Hôtel de Ville, Paris

About the Hôtel de Ville

The Hôtel de Ville is the city hall of Paris, on Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville in the 4th arrondissement, by the Seine facing the Île de la Cité. The city government has met on this site since 1357, and today the city council and the Mayor of Paris work here. The building is a French historic monument and one of the most ornate on the Right Bank.

King Francis I began the first great Renaissance city hall in the 1530s, when Paris was the largest city in Europe. The Italian Domenico da Cortona, nicknamed Boccador, and the Frenchman Pierre Chambiges designed it, and it was completed under Henry IV and Louis XIII. The present palace was built in 1873–1892 by the architects Théodore Ballu and Édouard Deperthes, who copied the central façade from the 16th-century design and made the building larger.

What to see

• The main façade — Renaissance style, a clock tower and statues in niches.
• 338 statues — famous Parisians from many eras.
• The Salle des Fêtes — a 'republican' Hall of Mirrors.
• Murals — by Puvis de Chavannes and other masters.
• The square — an ice rink in winter, events in summer.
• Tour Saint-Jacques — a Gothic tower steps away.

The façade and statues

The 143-metre main façade is decorated with columns, pilasters, mansard roofs with galleries and a 50-metre clock tower. Above the central doors beneath the clock stand allegorical figures of Art and Science.

For the new building some 230 sculptors produced 338 statues of famous Parisians, scientists, artists, writers and statesmen, for niches on every façade. Among them were noted academicians and the young Auguste Rodin. Walk all the way round: there are statues on the side façades too, and an equestrian statue of the merchant provost Étienne Marcel stands in the garden by the south wall.

The halls

The interiors date entirely from the 1880s and are dazzling. The main one is the Salle des Fêtes, conceived as a 'republican' copy of the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles: a long hall of crystal chandeliers, gilding and frescoes depicting sixteen historic French provinces.

Other rooms hold Puvis de Chavannes's The Seasons, a carved-oak formal dining room with statues and many paintings by late-19th-century artists. The city hall hosts grand receptions, state visits and civic celebrations.

The square and celebrations

Before the city hall lies the broad Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, one of the main squares of Paris, cleared and enlarged in the 19th century under Baron Haussmann. It hosts city festivals, concerts and big-screen sports, and in winter a free ice rink.

In 2024 the men's and women's Olympic marathons started here. From the square you look across the Seine to the Île de la Cité and Notre-Dame, five minutes' walk over the Pont d'Arcole.

What's nearby

About 150 metres west stands the Tour Saint-Jacques, a 16th-century Gothic bell tower, all that remains of an old church; the same architect, Ballu, restored it, and a garden surrounds it. To the east begins the Marais, with its mansions and museums.

Next to the city hall are the large BHV department store, the shops of Rue de Rivoli and the Seine quays. It's a handy starting point for a walk through the Marais to the Place des Vosges or across to the Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis.

Tips for your visit

From outside, 20 minutes is enough: walk round the façades and look at the statues. To see the Salle des Fêtes, book a tour ahead on the city's website, as places are limited.

The city hall combines well with the Île de la Cité and the Marais. In the evening its façade is beautifully lit, a good time for photos from the square.

Check whether a free exhibition is on in the hall on the Rue de Rivoli side; they often cover Paris history, photography or famous Parisians.

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How to do it right

• Halls by booking.
• Free exhibitions.
• Ice rink in winter.
• Lit at night.

Questions