Tour Saint-Jacques

Unclaimed

We loved this 1 hour tour led by a lovely French art history graduate student (who spoke excellent English) who entertained us with not only the history of the tower, but also the entire neighborhood, one of the oldest in Paris. View from the top (the steep narrow stairclimb will not be for everyone) was as good as it gets in Paris. Set in a beautiful little park. Advance tickets required from their website. Worth it - will do again next time we visit!

A wonderful bell tower without a church! The history is fascinating and the tower beautiful. The park in which it is set is a square and quite small but lovely. There is a child’s play area and toilets though these were closed on the Sunday we visited. Lovely to sit and look close up at a piece of architecture that is usually very high up.

Totally gated off, and drunks passed out with the strong smell of urine waiting in the air from Wikipedia "Tour Saint-Jacques (French: [tuʁ sɛ̃ʒak], 'Saint James's Tower') is a monument located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France, on the Rive Droite. This 52-metre (171 ft) Flamboyant Gothic tower at the intersection of the Rue de Rivoli with Rue Nicolas-Flamel is all that remains of the former 16th-century Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie ('Saint James of the Meat Market'), which was demolished in 1797, during the French Revolution, leaving only the tower.[2]"

The tour of the Tour is only open in the summer months so it’s best to buy tickets in advance and ensure it’s open. The tour guides give a nice overview of the history, but the amazing views over the Paris monuments is the real star of the show. Check your vertigo before heading up the 300 narrow steps!

The 62-metre tower, listed as a historical monument since 1862, dates back to the 16th century. It is the remains of the bell tower of the church of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie, destroyed between 1509 and 1523. The Saint-Jacques tower, acquired in 1836 by the city of Paris, was the centrepiece of the first Parisian public garden, created by Adolphe Alphand.