Explore the real-world places that appear in Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt by Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include The Titan (Aegean Sea), Atlantis (the Sisters' Lake Geneva Home), The Sorbonne, Latin Quarter Cafés and Streets, The Seine and Pont Neuf and 3 more.
Aegean Sea, 2008 — the sisters gather to say goodbye
In 2008 all seven sisters meet together for the first time on the deck of the Titan, Pa Salt's luxury yacht, to say farewell to their adoptive father. Pa Salt is enigmatic and has left clues about his own past with the one sister who has gone missing. As the truths come out, they raise new questions about his history and its consequences today.
The Aegean Sea lies between Greece and Turkey and has been a crossroads of Mediterranean trade and travel since antiquity. Its islands are scattered across the Cyclades, Dodecanese and other groups, and are popular sailing waters.
The Aegean is a major yachting and cruising destination, with ferry and charter routes linking hundreds of islands. The Titan is fictional, so there is nothing to visit at this spot, which is an approximate position at sea.
Lake Geneva, Switzerland — Pa Salt's fairy-tale home
Atlantis is the secluded lakeside home where Pa Salt raised his six adopted daughters, and the series' emotional centre. The sisters return here as they come to terms with his death and the clues he left behind. Atlantis is fictional, so the map marks the Lake Geneva shore where the series places it.
Lake Geneva's shores have long attracted wealthy residents and exiles, with grand villas around Geneva and Lausanne. The area has been a haven for privacy and discretion since the 18th century.
The shoreline near Geneva is lined with private estates, lakeside promenades and parks. Atlantis does not exist, and nearby private properties are not open to visitors.
Latin Quarter — the student years
Once the rescued boy has grown into a gentle, brilliant young man, his studies in Paris are the backdrop to his years of study and first love. The university quarter is where he nearly forgets the horrors of his past and the promises he made. The 1930s tension in Europe makes it a place he knows he cannot stay forever.
The Sorbonne was founded in the 13th century as a theological college and became one of Europe's most famous universities. Its current main buildings date largely from the late 19th century.
The Sorbonne buildings are part of Sorbonne University and are mostly closed to the general public. The surrounding Latin Quarter, with its cafés and bookshops, is a lively area to explore.
Rue Mouffetard area — bohemian student Paris
The young man's student life in Paris unfolds among streets like these. They are the setting for the intoxicating first love that makes him lose sight of the past for a time. The area stands in for the ordinary life he gets to live before danger returns.
Rue Mouffetard follows the route of a Roman road and is one of the oldest streets in Paris. It has been a market street for centuries and a student haunt in the Latin Quarter.
Rue Mouffetard is a pedestrian-friendly street with food shops, cafés and restaurants, and a market. It remains one of the best-known street markets in Paris.
Visit: Rue Mouffetard Market Street (landmark)
Heart of Paris — the city of 1928
Paris in 1928 is where the story opens, when a kind family saves a young boy from certain death. The river and the old bridges of the city are the backdrop to his new life. The boy's silence about who he truly is shapes everything.
Pont Neuf, completed in 1607, is the oldest standing bridge across the Seine in Paris. It links the Île de la Cité to both banks.
Pont Neuf is a popular spot for walks, photographs and river views. The nearby riverbanks are a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Visit: Pont Neuf (landmark)
Champ de Mars — the symbol of 1930s Paris
The Eiffel Tower stands over the Paris in which the boy is raised and educated, a symbol of the city as he finds his feet. It belongs to the atmosphere of the 1930s capital, where the pleasures of youth sit alongside the growing darkness in Europe.
The tower was built by Gustave Eiffel's company for the 1889 World's Fair and was the tallest structure in the world until 1930. It was meant to be temporary but became a permanent icon.
The Eiffel Tower is open to visitors, with lifts and stairs to its observation levels. It is one of the most visited paid monuments in the world.
Visit: Eiffel Tower (monument)
6th arrondissement — a place for young love
The gardens suit the Paris of the novel's student years, a place for the young man to walk and to fall in love. They belong to the stretch of time when he is almost able to forget his past. The 1930s menace then forces him to think of fleeing once more.
The gardens were created in 1612 for Marie de' Medici around the Luxembourg Palace. They are now the garden of the French Senate.
The gardens are a public park with lawns, a pond, tree-lined paths and chairs to sit in. They are among the most popular green spaces in Paris.
Visit: Jardin du Luxembourg (park)
10th arrondissement — departure from Paris
As Europe darkens in the 1930s, the young man senses he will soon have to flee again. Railway stations like this one stand for that escape from the city that gave him a new life. The station is used here as a representative departure point on the map.
Gare de l'Est opened in 1849 as the Paris terminus for trains to eastern France and beyond. It was greatly extended in the early 20th century.
The station is a busy hub for high-speed and regional trains to eastern France, Germany and Luxembourg. It has a World War I memorial in its main hall.
Visit: Gare de l'Est (landmark)
More by Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker: All Lucinda Riley & Harry Whittaker books
More novels set in Paris: Browse all Paris books on Map A Story
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