The Archaeological Crypt (La Crypte Archéologique) is located at the spot on which Paris was first settled: on l’île de la Cité right by Notre Dame Cathedral. It is loaded with history. The first and best place to learn about and to actually see remnants of its earliest history is in the site in which that history was created.

Through 3D visualizations, it explains this history from the 1st-century creation of the town of Lutetia when it began as a fortress. Over the next three centuries, it grew into a 250-acre town, complete with a large forum and a covered amphitheater. When the town began to shrink and fall into disrepair in the 4^th century, the Romans took over. They rapidly enhanced and grew the city to about 200,000 people in the 1300s. By that time it was the largest city in Europe and the main crossroads for trade across Europe.

The crypt also details the stages of the 100-year (1163 through 1250) construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which is at the other end of the same plaza as the Crypt. It is an interesting presentation of the city’s ancient history.