Museums and galleries
Musée des Arts décoratifs
Around the corner from the Musée du Louvre at Rue de Rivoli 107 - monument to the French art de vivre, housed in a 19th-century wing of the Louvre that has been restored to Beaux-Arts splendor, its galleries and period rooms showcasing eight centuries of Gallic taste in interior decoration.
Jeu de Paume
Built during the First Empire, in imitation of the Orangerie this small building is used by the Galerie Nationale to mount shows dedicated to lesser known, but nonetheless interesting artists, or sometimes the lesser known works of the Great Masters. This museum once housed many of the Impressionist painters that are now to be found in the Musée d'Orsay on the other side of the River Seine.
Musée en Herbe
A little brother for the original Musée en Herbe in the Bois de Boulogne, this museum is also geared for children. They have games and hands-on exhibits so won't have to supervise quite as closely as in other museums. Arts workshops are available as well, but you'll need to reserve a space in advance.
Musée du Louvre
open daily 10am-6pm, closed Tuesdays and some public holidays, evening openings We and Fr until 9.45pm, 1st Su of the month. Free admission for all, general admission not including special exhibitions adults â¬11. Its exhibits come from such diverse origins as ancient Egypt, classical Greece and Rome, medieval Europe and Napoleonic France. Its most famous exhibit, of course, is Leonardo da Vinci's painting of the Mona Lisa French: La Joconde, Italian: La Gioconda, generally to be found surrounded by hordes of camera-flashing tourists. If you want to see everything in the Louvre, plan at least two full days. However, it is better to pick and choose, as the collection was assembled with an eye to completeness rather than quality.
l'Orangerie
open daily, except Tu, Christmas Day and 1st May; individuals 12.30pm-7pm, until 9pm Th; groups 9.30am-12.30pm; admission â¬7.50 adults; audio guides available in several languages â¬4.50 - recently reopened after extensive renovations, this small museum near the Louvre houses the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection, sold to the French Republic on very generous terms and numbering 143 paintings from the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century 15 Cézannes, 24 Renoirs, 10 Matisses, 12 Picassos, 28 Derains, 22 Soutines⦠. The collection joined the eight immense Water Lilies that Monet gave France in 1922 and which have been displayed since 1927 in two huge oval rooms purpose-built on the artist's instructions.
Landmarks
Jardin des Tuileries
Originally adjoining the now-disappeared royal palace of the Tuileries, these gardens lying immediately west of the Louvre offer a central open space for Parisians and visitors with semi-formal gardens an outdoor gallery for modern sculpture, various cafés, ice-cream and crépe stalls and a summer fun fair. The gardens are frequently home to a giant ferris wheel and enclose the Musée de la Orangerie and the Jeu de Paume see below.
Le Palais Royal
7:00am to 11:00pm during the summer and 7:00am-8:30pm in the winter with hours varying in the spring and Autumn months. Ordered by Cardinal de Richelieu 1585-1642, King Louis XIIIth's prime Minister in 1629 completed in 1636; originally called Palais Cardinal; it became Le Palais Royal when Anne d'Autriche, Louis XIIIth's wife, came to live here to get away from the Louvre palace. It eventually housed Louis the XIVth until the move to Versailles. It includes also a beautiful garden Les jardins du Palais Royal, enclosed within the buildings. It's been the theater of one of the seminal events of the French Revolution Camille Desmoulins made a famous declaration here in 1789. The Théatre Français nearby was built in 1716. There are numerous restaurants inside the garden , including famous Le Grand Véfour. There's also the controversial Colonnes de Buren, striped columns installed within the inside yard among the XVIIth century architecture.
Ãglise Saint-Eustache
This massive church is one of the best standing examples of the early Gothic style.
Le Louvre
Open daily except Tuesdays and certain public holidays. Permanent collections 9 am to 6 pm Wed and Fri til 10 pm. Under the pyramid is open 9 am to 10 pm. The primary landmark of the 1st arrondissement: as well as housing one of the world's great museums since 1793, the former palace offers some dazzling architecture, wide public spaces and the glass pyramid of I M Pei. Of course there's also quite a bit to see inside the building; see our coverage under Museums below.
Colonne Vendôme
The centrepiece of a magnificent 8-sided square first laid out in 1699 to show off an equestrian statue of the Sun King, Louis XIV. The statue was removed amidst Revolutionary fervor in 1792 and replaced in 1806 with the Colonne de la Grande Armée. This was modeled on Trajan's column in Rome and decorated with Napoleon's military exploits. The present column is a replica, however, as the original was pulled down during the 1871 Paris Commune. Place Vendôme represents the best of well-heeled Paris, being home to an abundance of exclusive boutiques, jewelers and fashion labels - Cartier, Boucheron, Trussardi, van Cleef & Arpels - several banks, the French Ministry of Justice and the Ritz Hotel.
Sainte Chapelle
Soaring stained glass windows beaming ample light onto the rich primary colors of the tile mosaics on the floor, this photogenic church was built by the French kings to house the relics of the Crown of Thorns - far more beautiful than the famous, but gloomy, Notre Dame which is nearby. Make sure you go on a sunny day, as the highlight of this small chapel in Rayonnante Gothic style are the large stained-glass windows which soar up to near the vaulted ceiling. Also of interest is the extremely ornate lower level. If it happens to be rainy or cloudy, give Sainte Chappelle a miss, as the play of colored lights on the floor are well worth the wait for a sunnier day. The chapelle is located inside the Courts of Justice, there will thus be a security check.