cells, and dungeons.
- Admire the Gothic architecture and magnificent 13th-century stained glass windows of the Sainte-Chapelle at your own pace.
- Learn more about the precious artifacts and relics stored here in the past, including the Crown of Thorns and the Image of Edessa
This was the place of the Old Kings of France along the Seine river, with the reconstructed fireplaces of the kitchens that used to load in food directly from the river and continuously cook for the Kings, until they moved across the river to the Louvre. The three kids, ages 6, 8, and 10 had a ball with the time-travelling HistoPad and associated Treasure Hunt game. The HistoPads provide a virtual reality rendering of each space after you pass them over the check-points, at different times in the past for each one (you can easily share one HistoPad as we did, as long as any interested parties take turns finding the treasures as you can only do this once at each stop). It is very close to the BatoBus that runs up and down the river, allowing you to minimize tired feet. Although the exhibits upstairs focus on the Prison and the Revolution, there is quite a bit of the earlier history on the huge placards located on the bottom floor. Not glitzy, but taking time to internalize the maps of Paris through time, and using your imagination while the kids crowd around the HistoPad to find the virtual hidden treasures helps you get the most of this striking place. We got the combined ticket at Saint-Chapelle to visit the Conciergerie... if you go, do it in the other order, and buy your combined ticket at the Conciergerie first, then you will be able to skip the block-long security line that leads to a two block long ticket line inside for the Saint-Chapelle! Also, don't bring a pocket knife that day.
It was definitely a nice visit to see the primary prison during the French revolution, including where Marie Antoinette was held prisoner before her execution. We also got to see what she wore during her time at the Conciergerie. If you have time, you should visit this place. It's right beside the St. Chapelle so you can purchase a 2-for-1 ticket.
You can get combined ticket with the nearby Saint Chapelle, but it's a completely different kind of building. Used to be the king Palace for a while, but its most known use is prison, especially during and after French revolution. Most French characters of History books were imprisoned here, and you can see some memorabilia (some false) as well as some interesting historical explanations.