Palais-Royal, Paris

About the Palais-Royal

The Palais-Royal stands on Rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement, directly opposite the Louvre. The architect Jacques Lemercier built it in 1633–1639 for the all-powerful minister Cardinal Richelieu, and it was first called the Palais-Cardinal. Richelieu left it to the king, and after his death in 1642 it took the name Royal Palace. Queen Anne of Austria lived here with the young Louis XIV.

Later the palace belonged to the Dukes of Orléans for more than a century. Today it houses the Ministry of Culture, the Council of State and the Constitutional Council, so the building itself is closed. But the garden, courtyard and galleries are open to all, one of the calmest corners in the very centre of Paris.

What to see

• The Buren columns — striped posts in the main courtyard.
• The Palais-Royal Garden — lime avenues, flowerbeds and a fountain.
• The arcaded galleries — shops, antique dealers and cafés.
• Le Grand Véfour — a restaurant open since 1784.
• The Comédie-Française — the famous theatre on the palace corner.
• Galerie Vivienne — a covered passage a few minutes away.

The Buren columns

The palace's main courtyard is filled with rows of black-and-white striped columns of different heights, the artist Daniel Buren's installation Les Deux Plateaux. They are set out as if rising from two invisible platforms at different levels: some reach the height of the old gallery's column bases, others barely clear the ground.

The bold project once stirred controversy, but today it's one of the most playful and photogenic spots in Paris. Children hop from post to post, adults pose standing on them, and water murmurs under the grilles in the floor. Nearby in the Galerie d'Orléans stand Pol Bury's gleaming sphere fountains.

The garden and galleries

Behind the palace lies a rectangular garden with double avenues of clipped limes, lawns, flowerbeds and a central fountain. Metal chairs are scattered about where Parisians read and eat lunch. André Le Nôtre's father and Le Nôtre himself worked on the garden, which was later redesigned several times.

In 1781–1784 the Duke of Orléans had the architect Victor Louis ring the garden with six-storey houses with arcades on the ground floor. They filled with 145 shops, cafés, bookshops and salons, and for decades the Palais-Royal was the place in Paris to meet and shop. Today the galleries hold boutiques, antique dealers, shops of vintage toys and medals, and cafés.

Restaurants, theatre and the noon cannon

At the north end of the galleries Le Grand Véfour, opened in 1784, still serves under painted ceilings and mirrors. In a house on Rue de Beaujolais above the galleries the writer Colette lived from 1927.

In 1786 a noon cannon was installed in the garden: a sunbeam through a lens lit its fuse exactly at noon on the Paris meridian. At the palace's south-west corner stands the Comédie-Française, France's state theatre and heir to Molière's troupe, which once played in the palace's old theatre.

Stories from the past

In the 17th century the Palais-Royal hosted lavish receptions for all of France's nobility, and the Orléans family kept one of Europe's finest picture collections here, some 500 paintings shown to the public. During the Regency of Philippe d'Orléans the country was effectively governed from here, while the young Louis XV lived next door at the Tuileries Palace.

In the late 18th century the duke opened the garden to all Parisians, and the galleries buzzed with cafés, gaming rooms, theatres and bookshops. Covered passages later grew up around the Palais-Royal, such as Galerie Vivienne and Galerie Colbert, still well worth seeing on the way from the palace to the Opéra.

Tips for your visit

The Palais-Royal pairs well with the Louvre: after the museum, come here for some quiet, then carry on to Galerie Vivienne, the Palais Garnier or the Tuileries. Half an hour is enough for the garden and courtyard.

To dine at Le Grand Véfour, book well ahead: it is an expensive fine-dining restaurant. For something simpler, try the cafés in the galleries with terraces on the garden.

The Buren columns are great for photos with children, but the posts can be slippery after rain. The palace interior is closed except on European Heritage Days in September, when some rooms open to the public.

Places in Paris: compare and choose

Places in Paris rated by YesGo. Click a column header to sort.

Nearby and on the way

62

The Louvre

Paris, France

3 h 30 min · Timed ticket, online · 5 min walk

Yes — add to my route: The Louvre

54

Place Vendôme

Paris, France

25 min · Free · 12 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Place Vendôme

52

Pont Neuf

Paris, France

25 min · Free · 13 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Pont Neuf

51

Tuileries Garden

Paris, France

1 h · Free · 14 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Tuileries Garden

How to do it right

• Free garden entry.
• Mornings are quiet.
• Columns for photos.
• The Louvre is opposite.

Questions