Places to discover

Museums

Galeries nationales du Grand Palais
This majestic stone building with its floral decoration, crowned with a splendid metallicframed glass roof, was constructed for the Exposition Universelle in 1900. Architecturally daring in its time, the Grand Palais houses the Palais de la Découverte science museum in one of its wings, while its nave and galleries are a dream showcase… for dream exhibitions!
3, av. du Gal-Eisenhower (8th). M° Champs-Élysées –Clemenceau. Tel. : 01 44 13 17 17. Open during exhibitions from 10am to 8pm. Late-night openings: contact for information. Closed Tue, 1 May and 25 Dec. €10 – RR: €8. Under 13s: free
www.grandpalais.fr



Petit Palais – musée des Beaux Arts de la Ville de Paris
Like its ‘Grand’ neighbour, the Petit (little) Palais is an example of the eclectic splendour of the Exposition of 1900. The building alternates white and coloured marble, moulding and garlands, painted ceilings, mosaic flooring and opal stained-glass windows around an interior garden. The city’s Fine Arts museum since 1902, the Petit Palais has had a complete makeover, and displays collections of painting, sculpture and art objects from antiquity to 1918. Amongst other marvels, visitors will admire Greek amphora, orthodox icons, Gothic ivories, Italian Madonnas, paintings by Rubens, Saxe porcelain and blown-crystal glass vases.
Av. Pdt-Winston-Chuchill (8th). M° ChampsÉlysées – Clemenceau. Tél. : 01 53 43 40 00. Daily: 10am-6pm, except Mon and public hols. Tue: open until 8pm during temporary exhibitions.
Permanent exhibitions free:
www.petitpalais.paris.fr


Musée de l’Orangerie
Built in 1852, the Orangery of the Tuileries soon lost its fruit trees to become a storehouse, and a room for examinations and dog competitions. Its destiny was clarified when Monet chose it to house the complete cycle of the Nymphéas (Water Lilies) on which he worked from 1914. Since its renovation was completed in 2006, the panels of a landscape of water lilies, weeping willows, reflections of trees and clouds – 2 metres high, almost 100 long – have regained their beauty and meaning in daylight. This exceptional venue also does justice to the collection of art dealer Paul Guillaume of whom it was said “the paintings and statues whispered in his ear”. And ‘his’ Renoir, Cézanne, Rousseau, Modigliani, Marie Laurencin, Matisse, Derain, Picasso, Soutine and Utrillo paintings definitely reveal a certain flair.
Jardin des Tuileries (1er). M° Concorde. Tel. : 01 44 77 80 07. Daily: 9am-6pm, except Tue. 1 May and 25 Dec. €7.50 – RR: €5.50. + €2 for temporary exhibitions. 1st Sun of each month: free.
www.musee-orangerie.fr


Musée du Jeu de paume site Concorde
Don’t be confused: it was in another room, at Versailles, that the famous Tennis Court Oath was taken at the start of the French Revolution! This building was only built in 1861 and when tennis replaced the game of jeu de paume, it became a venue for art. The gallery was redesigned in 1987 and now stages exhibitions devoted to the ‘image’, mixing periods and techniques, from the beginnings of the photo to third millennium videos. Combine a walk through the Tuileries with one of its sparkling exhibitions and an assortment of films and conferences to prolong the charm.
1, place de la Concorde (8th). M° Concorde. Tél. : 01 47 03 12 50. Tue: 12-noon-9pm. Wed to Fri: 12-noon-7pm. Sat and Sun: 10am-7pm. Closed Mon. €6 – RR: €3
www.jeudepaume.org


Musée Jacquemart-André
Nélie Jacquemart was commissioned to paint the portrait of Édouard André, the heir of a banking family. They were to remain inseparable and devoted their fortune to the collection exhibited in their mansion, built in 1875. The magnificent reception rooms, winter garden and private apartments are decorated with Louis XV and Louis XVI furniture, paintings by Boucher, Chardin and Fragonard and treasures of the Italian Renaissance collected on their trips abroad. The smoking room is English with Hoppner, Lawrence and Reynolds. The Flemish and Dutch masters of the 17th century, led by Rembrandt, are displayed in the library.
158, bd Haussmann (8th). M° Saint-Philippedu-Roule. Tél. : 01 45 62 11 59. Daily: 10am-6pm. €10 – RR: €7.50. Under 7s: free.
www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com


Palais de la Découverte
How does a light bulb light up? Do animals speak? What is out there in space? To answer these questions, the Palais de la Découverte, a scientific museum, is equipped with ultra-modern tools. Scientists carry out spectacular experiments on four themes (the Earth and the Universe, matter PASS PASS and energy, mathematics, and living things), which provide the focus for the permanent and temporary exhibitions. Visitors will discover “science in motion”, and the planetarium is an invitation to travel through the universe.
Av. Franklin-D.-Roosevelt (8th). M° Champs-Élysées- Clemenceau. Tel. : 01 56 43 20 21. Tue to Sat: 9.30am-6pm. Sun and some public hols: 10am-7pm. Mon and some public holidays: closed. €7 – RR: €4.50. Planetarium: €3.50 supplement. Under 5s: free.
www.palais-decouverte.fr


Les Arts décoratifs
This institute pursues the objectives it was given at the outset, “to promote what is both beautiful and useful” and groups together the Musée Nissim de Camondo, rue Monceau, and the Musées des Arts Décoratifs, de la Publicité, de la Mode et du Textile, rue de Rivoli. rue de Rivoli, 107, rue de Rivoli (1st). M° Palais-Royal –Musée-du-Louvre. Tél. : 01 44 55 57 50. Tue to Fri: 11am-6pm. Thu: late opening until 9pm. Sat, Sun: 10am-6pm. Combined ticket for the Musée de la Mode et du Textile and les Arts décoratifs.
Musée des Arts décoratifs
Since its renovation, a saunter through the museum’s nave and galleries is an even more special experience. The setting is all whiteness and airy spaces with calligraphy quotations in red on the walls. The riches of the Medieval and Renaissance periods embellish the residence and testify to its grandeur. From Henri IV to Louis XVI, it is pure magnificence. Ebony and rosewood, classical ideals, useful objects and philosophy all contribute to the rich pomp of the salons. Bourgeois splendour triumphs in the 19th century. Then come the sinuous curves of art nouveau, the geometry of art deco, and the industrial logic and functionalism of the 1950s, before plastic and anti-conformism give way to individualism and the desire for natural comfort. The trend for the 21st century is predicted to be…low-key.
Musée de la Publicité
The collection of posters (some of which date from the 18th century), and press, film, and radio advertisements showcase advertising in all its forms, including a retrospective of Chinese posters, a tribute to the pioneers of the advertisement, displays of logos, the power of images from Man Ray to Jean-Paul Goude, the epic story of the ‘Nantais’ biscuit and a Senegalese soldier on a box of cocoa. These works cannot be on permanent display due to their fragile nature and are thus presented in temporary exhibitions only. However the multimedia library is open to everyone.
Musée de la Mode et du Textile
Silks, embroidery, printed fabrics, lace, tapestry – 31,000 pieces in total – present the history of textiles from the 14th century onwards. Fashion is showcased with a collection of outfits and accessories from the 17th century to creations by Balmain, Chanel, Courrèges, Dior, Lanvin, Lacroix, Poiret, Saint Laurent, etc. These works cannot be on permanent display due to their fragile nature and so appear in temporary exhibitions only.
Musée Nissim-de-Camondo
In the first decade of the twentieth century, the banker Moïse de Camondo, a passionate collector of 18th-century decorative arts, had a magnificent mansion built on the edge of Parc Monceau, inspired by the Petit Trianon at Versailles but equipped with all modern comforts. In his wood-panelled apartments, he artfully displayed his collection. From the blue salon to porcelain collections, he takes us from Versailles to the table of Catherine II of Russia. In 1936, the mansion became a museum. A wonderful opportunity to visit an exceptionally refined family residence.
63, rue de Monceau (8th). M° Villiers. Tel. : 01 53 89 06 50. Wed to Sun: 10am-5.30pm. Closed Mon and Tue.
www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr


Musée Cernuschi
Philanthropic financier and aesthete traveller, Henri Cernuschi (1821-1896) bequeathed the works of art he had collected on his long travels together with his mansion, at the edge of Parc Monceau to the City. Rooted in the art and archaeology of ancient China, from the Neolithic period to the 13th century, the museum gives centre stage to a huge bronze Buddha. Around this sage meditating opposite a bay window inundated with light, are jade necklaces, ceramics, a Barbare Occidental with a long terra cotta nose and much more.
7, av. Velasquez (8th). M° Villiers. Tel. : 01 53 96 21 50. Daily: 10am-6pm, except Mon and public hols. Permanent collections free.
www.cernuschi.paris.fr

Monuments

Chapelle expiatoire
Guillotined in 1793, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were hastily buried in the Madeleine cemetery, on the actual site of square Louis XVI. During the Restoration, their remains were exhumed and transferred to the Basilique de Saint-Denis. Louis XVIII erected a funerary chapel, completed in 1826, on the site of their first tomb. Laid out as a Greek cross, it is decorated inside with angels, fleurs-de-lis, an altar in white marble, and a sculpture of Marie-Antoinette soutenue par la Religion, by Cortot.
29, rue Pasquier (8th). M° Saint-Lazare. Tel. : 01 44 32 18 00. Thu, Fri, Sat: 1-5pm. And some public hols. €5 – RR: €3.50. Under 18s and 1st Sun of the month (from Nov to Mar): free.
www.monuments-nationaux.fr


Palais-Bourbon
The Palais Bourbon, which has housed the Assemblée Nationale (the lower house of the French parliament) in its different forms since 1798, is of aristocratic origin! It was built in 1726 for Louise-Françoise, daughter of Louis XIV and Madame de Montespan, the widow of the Duc de Bourbon.
33 bis, quai d’Orsay (7th). M° Assemblée-Nationale. Tel. : 01 40 63 64 08. Voice activated service : 01 40 63 99 99. ID required. Free admission and visit.
www.assemblee-nationale.fr




Parc Monceau
This 18th-century Anglo-Chinese ‘folly’ was one of the first irregular gardens designed like a cabinet of outdoor curiosities. Amongst the lawns and play areas, there remain some extravagances: the mock antique ruins surrounding the ornamental pond, a little bridge, a grotto, rocks and even an Egyptian tomb covered with moss! The last folly of note was the capture of a wolf, in 1972.
8th. M° Monceau.