At the downstream tip of the Île de la Cité, reached by steps down from the Pont Neuf, the Square du Vert-Galant is a small triangular park that sits right at the water's level — well below the modern city, on the original height of the island. Willows trail into the Seine, and the point looks straight up both arms of the river toward the Louvre and the Left Bank.
It is one of the most romantic and least hurried spots in central Paris: a place to sit on the grass with a picnic, watch the bateaux pass, and catch the sunset. The name — "the gay blade" — was an affectionate nickname for the amorous Henri IV, whose statue stands on the bridge above.