The Petite France quays at seven in the morning

Petite France is the old tanners' quarter, where the Ill splits into channels and steep-roofed half-timbered houses from the sixteenth century lean over the water with flower boxes on every balcony. The quays run right along the water on both sides, and the locks and small bridges break the river into pools that sit almost perfectly still.

The reflection is the reason to be early. At seven or eight in the morning the water is unbroken, the quays are empty and the low sun comes down the channel between the roofs; by ten the boat tours have started, the surface is moving and the bridges have people on them. Shoot from the Pont du Faisan and the quays either side for the classic doubled facades, then work the narrow lanes behind — Rue du Bain-aux-Plantes is one continuous run of timber frames.

Seasons change this place more than the hour does. Summer buries the facades in geraniums, autumn strips them back to the timber, and winter mornings bring mist off the water that makes the quarter look like an illustration. December is the exception: the Christmas markets bring extraordinary light and completely impossible crowds, so dawn is the only workable time.

Practical: the quays are public and level, easy walking, but they are also residential — this is a lived-in quarter, so early sessions should be quiet ones. Cobbles are uneven and wet stone by the locks is slippery. Everything here is within ten minutes on foot of the Barrage Vauban and fifteen of the cathedral, so a single walking session can cover all three.