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The Île Saint-Louis in Paris
The Île Saint-Louis in Paris: size, quays, church, Berthillon, metro stations and the works around Notre-Dame in 2026, plus its four hotels. Checked October 2026.
Two islands, one of them residential
The Île Saint-Louis belongs to the Notre-Dame quarter, together with the eastern part of the Île de la Cité. It covers 11 hectares, ringed by four quays, and counts 2,323 inhabitants in 2016. Apart from the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, there are almost no shops: the street runs past the church and Berthillon.
Photo: Philippe, CC BY-SA 2.0 fr, via Wikimedia Commons
What to see
- The church of Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, built from 1624 to 1726, at the corner of the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île and the rue Poulletier.
- The rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, the street where almost all the island’s shops stand, and the home of Berthillon, at no. 29–31; several cafés on this street and on the rue des Deux-Ponts serve its cones.
- The quays, for the walk around the island; they are outside the tourist zone.
Photo: Plouich40, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Notre-Dame and the works nearby
The Île Saint-Louis is in the same quarter as the cathedral, which reopened in December 2024. Expect fences and diverted paths. The small forecourt was finished at the end of 2025 and the rue du Cloître-Notre-Dame in summer 2026. The square de l’Île-de-France has been closed since 24 August 2026, with excavations and then works until May or June 2027; the Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation stays open. The square Jean-XXIII, at the cathedral’s chevet, is closed: paris.fr announces 30 June 2027, while the project page places its landscaping in 2029–2030, so the closure may last beyond 2027. The great forecourt will be under works from summer 2027 to the end of 2028.
Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How the island was made
According to Wikipedia, the Île Saint-Louis was formed by joining two medieval islets, the Île Notre-Dame and the Île aux Vaches, between 1614 and 1664. The contractor Christophe Marie filled the channel that separated them under Louis XIII. The result is a parallelogram 525 m long and 250 m wide, whose streets follow a grid around the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île.
Five bridges, one church
Five bridges serve the island: the pont Marie (1635), the pont de la Tournelle (1656), the pont Saint-Louis (about 1630, rebuilt in 1970), the pont Louis-Philippe (1862) and the pont de Sully (1876). The church of Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, designed by François Le Vau in 1644, is the island’s only church. The pont Marie is the one that links it to the right bank, at the station of the same name; the pont Saint-Louis leads to the Île de la Cité.
The mansions on the quays
Wikipedia names four of the island’s mansions: the Hôtel Lambert, on the quai d’Anjou, designed by Louis Le Vau, the Hôtel de Lauzun, the Hôtel de Chenizot and the Hôtel Lefebure de la Malmaison. They are private buildings seen from the quay; we hold no visiting hours for them. The same article records that the conversion of many flats into second homes since the 1980s has reduced the permanent population, which explains why the island, with 2,323 inhabitants, is quiet in the evening.
A walk around the island
The island measures 525 m by 250 m, so the perimeter of its parallelogram is about 1.5 km, roughly 20 minutes at 80 metres a minute with no stops. From Berthillon, in the middle of the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, the nearest places of our base are, in a straight line, the Shoah Memorial (349 m), the Village Saint-Paul (426 m), the church of Saint-Paul–Saint-Louis (499 m), Notre-Dame cathedral (589 m) and the Hôtel de Sully (591 m). See Berthillon for the shop’s hours, and the Village Saint-Paul for the way back to the Marais.
Metro for the island
The island has no station of its own; the hotels on it give the walk to the two stations on its edges.
- Hôtel Saint-Louis en l’Isle, 207 m from Berthillon, lists Pont Marie (line 7) at 300 m, 4 min on foot; Maubert-Mutualité (line 10) at 700 m, 8 min on foot.
- Hôtel des Deux Îles, 144 m from Berthillon, lists Pont Marie (line 7) at 300 m, 3 min on foot; Sully-Morland (line 7) at 650 m, 8 min on foot.
Getting there
The island has no metro station of its own. Pont Marie and Sully–Morland, both on line 7, stand on its edges. Saint-Michel (line 4) is closed until 19 December, according to paris.fr.
Shops and traffic on the island
The island’s shops follow the zoning of the Marais: the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île and its cross streets belong to the tourist zone where retail may open on Sunday, the quays do not. Cars are another matter: the two islands are outside the limited-traffic zone of Paris Centre, so the quays carry traffic that the streets of the Marais do not.
Where to stay on the island
The island has four hotels in our database: the four-star Hôtel du Jeu de Paume and Hôtel L de Lutèce, and the three-star Hôtel des Deux Îles and Hôtel Saint-Louis en l’Isle. A side-by-side ranking is in hotels on the Île Saint-Louis. For the rest of the quarter, see the Marais guide and the hotels of the 4th arrondissement.
History and distinctive features
- The island measures 11 hectares (525 by 250 metres) and is surrounded by the quais d’Anjou, de Bourbon, d’Orléans and de Béthune. It belongs administratively to the Notre-Dame quarter. Source : fr.wikipedia.org
- The island is residential and quiet in the evening: 2,323 inhabitants on 1 January 2016, almost no shops outside the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île. Source : fr.wikipedia.org
- The church of Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, at the corner of the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île and the rue Poulletier, was built from 1624 to 1726 and is one of the smallest parishes of the diocese of Paris. Source : fr.wikipedia.org
- Only the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, the cross streets and the pont Louis-Philippe are in the international tourist zone “Le Marais”, where shops may open on Sundays; the quays are not. Source : legifrance.gouv.fr
- Both islands are outside the limited-traffic zone of Paris Centre. Source : paris.fr
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Île Saint-Louis?
It measures 11 hectares, 525 metres by 250, and is surrounded by the quais d’Anjou, de Bourbon, d’Orléans and de Béthune.
Which metro station is closest to the Île Saint-Louis?
For all four hotels on the island, our data gives Pont Marie (line 7) as the nearest station, 250 to 300 m on foot, then Sully–Morland (line 7), 500 to 700 m. Cité, on line 4, serves the neighbouring Île de la Cité. Saint-Michel, on line 4, is closed until 19 December, according to paris.fr.
Is the Île Saint-Louis a good place to stay?
It is residential and quiet in the evening, with almost no shops outside the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île. It has four hotels in our database: two three-star and two four-star.
Where is Berthillon?
At 29–31 rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île, the main street of the island. Its opening hours, closures and stockists are on our Berthillon page.
Can I visit Notre-Dame from the island?
The cathedral reopened in December 2024. Works continue around it: the square de l’Île-de-France behind the cathedral has been closed since 24 August 2026, until May or June 2027, but the Mémorial des martyrs de la Déportation remains accessible. The great forecourt will be under works from the third quarter of 2027 to the end of 2028.
Are the Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie on the Île Saint-Louis?
No. They are on the west of the Île de la Cité, in the 1st arrondissement, about 150 to 175 metres from Cité station.
How was the Île Saint-Louis formed?
Two medieval islets, the Île Notre-Dame and the Île aux Vaches, were joined between 1614 and 1664, according to Wikipedia.
How many bridges lead to the Île Saint-Louis?
Five: the pont Marie (1635), the pont de la Tournelle (1656), the pont Saint-Louis, the pont Louis-Philippe (1862) and the pont de Sully (1876).
How long does it take to walk around the Île Saint-Louis?
The island measures 525 m by 250 m, so its perimeter is about 1.5 km, roughly 20 minutes without stops at 80 metres a minute.
Which metro station is nearest to the heart of the Île Saint-Louis?
Pont Marie, on line 7, about 250 to 300 m on foot from the island’s hotels, with Sully–Morland, also on line 7, at 500 to 650 m.
Can shops open on Sunday on the Île Saint-Louis?
Those on the rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île and its cross streets may, under the tourist-zone order; those on the quays may not.