How to get there, what to see in the medieval halls and Revolutionary cells, and the small details — from the HistoPad pickup desk to the Quay de l'Horloge clock — that make the difference between a rushed visit and a memorable one. Everything you need to walk in prepared.
The Conciergerie occupies the western end of the Île de la Cité, sharing a 13th-century complex with the Sainte-Chapelle and the modern Palais de Justice. The visitor route covers two distinct historical layers — the medieval royal palace of Philip the Fair on the ground floor, and the 1793 Revolutionary tribunal and prison upstairs. This guide walks you through the route most visitors find rewarding, the practical details that catch people out, and where each highlight sits. See also our opening hours and best time to visit guides for planning tips.
The first room you enter, and the largest medieval secular hall in Europe — 1,800 m² of rib-vaulted Gothic stonework, built around 1302 under Philip the Fair as the dining hall for the 2,000 staff of the royal palace. Four central pillars hold up the vaults; the four enormous fireplaces in the corners once heated the room. Look up: the ceiling is 8.5 metres above the flagstones.
The most visited part of the prison. The original cell was converted into a memorial expiatory chapel in 1816 by Louis XVIII; next door, the reconstruction recreates the queen's conditions during her trial in October 1793 — a wooden bed, a small table, the gendarmes' screen, and a copy of her last letter on the wall.
Upstairs, the rooms used by the Revolutionary Tribunal between 1793 and 1795. Among the 2,780 prisoners sent to the guillotine from this courtroom were Marie-Antoinette, Madame du Barry, the Girondins, Charlotte Corday, the chemist Lavoisier, and finally Robespierre and Saint-Just themselves. The HistoPad tablet brings the room back to life with reconstructed crowds and verdicts.
The Conciergerie is at 2 Boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris, on the western half of the Île de la Cité. The closest métro is Cité (line 4), a 2-minute walk; Châtelet (lines 1, 4, 7, 11, 14), Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame (line 4 and RER B/C) and Pont-Neuf (line 7) are all 5 minutes on foot. Bus lines 21, 27, 38, 85 and 96 stop on Île de la Cité or just across the bridge.
Entry is from the Quay de l'Horloge side, beneath the four towers facing the Seine — look for the 1370 clock, the oldest public clock in Paris, on the corner. Once inside, security is airport-style; queues move quickly with a pre-booked timed slot. Pick up your free HistoPad tablet at the desk in the Salle des Gardes (drivers' licence or passport accepted as deposit) and start the visit with the Salle des Gens d'Armes immediately to your left. The recommended route then loops past Marie-Antoinette's memorial chapel, up the staircase to the Revolutionary Tribunal rooms, and back down to the bookshop near the exit.
Practical answers to plan your visit