Louvre to Opera Walk

DES Jardin des Tuileries

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Louvre to Opera Walk

1. Louvre, rue de Rivoli 2. Café Marly, 93 rue de Rivoli 3. Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 107 rue de

Rivoli

4. Jardin des Tuileries, rue de Rivoli 5. Musée de L’Orangerie, Jardin des

Tuileries 6. Jeu de Paume, 1 place de la Concorde 7. Place de la Concorde 8. Hôtel de Crillon, 10 place de la

Concorde 9. WH Smith, 248 rue de Rivoli 10. Pierre Hermé, 4 rue Cambon

11. Le Meurice, 228 rue de Rivoli 12. Angelina, 226 rue de Rivoli 13. Place Vendôme

14. Ritz, 15 Place Vendôme

Jardin des Tuileries

Copyright 2012 Girls' Guide To Paris and Doni Belau. All Rights Reserved.

Louvre to Opera Walk

15. Harry’s New York Bar, 5 rue Daunou 16. Palais Garnier, 1 place de l’Opera 17. Café de la Paix, 12 Boulevard des

Capucines

18. Place de la Madeleine 19. Fauchon, 24 – 2 place de la Madeleine 20. Hédiard, 21 place de la Madeleine 21. Eglise de la Madeleine

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Louvre to Opéra Walk On this walk, you’ll get a good dose of culture with a great selection of museums to visit, including the world-famous Louvre. It won’t be possible to visit in one day all the museums listed, but this approximate 3 hour walk will give you a good overview, so you can decide where you’d like to return. And no tour is complete without some gourmet stops to enjoy the many wonderful Parisian delicacies.

Start your day as soon as the 1. Louvre (rue de Rivoli ) opens, at 9 a.m., to avoid some of the crowds, but keep in mind that it’s closed on Tuesdays. You’ll never be able to see all 35,000 works of art in a day, so pick a few highlights, themes or time periods to explore. The Louvre is one of the largest museums in the world and dates back to the 12th century, when a fortress was needed to protect the city from an Anglo-Norman attack. It transitioned to a royal fortress and eventually into a museum in 1793.

If you need a pick-me-up after your visit, sit on the terrace of 2. Café Marly (93, rue de Rivoli) and enjoy views of I. M. Pei’s glass pyramid, but expect to pay the price for the exceptional location and view.

Next to the Louvre in the Hall Rohan’s 3. Musée des Arts Décoratifs (107, rue de Rivoli) are three independently operated museums, worth a visit for a look at the role of fashion, design and decorative arts in industry and culture. The Musée des Arts Décoratifs features decorative arts from the Middle Ages to today. The Musée de la Mode et du Textile highlights fashion from the 16th century to the present, and the Musée de la Publicité features advertising from around

the world. Look for interesting, frequently rotating exhibitions at each.

Walk out of the museum and through the beautifully landscaped 4. Jardin des Tuileries (rue de Rivoli). Initially a palace garden under Catherine de Médicis, the park was later opened to the public and designed by André Le Nôtre, the architect of the gardens at Versailles, in the 17th century. Grab one of the iconic green chairs and position it for a prime view of the expansive gardens and some great people watching.

If you haven’t hit museum overload yet, there are two more situated next to the Place de la Concorde. The 5. Musée de l’Orangerie (Jardin des Tuileries) features Claude Monet’s water lily paintings, among other impressionist work from the 19th and 20th centuries, including pieces by Cézanne, Renoir, Picasso and Matisse.

Opposite the Orangerie is the 6. Jeu de Paume (1, Place de la Concorde). Once a tennis court, it now focuses on photography exhibitions from the 19th to 21st centuries.

At the end of the Tuileries, pop out onto the 7. Place de la Concorde to see Paris’s largest square and to catch a glimpse of the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs Elysées. In the middle of the Place de la Concorde, a statue of Louis XV once stood; it was replaced with a guillotine, which was later used for many notable names, including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. The 75-foot-tall golden-topped obelisk that you now see in the middle of the square used to sit outside the Luxor Temple and dates back to 1550 BCE. It was given as a gift to France from the viceroy of Egypt in 1829. The base of the obelisk shows the complex manner in which the 230-ton object was shipped to France. The featured

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Louvre to Opéra Walk hieroglyphics celebrate the reigns of pharaohs, Ramses II and Ramses III, and the golden top was added by the government in 1998. On the western edge of the Place de la Concorde sits the famed 8. Hôtel de Crillon (10, Place de la Concorde), once an opulent home to the Count of Crillon. The first traveler was welcomed to the hotel in 1909, and service has been continuous and near perfection ever since. Turn onto rue de Rivoli, and soon on your left you’ll see 9. W. H. Smith (248, rue de Rivoli). Stop in if you need any books, travel guides or magazines written in English. Turn left on rue Cambon for one of the best macarons in Paris at 10. Pierre Hermé (4, rue Cambon). With the shop’s beautiful packaging and sculpted chocolates, it will be hard to leave without a shopping bag. Continue down rue de Rivoli and you’ll find the five-star hotel 11. Le Meurice (228, rue de Rivoli), with the three-star Michelin restaurant of the same name. If your budget does not allow for a stay or a meal here, have a drink inside and take a peek at the Philippe Starck–designed dining area, resembling an opulent room at Versailles. For something more casual but still beautiful, go next door to 12. Angelina (226, rue de Rivoli) for a rich, over-the-top hot chocolate, and try picking just one decadent sweet to accompany it. There’s a reason Angelina has been around for over a century. Turn back on rue de Rivoli and make a right up rue de Castiglione to the 13. Place Vendôme, one of Paris’s most prestigious squares, though it actually has eight sides,

which makes it an octagon. The Place Vendôme was initially constructed in the 18th century, and it has seen several statues come and go over the years, including a homage to Napoleon’s military prowess made from Russian and Austrian canons captured during the battle of Austerlitz. This, too, was destroyed and re-created and stands in the square today. The Place Vendôme is now home to many top-name jewelers and upscale boutiques, in addition to the iconic 14. Ritz Hotel* (15, Place Vendôme), which is worth a stop for a drink or more to enjoy the beautiful decor and people, perhaps including a few celebrities. *Closed for renovations until 2014. Continue up rue de la Paix, and if you’re still thirsty, duck into 15. Harry’s New York Bar (5, rue Daunou), to the right on rue Daunou. As the name suggests, Harry’s started in New York, where an avid patron loved the place so much that he asked if the whole bar could be moved to Paris, and voilà. Harry’s has been in Paris since 1911. Choose from among the 300 whiskies, or have one of the white-coated bartenders whip you up a New York specialty. When you arrive at the major intersection and roundabout, you’ll immediately see your next stop, the 16. Palais Garnier (1, Place de l’Opéra). Napoleon III ordered construction of this magnificent building, which was the most expensive built during the Second Empire, and it was instantly deemed a masterpiece. The chandelier in the center of the theatre was designed by Charles Garnier himself and weighs in at seven tons with all its bronze and crystal accoutrements. The brilliant multicolored mural on the ceiling was painted in 1964 by Marc Chagall, and each scene depicts a different story from a different opera. If you can’t get tickets to a performance but would like to see the inside

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Louvre to Opéra Walk of the building, the Palais Garnier offers well-executed tours of the breathtaking venue.

Leaving the Opéra with a right onto boulevard des Capucines, you’ll pass the classic 17. Café de la Paix (12, boulevard des Capucines), a great stop for a pre- or post-Opéra drink or bite. With the café’s gorgeous dining room and terrace, you’ll be drinking where notables like Oscar Wilde and Marlene Dietrich once did. Enjoy some window-shopping on your way to the 18. Place de la Madeleine, where you’ll find a food mecca. Head to your right and you’ll come to the first of two separate buildings for 19. Fauchon (24-26, Place de la Madeleine). The first shop has an extensive seafood section, as well as a large offering of cheese and charcuterie, macarons, and a bakery, where you can either eat your delicacies or get them to go. The shop kitty-corner has a full floor of sweets and savory items to pack in your suitcase as gifts for friends or yourself. There’s also a café upstairs for dining, and a full floor dedicated to wine below. Continuing your loop, you’ll find 20. Hédiard (21, Place de la Madeleine) opposite Fauchon. Enjoy the selection of jams, teas, salts, fresh produce, desserts and wine. Buy something for a future picnic, or if you can’t wait, eat in the restaurant upstairs, which features the best of Hédiard’s products. End your tour in the center of the plaza at the 21. Eglise de la Madeleine. In 1806 Napoleon gave instructions to build a “Temple of Glory” for his army. After his fall, there were delays that prevented the church from opening until 1842. Check the schedules to try and catch a concert in the traditional basilica.

Points of Interest Addresses

1. Louvre, rue de Rivoli 2. Café Marly, 93, rue de Rivoli, 01 49 26 06 60 3. Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 107, rue de Rivoli 4. Jardin des Tuileries, rue de Rivoli 5. Musée de l’Orangerie, Jardin des Tuileries 6. Jeu de Paume, 1, Place de la Concorde 7. Place de la Concorde 8. Hôtel de Crillon, 10, Place de la Concorde 9. W. H. Smith, 248, rue de Rivoli 10. Pierre Hermé, 4, rue Cambon 11. Le Meurice, 228, rue de Rivoli, 01 44 58 10 10 12. Angelina, 226, rue de Rivoli, 01 42 60 88 50 13. Place Vendôme 14. Ritz, 15, Place Vendôme 15. Harry’s New York Bar, 5, rue Daunou 16. Palais Garnier, 1, Place de l’Opéra 17. Café de la Paix, 12, boulevard des Capucines,

01 40 07 36 36 18. Place de la Madeleine 19. Fauchon, 24-26, Place de la Madeleine 20. Hédiard, 21, Place de la Madeleine 21. Eglise de la Madeleine

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