Paris - Ile Saint-Louis

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other residents have included Voltaire, Rousseau and such famous statesmen as Léon Blum and Georges Pompidou. And the 6,000 inhabitants of the island still include well-to-do writers and artists.

Much of the 17th century architecture has preserved its character and its dignity. The harmony of the close packed lines of houses, the little cafes where a petit noir can be enjoyed at leisure, the quiet quais and the aura of the past which pervades the island give it a particular charm. Along the island's main street, Rue Saint- Louis-en-l'Ile, are numbers of little shops, cozy crêperies and smart restaurants, often in vaulted cellars, which form an attractive setting for an elegant meal. A stroll along the quais or a picnic on the banks of the Seine offers views of the Hôtel de Ville on the right bank of the Seine, the Quartier Latin and the Panthéon on the left bank and, to the west, the Ile de la Cité and Notre- Dame.