Quai de l'Horloge, Riverfront at Île de la Cité, Paris, France
The quai de l'Horloge is a riverfront on the north side of Île de la Cité in Paris, running along the Seine between Pont au Change and Pont Neuf. Along the entire length of the quay, the heavy stone walls of the Conciergerie and the Palais de Justice form a continuous facade that rises directly from the embankment.
The embankment was built in stages from the late 16th century onward, as the island was gradually developed and its edges formalized. Over the following centuries the quay walls were reinforced and raised several times to protect the buildings behind them from flooding.
The clock face on the Conciergerie tower is one of the oldest public clocks in Paris and still tells the time today. Walking along the quay, you can look up and see its gilded details up close, which makes the origin of the name immediately clear.
The quay is easy to reach on foot from either of the two bridges at its ends and offers open views over the Seine. Visiting in the early morning or evening tends to be more comfortable, as the area draws many people during the middle of the day.
Throughout much of the 19th century, opticians and spectacle makers set up shop along this quay in such numbers that it became nicknamed the 'Quai des Lunettes'. Today none of those shops remain, but the nickname still appears in old descriptions of Paris.
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