When modern Paris has overwhelmed you with its boutiques, bicycles, and baguettes, step back in time at 2 of its most interesting and historical landmarks in the medieval Palais de la Cité — once the residence of the Kings of France. Sainte-Chapelle with its mesmerizing stained glass windows was home to Christ's Crown of Thorns, while the Conciergerie was home, or rather prison to Marie-Antoinette!

Conciergerie

On your itinerary first, make your way to this medieval royal palace that was abandoned by the Kings of France at the end of the 14th century (settling in the Louvre and Vincennes held more appeal), at which point it became a prison and revolutionary tribunal. It was one of the principal places of detention throughout the French Revolution (when it was known as "the antechamber to the guillotine").

That statement was certainly true in the case of its most famous resident, former Queen Marie Antoinette. As you wander the Salle des Gardes (Guards Room) and the immense Salle des Gens d'armes (Hall of the Soldiers) consider how she must have felt being imprisoned here. Her commemorative chapel was erected on the site of her cell in the renovation.

Sainte-Chapelle

After your Conciergerie adventure, head to Sainte-Chapelle, standing proudly on the Île de la Cité. This intimate chapel and UNESCO World Heritage Site was consecrated on April 26, 1248, and was commissioned by King Louis IX, who wanted somewhere nice to house his collection of religious relics, including Christ’s Crown of Thorns.

This Gothic chapel is renowned for its collection of 15 gorgeous stained glass windows, depicting 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments as well as a pane showing the relocation of the Relics to Paris, prominently featuring the church's patron King Louis. On a sunny day, the light streaming in through those windows makes you forgive every drop of rain that ever fell on Paris.