Pont au Change and Conciergerie

The Pont au Change and the Conciergerie, in Paris

The Pont au Change leads to the Conciergerie, a vestige of the former royal palace become a dark prison under the Revolution. The Paris audio-guided tour stops here, with respect, to evoke this monument laden with history, on the Île de la Cité.

The former palace of the kings become a prison of the Revolution

The Pont au Change, which links the right bank to the Île de la Cité, owes its name to the money-changers and goldsmiths who once held their stalls there. It leads to the Conciergerie, one of the most history-laden monuments of Paris. This imposing building, recognisable by its round towers at the edge of the Seine, is the vestige of the former Palais de la Cité, the residence of the kings of France in the Middle Ages. There you admire magnificent Gothic halls, including the immense Hall of the Men-at-arms. After the departure of the kings, the palace became a place of justice and a prison. Under the Revolution, the Conciergerie knew its darkest page: it served as an antechamber to the guillotine, where thousands of prisoners, including Queen Marie-Antoinette, awaited their judgement and their execution. A place of memory of the history of France, the Conciergerie is discovered with respect.

What to see

You admire, with respect, the Pont au Change that leads to the imposing Conciergerie, a vestige of the former palace of the kings of France, with round towers at the edge of the Seine and magnificent Gothic halls including the Hall of the Men-at-arms, become under the Revolution a prison and the antechamber of the guillotine where Marie-Antoinette was detained. The Conciergerie is a place of memory of Paris. It is a stop to be discovered with respect.

Practical information

The Pont au Change and the Conciergerie lie on the Île de la Cité, in the heart of Paris, reachable on foot and by public transport, including the metro. You admire the bridge and the exterior of the Conciergerie freely; the interior visit follows its own hours and conditions, which vary. It is best to check the arrangements before coming.

What role did the Conciergerie play under the French Revolution?

This former palace of the kings became a prison that served as an antechamber to the guillotine: thousands of prisoners, including Queen Marie-Antoinette, awaited their judgement and their execution there; it is one of the darkest pages of the history of the monument.

Where are the Pont au Change and the Conciergerie?

On the Île de la Cité, in the heart of Paris, in France.