Conciergerie

Built as a royal palace in the 14th century for the concierge of the Palais de la Cité, the Conciergerie was the main prison during the Reign of Terror (1793–94) and was used to incarcerate alleged enemies of the Revolution before they were brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal in the Palais de Justice next door. Among the 2700 prisoners held in the cachots (dungeons) here before being sent in tumbrels to the guillotine were Queen Marie-Antoinette and, as the Revolution began to turn on its own, the radicals Danton, Robespierre and, finally, the judges of the Tribunal themselves.

The Gothic 14th-century Salle des Gens d’Armes (Cavalrymen’s Hall) is a fine example of the Rayonnant Gothic style. It is the largest surviving medieval hall in Europe. The Tour de l’Horloge has held a public clock aloft since 1370.

A joint ticket with Ste-Chapelle costs €11.