Saint-Louis Island

The Saint-Louis island is one of two natural islands in the Seine river, in Paris. One of France’s first examples of urban planning, it was mapped and built from end to end during the 17th-century reigns of Henri IV and Louis XIII. A peaceful oasis of calm in the busy Paris centre, this island has only narrow one-way streets, the métro station of Sully-Morland, and two bus stops. Most of the island is residential, but there are several restaurants, hotels, shops, cafés and ice cream parlours at street level, as well as one large church. Artists and intellectuals abound within its perimeters.