# Palais-Royal, Paris > The Palais-Royal is a former royal palace facing the Louvre, built in 1633–1639 for Cardinal Richelieu. Today it houses the Ministry of Culture and the Council of State, while visitors come for its garden, a quiet green rectangle of lime-tree avenues and a fountain framed by galleries of shops, cafés and a historic restaurant. The courtyard holds Daniel Buren's famous striped columns, with the Comédie-Française next door. Entry to the garden and courtyard is free. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/paris/palais-royal - City: [Paris](https://yesgo.io/france/paris), France - YesGo score: 53/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 40 min - Opening hours: Garden open daily, morning to evening - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Garden and courtyard free - Garden hours: Morning to evening, longer in summer - Palace: Closed, houses government bodies - Duration: ≈ 30–45 minutes - Nearby: Louvre, Comédie-Française - Location: 1st arrondissement, metro Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre - Coordinates: 48.86333, 2.33694 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1639** — palace completed for Richelieu (source: English Wikipedia) - **1784** — Le Grand Véfour restaurant opened (source: English Wikipedia) - **145** — shops and cafés once filled the arcades (source: English Wikipedia) - **Buren** — artist of the striped columns (source: English Wikipedia) ## About the Palais-Royal The Palais-Royal stands on Rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement, directly opposite the [Louvre](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/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**. > **When to come** The Palais-Royal garden is lovely year-round, especially in spring when the flowerbeds bloom and in summer when the limes give shade. Mornings are almost empty, perfect for photographing the Buren columns without crowds. The garden closes in the evening, later in summer and earlier in winter. Enter through the arches from Rue de Montpensier, Rue de Valois and Rue de Beaujolais. ## 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. ## How to get there 1. Metro lines 1 and 7 to **Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre**, exiting onto Place du Palais-Royal. 2. From the Louvre pyramid, a 5-minute walk across Rue de Rivoli. 3. From the Palais Garnier, a 15-minute walk down Avenue de l'Opéra. 4. Enter the garden through the arches on Rue de Montpensier and Rue de Valois. ## 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](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/opera-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. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Pose on the Buren columns - [ ] Sit by the garden fountain - [ ] Walk the arcaded galleries - [ ] Find Le Grand Véfour - [ ] Look into Galerie Vivienne ## Places in Paris: compare and choose Places in Paris rated by YesGo. - [The Louvre](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/louvre) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h 30 min · Timed ticket, online - [Hôtel de Ville](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/hotel-de-ville) — YesGo score 56/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Square free, halls by tour - [Palais Garnier](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/opera-garnier) — YesGo score 54/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 15 min · Visit ticket for the building - [Palais-Royal](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/palais-royal) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Garden and courtyard free - [Palace of Versailles](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/versailles) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 6 h · Timed ticket, online - [Château de Vincennes](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/chateau-de-vincennes) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 45 min · Ticket for the keep and chapel - [Palace of Fontainebleau](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/fontainebleau) — YesGo score 30/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · Palace ticket, gardens free ## Don't mix it up The Palais-Royal is the palace and garden facing the Louvre; the Palais de Tokyo and the Grand Palais are other Paris palaces used as museums and exhibition halls. ## Tips - Free garden entry. - Mornings are quiet. - Columns for photos. - The Louvre is opposite. ## Questions ### Can I go inside the Palais-Royal? The palace is closed as it houses government bodies; the garden, courtyard and galleries are open. ### Is there an entry fee? The garden and courtyard are free. ### What are the striped columns in the courtyard? Daniel Buren's installation Les Deux Plateaux. ### How long should I spend at the Palais-Royal? About 30–45 minutes. ### How do I get to the Palais-Royal? By metro to Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Exact garden hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Palais-Royal - French national monuments website, domaine-palais-royal.fr --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.