Sunset on the Louvre
Light raking across the stone from mid-bridge.
Joe deSousa — CC0 · FOTO:Fortepan — ID 74548: Adományozó/Donor: Semmelweis Egyetem Levéltára. — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia — CC BY 2.0 · GFreihalter — CC BY-SA 4.0
A wooden footbridge across the Seine between the **Louvre** and the domed **Institut de France**, one of the calmest places in central Paris and one of the loveliest in the evening. It was originally the first iron bridge in Paris, built in the early nineteenth century under Napoleon, when iron was a bold new material. It was damaged repeatedly by collisions and by both wars, and part of it collapsed in 1979 after a barge struck it; it was rebuilt in the 1980s in its present form with a timber deck. It has long been the place of **painters, musicians and people sitting on the deck** with a bottle of wine at sunset — no cars, no noise, just the river and light raking across the stone of the Louvre. It became famous worldwide for its **love locks**: visitors attached hundreds of thousands of padlocks to its railings until their weight ran to tonnes, and in **2014 part of the parapet collapsed** under the load. The city removed the locks in **2015** and replaced the mesh with glass panels — so attaching one is no longer possible, which surprises anyone who comes for that.
Light raking across the stone from mid-bridge.
A Paris habit — painters, musicians and people on the boards.
The facing frontage on the Left Bank.
Pont des Arts, 75006 Paris
Monnaie de ParisThe French mint, on the bank of the Seine opposite the Louvre, and among the old3 minutes walk4.5
Pont NeufIts name means "New Bridge," and it is the oldest standing bridge in Paris — a f4 minutes walk4.7
Louvre MuseumThe Louvre is not just a museum; it is a former royal palace holding the greates4 minutes walk4.8
The Philippe Auguste WallThe city wall built by King Philippe Auguste around Paris in the early thirteent6 minutes walk4.6
Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés**The oldest church in Paris**, originally an abbey founded by King Childebert I7 minutes walk4.6Looking for halal food near Pont des Arts? There are several options nearby, from Moroccan and Indian kitchens to quick casual spots and places with a view. Confirm the halal status and opening hours before you go — these can change.
Chez le LibanaisHalalA small counter on Rue Saint-André des Arts, one of the busiest pedestrian stree8 minutes walk · $4.5Al DarHalalAl Dar is a Lebanese restaurant in the Latin Quarter, a few minutes on foot from15 minutes walk · $$4.1AssanabelHalalAssanabel is a small Lebanese restaurant on Rue Jacob, one of the prettiest and 8 minutes walk · $$4.9**No.** The city of Paris removed all of them in **2015** — their weight had run to tonnes and part of the parapet collapsed under them in 2014 — and the metal mesh was replaced with **glass panels** nothing can be attached to. The city treats attaching them as damage to public property and removes them from other bridges too. If that was your reason for coming, know it in advance. But the bridge is worth standing on for a better reason: the view of the Louvre and the Seine at sunset is among the loveliest things in Paris, and it is free.
**Half an hour before sunset** is the moment: the sun comes from the west, lights the Louvre's stone frontage gold and reflects off the water, and the bridge fills with musicians and people sitting. For a photograph without people, go **before eight in the morning**. And almost everything is around it: the **Louvre** on one bank and the **Institut de France** on the other, the **Pont Neuf** and the Île de la Cité minutes east, and **Saint-Germain-des-Prés** to the south. Make it a stop on a walk along the Seine rather than a destination of its own.