Quai des Orfèvres, Riverfront street in Île de la Cité, Paris, France

The Quai des Orfèvres runs along the Seine on the Île de la Cité, from the junction of the Pont Saint-Michel with the Boulevard du Palais to the central square of the Pont Neuf. Its riverside is a wide cobbled walkway above a long stone-and-concrete ramp sloping to the water, backed by a retaining wall of large pale rectangular blocks in regular courses. Benches stand at intervals, and tall trees along the wall partly hide the buildings behind.

During the medieval and Renaissance periods, goldsmiths and jewelers established their workshops along this riverside location, making it a celebrated center for fine craftsmanship. The street as it exists today was formed in 1810 when two separate paths were merged into a single continuous waterfront route.

The name comes from the goldsmiths and jewellers who worked here from the quay's completion in 1643. A 1776 almanac counted 29 goldsmith, jeweller and diamond-dealer shops on the quay and 26 more in the adjoining rue Saint-Louis. Since 1946 the Prix du Quai des Orfèvres, judged by police officers and magistrates under the police prefect, has been awarded annually to a detective novel manuscript.

The path is easy to walk and offers continuous access along the river with several bridges nearby to reach the opposite banks. The area is well connected by public transportation and sits within walking distance of many other historic sites.

The street gained international fame through a prestigious literary award established in 1946, judged annually by police officers and magistrates who work in the area. This prize has become one of France's most respected literary honors.