Best for
French Revolution history fans, Île de la Cité visitors
Time needed
1–1.5 hours
Worth it?
Yes for history enthusiasts — pair it with Sainte-Chapelle for one Île de la Cité visit
Skip if
You're mainly here for Sainte-Chapelle's stained glass and have no interest in Revolutionary history
About Conciergerie
Originally part of the same royal palace complex as Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie's oldest surviving sections date to the 14th century under Philip IV, whose Salle des Gens d'Armes — a vast Gothic hall used to feed the palace's staff — remains one of the largest surviving medieval civil halls in Europe. When Charles V moved the royal residence to the Louvre in the late 14th century, the building was given over to a 'concierge' (a royal officer, giving the building its name) and gradually became a prison.
Its most infamous era came during the Revolution's Reign of Terror, when the Conciergerie served as the final holding prison for those condemned by the Revolutionary Tribunal before execution at the nearby Place de la Concorde. Marie Antoinette was held here for the last ten weeks of her life in 1793, in a cell now reconstructed as a memorial chapel; roughly 2,700 prisoners passed through before the guillotine during the Terror's most intense period.
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Today's visit includes the Gothic hall, the reconstructed cell area associated with Marie Antoinette, and — since a technology upgrade — a HistoPad augmented-reality tablet included with admission, which overlays historical reconstructions onto the largely empty medieval stone rooms, helping bring a fairly bare interior back to life for visitors without a strong prior grounding in the history.
Given its shared history and physical proximity, a combined ticket with Sainte-Chapelle next door is the standard, sensible way to see both in one visit to Île de la Cité.
What to See: Highlights
- 1The Salle des Gens d'Armes, one of the largest surviving medieval halls in Europe
- 2The reconstructed cell associated with Marie Antoinette's final weeks
- 3An included HistoPad augmented-reality tablet bringing the bare rooms to life
- 4Direct ties to the Revolutionary Terror and roughly 2,700 condemned prisoners
- 5A combined ticket with the adjacent Sainte-Chapelle
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Insider Tips
Use the included HistoPad tablet — the rooms are otherwise fairly bare of original furnishings
A typical visit takes 1–1.5 hours
Buy the combined Sainte-Chapelle ticket if visiting both, which is the sensible default
Book online via the official e-ticketing service to avoid box-office queues
The building opens slightly later than usual on 15 July and 16 September 2026 — check exact hours ahead
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Getting There
2 Boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris
Open in Google Maps →- 1Metro 4 to Cité, a 2-minute walk.
Where to stay
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before you visit.
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Should You Visit?
Visit if...
- You're interested in the French Revolution and its Terror
- You want to see where Marie Antoinette spent her final weeks
- You're already visiting Sainte-Chapelle next door
- You'll use the included HistoPad to bring the empty rooms to life
Skip if...
- You have no interest in Revolutionary-era history
- You're short on time and prioritising Sainte-Chapelle or Notre-Dame instead
- Bare medieval interiors without much original furniture don't appeal without the AR context
Ready to Book Your Visit?
More to See in Paris
Notre-Dame Cathedral
The Gothic cathedral at the heart of Paris, fully reopened in December 2024 after the devastating 2019 fire and a five-year restoration — free to enter, with the bell towers reopened in September 2025.
Sainte-Chapelle
A jewel-box Gothic chapel on Île de la Cité holding one of the finest surviving sets of 13th-century stained glass anywhere, built by Louis IX to house Christ's Crown of Thorns.