We’ll have to say goodbye for a few months. The Île-de-France Square, a small garden behind Notre-Dame de Paris, at the far end of Île de la Cité, closes to the public from August 24, 2026 to make way for works. Its reopening is, as of today, scheduled for the June 21, 2027. A nearly ten-month closure that fits into the broad redevelopment project around Notre-Dame. While this 4th arrondissement square tends to slip from view beside its illustrious neighbor, it occupies a rather exceptional location: a few more metres and you’re literally at the tip of Île de la Cité, with the Seine on either side.
Just circle the cathedral and head to the far end of the Quai de l’Archevêché to find it. The Square de l’Île-de-France sits at the eastern tip of Île de la Cité, just behind Notre-Dame. Laid out in the early 20th century, it offers a surprisingly peaceful oasis in one of Paris’s most visited districts.
But this small patch of green serves a special purpose. It provides access to the Memorial to the Martyrs of Deportation, opened in 1962 and tucked beneath the level of the square. The site actually belongs to the Ministry of the Armed Forces, which has entrusted the City of Paris with overseeing its renovation.
The closure marks a new phase in the redevelopment of Notre-Dame de Paris’ surroundings. The cathedral’s reopening in December 2024 did not, in fact, herald the end of the jackhammer activity in the area: the project now largely targets the spaces that frame the monument.
The Île-de-France Square is part of this initial major phase. The city’s contracts call for, in particular, the construction of new pavilions linked to the operation of the Memorial to the Martyrs of Deportation.
The project, however, goes well beyond the square’s boundaries. In the long term, the redevelopment of Notre-Dame’s surroundings will cover 4,7 hectares, from the forecourt to the tip of Île de la Cité. It notably envisions more greenery, with 1 800 m² d’espaces verts supplémentaires et 160 nouveaux arbres, as well as converting the former parking under the forecourt into a welcoming area and a new access to the archaeological crypt.
We’ll have to wait until June 21, 2027, if the current schedule holds, to rediscover that little refuge at the tip of Île de la Cité. And even then, the surroundings of Notre-Dame will not have finished their metamorphosis. Work will continue in several phases, notably around the Jean XXIII Square and the Maurice-Carême Promenade, with a timetable stretching to the end of the decade.
Notre-Dame has welcomed back its visitors, but the surrounding neighborhood is still undergoing a major transformation. And for the quiet square in Île-de-France, that means a few more months behind the construction hoardings before it reemerges into the light at the start of summer 2027.
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