Rampart of Philippe Auguste

Before you is the best-preserved stretch of the city walls built by Philippe Auguste. Before leaving town on a crusade in 1190, Philippe decided the time had come to beef up security. The result was a mighty rampart that defined what was then the city limits. The wall in front of you once ran in a semicircle from the Seine, up to around rue Etienne Marcel, and curved over to protect the Louvre and back down to the Seine (a similar semicircle was built 20 years later on the Left Bank). Aside from this stretch, only small fragments can be found here and there on both banks so you’ll have to imagine the rest; you’ll also have to imagine the towers and the six massive portals that once were the only land access into the city.

Turn left down rue des Jardins St-Paul and right on rue de l’Avé Maria. Just where it branches off to the right on rue du Figuier is: