Historic monuments, world-class art and spectacular department stores on the French capital’s Left Bank.
1 - Musée d’Orsay
Housed in the magnificent former Orsay railway station, this grand museum on the banks of the Seine has the largest collection of Impressionist art works in the world. Pick up an audio guide (€6) for commentary on more than 300 works, and take in the impressive architecture in the great hall, including the beautiful arched ceiling and giant clock. The ground floor pays homage to the Opéra Garnier, exhibiting a cross-section of the monument and a 1:100 scale model below your feet of the surrounding district as it was in 1914.
Impressionist aficionados should head to the fifth floor for oeuvres by artists including Claude Monet (don’t miss the Water Lillies) and Edouard Manet, along with a gallery of Van Gogh’s works including Starry Night. Next month marks the start of the exhibition “Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise” following its spell at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Running from 3 October, 2023 until 4 February, 2024, it will display almost 50 paintings and drawings – including eight loaned masterpieces from the Dutch museum.
If you get peckish, the Musée d’Orsay Restaurant on the first floor doubles as a gilded gallery, with chandeliers and frescoes by Gabriel Ferrier and Benjamin Constant, or there’s the Café Campana on the fifth floor with a clock acting as a window over the city at its centre. Open Tues-Sun; adult tickets from €16. musee-orsay.fr
2 - Coffee stop
Your brain probably needs some fuel after studying the oeuvres. Thankfully, there are plenty of cafés around. Coffee shop Noir’s spot in Saint-Germain is bright and cosy, with peach-hued walls, barrels of beans and a counter brimming with cakes and madeleines. Most importantly, it serves coffee sourced from its roastery in the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, located just outside Paris.
The café has a modern design – note the mirrored ceiling – but has kept the old-school shoe shop signage on the exterior. Grab a seat outside, facing the picturesque Square de Luynes, and ruminate on your favourite artwork over a barista coffee. noircoffeeshop.com
3 - Beaupassage
Should you want something a little more filling, there’s plenty of gastronomy at this 10,000 sqm inner courtyard connecting Rue du Bac and Rue de Grenelle with the larger Boulevard Raspail. The pedestrianised space, created in 2018 by real estate firm Emerige, houses cafes, wine bars, restaurants and delis from award-winning names such as Anne-Sophie Pic and Pierre Hermé.
Interspersed among these outlets is greenery, sculptures and artwork. The entrance at 83-85 Rue du Bac has the vibrant Grans Bwa mural by French artist Romain Bernini, which depicts a colourful, imaginary forest. If you’re entering from Boulevard Raspail, the passageway features Eva Jospin’s La Traversée, a cardboard installation of a forest behind glass. Open 7am-12am.
4 - Le Bon Marché
This department store at the crossroads of Rue de Sèvres and Rue du Bac is the city’s oldest. Originally founded by Aristide and Marguerite Boucicaut in 1852 with just 12 employees and 300 sqm of space, the store is now property of luxury fashion house LVMH and sells everything from homeware to guitars and designer clothing. The structure itself is a work of art, featuring industrial-style interiors by architect Louis-Charles Boileau, ironwork structures by renowned engineer Gustave Eiffel and iconic black-and-white gridded escalators by Andrée Putman.
There are more than 80 artworks, with the escalators often used as a canvas for impressive installations. The store hosts tours of its art collection, architecture and gastronomy (from €20 per person) and after-hours events, from talks on food to music and theatre shows. Across the road is La Grande Epicerie de Paris, the store’s spectacular food hall, which spans more than 2,800 sqm and is a feast for the eyes. Open daily. lebonmarche.com
5 - Hôtel des Invalides
Head west to the vast Esplanade des Invalides, where greenery-flanked roads are bookended by the Alexandre III bridge and the Hôtel des Invalides. This prestigious monument, recognisable for its gilded Dome, was built during the reign of Louis XIV in 1687 and served as a hospital and retirement home for war veterans, housing more than 4,000 people until 1715. It still serves its initial function, by housing the Institution Nationale des Invalides, but also comprises military monuments and museums including the Musée de l’Armée, which has 15,000 sqm of memorabilia, with plans to extend the collections beyond World War II.
The 107-metre-high Dome des Invalides, meanwhile, marks the resting place of figures including Napoleon Bonaparte. Designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the exterior features 550,000 leaves of gold and weighs just under 30 pounds. Inside, there’s a spectacular Baroque fresco ceiling by Charles de La Fosse while the Louis Visconti-designed red tomb of the major French figure lies at its centre. Open daily; tickets from €15. musee-armee.fr
