Paris - Opera and the Louvre Travel Guides | Paris | Sub Regions | Paris - Opera and the Louvre

Welcome to aristocratic Paris, the Paris that originally took shape under the direction of the French monarchy. This remains an area of opulent palaces, tree-lined boulevards, and imposing squares – only the monarchy has gone. The Louvre and Palais Royal are former royal palaces, the Tuileries were once royal gardens and the ostentatious place de la Concorde and place Vendôme were also built to honour the monarchy. Later, the Revolution made its mark, and Napoleon made his presence felt everywhere you look. He contributed building work to the Louvre and La Madeleine church, and is also responsible for commissioning the rue de Rivoli, which he envisaged as a street grand enough to make a suitable backdrop for victory marches between the Louvre and the Champs Elysées. In the end it was completed years after his death, not long before Baron Haussmann’s significant modernisation plans of the 1860s and 70s got underway, which included the avenue de l’Opéra and the magnificent Opéra Garnier. Today the the elegant squares in the area teem with bankers, museum-goers, opera-lovers and cinephiles, not to mention shoppers, who also swarm around the arcades along the rue de Rivoli, the department stores on boulevard Haussmann and the small, stylish shops sheltering in the passages.

Sights

Palais du Louvre, 75001, T 01 40 20 51 51/53 17, http://www.louvre.fr Wed-Mon 0900-1800 (until 2145 Mon for short circuit and Wed for the whole museum). €7.50, under 18s and art students free. After 1500 €5. Free first Sun of month. Those with tickets can avoid queuing and enter via Passage Richelieu. Pick up a free floor plan from the information desk. M Palais Royal.

Paris’s foremost art gallery is as vast as it is famous. The building was constructed as a fortress in the 12th century, lived in as a palace by the late 14th century, rebuilt in the Renaissance style in the 16th century, and finally converted into a museum by Napoleon. I M Pei’s wonderful glass pyramid entrance was added in 1989. Today the four floors of the three wings (Sully, Denon and Richelieu) hold some 350,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures and other items, dating from 7000 BC to the mid-19th century.

The Louvre contains a phenomenal range of antiquities. Oriental Antiquities are located on the ground floor of the Richelieu wing and Egyptian Antiquities are spread across the ground and first floors of the Sully wing. The section dedicated to Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities starts on the lower ground floor of the Denon wing. Don’t miss the heart-warming terracotta sarcophagus of a cheery couple reclining at a banquet in the 6th century BC (Denon, ground floor). Greek classical sculpture, including the magnificent 2nd-century BC Vénus de Milo, is located on the ground floor of the Sully wing.

The Medieval section (lower ground floor, Sully wing) is dedicated to the history of the building itself. The high note is the excavated remains of the original 12th-century fortress erected by Philippe-Auguste.

Painting Paintings are grouped by region into French, Italian, Spanish, English and Northern European schools. The French paintings cover the vast period from the 14th century to the mid-19th century, after which the Musée d’Orsay picks up the trail. To make a chronological tour, start on the second floor of the Richelieu wing. Those intending to see La Joconde (Mona Lisa) – with the 16th-century Venetian paintings in room 6 on the first floor of the Denon section – should do so as soon as the museum opens. At any other time you’ll find the painting surrounded by a crowd of tourists, taking turns having their photos taken with her. Since a foiled knife attack the Mona Lisa has been kept behind glass. The Northern schools span over 30 rooms on the second floor of Richelieu, of which one to definitely see is the Medici Gallery, where Rubens’ series the Life of Marie de Médicis is exhibited in all its eulogistic splendour.

Although there are some 130,000 prints and drawings at the Louvre, their fragility means that only a fraction are displayed at any one time, interspersed with the paintings.

There are some 8,000 decorative art objects in the Louvre, concentrated on the first floor of the Sully and Richelieu wings. Items include Gobelins tapestries, glittering jewellery, intricately decorated Limoges enamels and French furniture. To see furnishings in situ, detour to the ostentatious apartments of Napoleon III (Richelieu), in particular the elaborate Grand Salon, decked out in gorgeous golds and sumptuous velvets. Also part of this section, in the Apollo Room on the first floor of the Denon wing, are the French crown jewels. Don’t miss the coronation crowns of Louis XV and Napoleon.

Sculpture is arranged by country. The French sculptures are spread across the lower ground and ground floors of the Richelieu section, concentrating on two beautiful, spacious courtyards, which can also be overlooked from the Passage Richelieu. These light and airy courtyards are split into different levels and interspersed with greenery. Cour Marly is where the sculptures from the 18th and 19th centuries are kept, including Coustou’s magnificent Horses of Marly. The space in Cour Puget is dedicated to some of the works by 17th-century sculptor Pierre Puget, including his Milo of Crotona. Another highlight is the Michelangelo Gallery of Italian sculptures from the 16th-19th centuries, located on the ground floor of the Denon section. At one end of the gallery are Michelangelo’s two slaves, while at the other is Antonio Canova’s delicate Psyche and Cupid. L’Ardoise is a good and inexpensive bistro option for a lunch-break from all the Louvre's wonders. Alternatively, if you need a soothing drink, try the bar Le Fumoir .

Rue de Rivoli, 75001. Mon-Sun, dawn-dusk. M Tuileries, Concorde.

The Tuileries gardens occupy a prime plot in central Paris, butting up to place de la Concorde at their western end and the Louvre to the east, and have been been popular with the strolling public for centuries. In the 17th century, the gardens belonged to the Tuileries Palace. Napoleon erected the arch at the Louvre end in 1808, and when the Tuileries Palace was burnt down by the Paris Commune in 1871 the gardens were extended. Louis XIV’s royal gardener, André Le Nôtre, flexed his muscles designing these formal gardens back in 1664, before graduating to even grander projects, not least the gardens of Versailles. Le Nôtre’s creation is a haven of terraces, ponds and paths. Today the Tuileries gardens still match much of Le Nôtre’s original design and the gardens are as well kept and popular as ever. Absorbed lovers whisper their way down the gravel alleys, students shift metal chairs into the sun for an afternoon’s reading, and artists sketch the sculptures. Despite the fact that the gardens can be overrun with tourists, they still feel quintessentially French. Foreigners may be bemused by the paucity of grass, and the fact that what little exists is most definitely out of bounds.

Jardin des Tuileries, 75008. M Concorde.

In the Tuileries gardens, overlooking the place de la Concorde, is this little gem of a gallery. It is memorable above all for its oval ground floor room, where the walls are covered with the famous water lily series – the Nymphéas – painted by Claude Monet at Giverny . There are also a number of works by Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani. At the time of writing it is closed for building works, but is due to reopen during 2003.

1 place de la Concorde, Jardin des Tuileries, 75008, T 01 47 03 12 50. Tue-Fri 1100-1800, Sat-Sun 1000-1800. Most exhibitions €6, concessions €4.50. M Concorde.

Once a real tennis court for Napoleon III, the Jeu de Paume was converted for use as an art gallery when lawn tennis overtook real tennis in popularity. The space is used for excellent exhibitions of contemporary art, which usually run for about three months.

75008. M Concorde.

This square, the city’s largest, is soaked with the history – and blood – of France. The architect, Jacques Ange Gabriel, designed the square for Louis XV in the 1750s. It was called place Louis XV and the king’s statue took pride of place in the centre. During the Revolution this statue was melted down and a guillotine erected. Place de la Révolution, as it was then called, saw the public execution of, amongst others, Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and Robespierre. Today the greatest danger is the relentless traffic – place de la Concorde has become one of the capital’s main car valves, filtering to and from the Left Bank as well as across Paris east to west. That’s not the only change since Revolutionary times: in the 1830s two fountains and an obelisk presented to Charles X by the viceroy of Egypt were positioned on the central island. Visit the square at night for unparalleled illuminated views across the Seine to the Assemblée Nationale, into the Tuileries gardens, down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe, and up the rue Royale to place de la Madeleine.

75001, 75004. M Concorde, Tuileries, Louvre-Rivoli, Hôtel de Ville.

Rue de Rivoli was built to celebrate Napoleon’s defeat of the Austrians at Rivoli at the end of the 18th century and was finally finished in the 1850s. It stretches between place de la Concorde past the Tuileries gardens and the Louvre all the way east beyond the Hôtel de Ville. The elegant arcades at its western end shelter bookshops, expensive boutiques, souvenir shops, tourist hotels and the famous tea shop Angélina’s . At the Hôtel de Ville end the shops are less exclusive and more high street.

107 rue de Rivoli, 75001, T 01 44 55 57 50, http://www.ucad.fr Tue-Fri 1100-1800, Sat-Sun 1000-1800. €7, concessions €4.50, under 5s free. Ticket also covers Musée de la Mode et du Textile and Musée des Arts Décoratifs. M Palais Royal, Tuileries, Pyramides.

The remit of the Museum of Publicity is to cover anything to do with publicity and its evolution from vintage to ultra-modern. Exhibits range from posters and packaging to radio and television advertising campaigns. Check listings magazines for details, as the museum closes for up to two months between shows.

The Museum of Fashion and Textiles has a collection of some 81,000 items, including 16,000 complete costumes dating back to the 16th century. Brilliant evidence of the evolution of clothing styles and the textile industry, the museum is open for temporary exhibitions only. Previous themes have included Jackie Kennedy's wardrobe and French fashion in the 1960s.

The Museum of Decorative Arts, at the same address, has a world-class collection of tapestries, ceramics and embroidery but is currently undergoing renovation and is mostly closed until 2005.

Place du Palais Royal, 75001, T 01 49 27 55 55. Mon-Sun dawn to dusk. Public access limited to gardens and arcades. Free. M Palais Royal.

The courtyard and gardens of the Palais Royale somehow manage to be both romantic and child-friendly at the same time. The arcades which flank them are one of the most popular Parisian backdrops for hand-in-hand strolling, and also shelter cafés and specialist shops selling antique silverware, military medals, paintings and toy soldiers. Today the cafés are rather stiff, well-heeled establishments, but before and after the Revolution they were dens of vice with reputations for gambling, prostitution and political plotting. It was here that Camille Desmoulins roused people to action on 14 July 1789, sparking the storming of the Bastille and the Revolution itself. In the courtyard incongruous black-and-white striped columns invariably crawl with shrieking children. The columns, of varying heights, have proved contentious, along with the shiny steel balls in the two fountains. Midway through their construction in the mid 1980s the state tried, and failed, to retract the permission granted to sculptor Daniel Buren. The palace was originally built for Cardinal Richelieu, minister to Louis XIII, in the 17th century, but after Richelieu’s death it passed to the royal family. Today it is home to the Ministry of Culture, and is therefore closed to the public.

Place de la Bourse, 75002, T 01 49 27 55 55. Groups of 20 may book tours explaining the function of La Bourse. €8.50, concessions €5.50. M Bourse, Les Halles.

This spectacular domed building was built as a grain market in the 18th century. The first dome, erected in 1782, was constructed from pine. It was destroyed by fire in 1802 and rebuilt in 1813 in metal. The decline in business of the grain market in the 19th century led to its conversion into the Stock Exchange. In the late 1880s five painters were commissioned to illustrate the history of commerce between the different continents underneath the dome. The paintings are dynamic and colourful. For each continent there are recognizable images, such as Christopher Columbus and Buffalo Bill -type rodeo scenes to represent America. Today there is no longer any action by traders in the coffee and sugar markets, and the building is home to the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In theory, casual entrance to the Bourse is restricted to those coming on business, but often it is possible to sneak in to stand under today’s glass dome and admire the paintings.

Place de l’Opéra, 75009, T 01 40 01 22 63, http://www.opera-de-paris.fr Call for details of guided tours (1 ½ hrs). Mon-Sun 1000-1630. €7, concessions €6, children €5. M Opéra.

At the instigation of Napoleon III a competition was held to find an architect for the opera house, as part of the wider reconstruction of the capital overseen by Baron Haussmann. The winner, chosen from some 170 entries, was Charles Garnier. The construction of his design took 15 years, and it was finally inaugurated in 1875. The grand stairway is decorated with different coloured marble imported from several countries. The horseshoe-shaped auditorium – seating almost 2,000 – is a sumptuous array of red and gold. In 1962 Marc Chagall repainted the ceiling with Paris landmarks and scenes from famous operas and ballets. On either side of the auditorium’s doorway stands a bronze female statue, one depicting Comedy, the other Tragedy. Garnier’s foyers are equally highly decorated, places where society ladies in shimmering gowns could mill in awe during the intervals.

9 rue Scribe, 75009, T 01 47 42 04 56, and 39 blvd des Capucines, 75002, T 01 42 60 37 14. Mon-Sat 0900-1800 (summer also Sun 0930-1600). Free. M Opéra.

A museum on two sites that tells the history of perfume from ancient Egypt to the present day through exhibiting the collections of the Fragonard perfume house. Exhibits include perfume-making apparatus, precious perfume bottles and a 20th-century perfume organ – a three-sided wooden desk with scales and countless small bottles – where le nez (the nose) composed new perfumes. The museum artfully finishes in the Fragonard shop downstairs.

75008. M Opéra.

A masterpiece of architectural grace, this eight-sided square was inaugurated in 1699 to honour Louis XIV, although it takes its name from a mansion owned by the Duc de Vendôme that previously stood here. As with Louis XIV’s other royal square – place des Victoires – place Vendôme was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. Both squares had as their centrepiece a statue of the king; both statues were ripped out during the Revolution to be melted down. Over a decade later Napoleon filled the gap left in place Vendôme, erecting a bronze replica of Trajan’s column in Rome. The column was decorated with illustrations of Napoleon’s fantastic military conquests. The one here today is actually a copy, the original having been torn down by the Communards in 1871. This square is now one of the more ostentatious addresses in town, filled with bankers, the Ritz Hotel and fine shops such as Cartier. The expensive finesse continues northwards along Rue de la Paix.

Place de la Madeleine, 75008, T 01 44 51 69 00. Mon-Sat 0730- 1900; Sun 0730-1300, 1530-1900. Free. M Madeleine.

This vast neoclassical church is renowned for its massive Corinthian columns, sculpted frieze, numerous statues, marble and gilt interior, and for its organ, inaugurated in 1846 and more recently classified as a Historic Monument in its own right. Building began back in the 1760s. In 1806 Napoleon appointed Barthélemy Vignon to the project with orders to create a Temple of Glory. The church was finally consecrated to Mary Magdalene in 1845. The bas-reliefs on the huge bronze doors depict the Ten Commandments. From these steps there is a great view down to place de la Concorde and the Assemblée Nationale, on the other side of the Seine. There are two or three ‘Musical Sundays’ a month, with organ recitals.

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