The whole charm of the neighbourhood fits into a loop of about three kilometres, with no need for the Métro. Step out of the hotel and you take in a theatre, the Louvre courtyards, a great garden, the arcades of the Palais-Royal and the most elegant of the covered passages in Paris. Allow 2 hr 15 min to 2 hr 40 min, breaks included.
This guide gives you an order, walking times and how long to spend at each stop. It was designed to start from Hotel Montpensier, 12 rue de Richelieu: the hotel sits in the middle of the route, so you can split it in two or drop back to your room at any time.
The route at a glance
| Stop | Walk from the previous stop | Time there |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Comédie-Française and place Colette | 2 min | 5 to 10 min |
| 2. The Louvre courtyards and the Pyramid | 5 min | 20 to 30 min |
| 3. The Tuileries Garden | 10 min | 30 min |
| 4. The Palais-Royal garden and galleries | 15 min | 25 to 30 min |
| 5. Galerie Vivienne | 4 min | 15 to 20 min |
| Back to the hotel | 6 min | - |
That makes about 40 minutes of walking in total, and an hour and a half to two hours at the stops. Walking times are estimates, at an easy pace.
The route, step by step
1. The Comédie-Française and place Colette
Walk down rue de Richelieu: two minutes later, at the end of the street, you are in front of the Comédie-Française. The Salle Richelieu, home to the company founded under Louis XIV, stands on the corner of the Palais-Royal. On place Colette, look at the entrance to the Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre Métro station: its two domes of coloured glass beads are the work of Jean-Michel Othoniel.
There is no need to linger more than a few minutes during the day: the theatre is best discovered in the evening, during a performance.
2. The Louvre courtyards and the Pyramid
Cross rue de Rivoli and take the passage Richelieu, which leads straight to the Cour Napoléon and the Pyramid. On the way, the large windows give you a view of the sculptures in the Cour Marly, no ticket needed. Walk around the Pyramid, then carry on to the Cour Carrée, to the east: it is the oldest part of the Louvre, and often the quietest.
The courtyards are free to enter. This stop does not include a visit to the museum: to go inside, plan it with our guide Visiting the Louvre from the Palais-Royal, and set aside another half-day.
3. The Tuileries Garden
From the Pyramid, walk under the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel: the Tuileries Garden begins just behind it. Head down the main avenue to the Grand Bassin Rond, take one of the green metal chairs set around the water, and enjoy the view stretching towards the Concorde and the Champs-Élysées.
If you have time, go on to the octagonal pond at the far end of the garden, then retrace your steps. If not, turn back at the Grand Bassin Rond: that is where you will find the finest view.
4. The Palais-Royal garden and galleries
Leave the garden on the rue de Rivoli side and walk back up under the arcades to place du Palais-Royal: a quarter of an hour's walk, under cover. Enter the Palais-Royal through the main courtyard, home to Daniel Buren's striped columns. Children and adults alike love to perch on them for a photo.
Carry on into the garden, with its avenues of lime trees, its fountain and its metal chairs, then walk around the galleries that line it. Under the arcades, old-established shops sit alongside designers, and the façade of Le Grand Véfour, opened in 1784, is a reminder that people have been dining here for more than two centuries.
5. Galerie Vivienne
Leave the garden by the north side, on rue de Beaujolais, and make your way to rue des Petits-Champs: the entrance to galerie Vivienne is four minutes away. Under its glass roof, look up at the rotunda, then down at the original mosaic floor. An antiquarian bookshop, a historic wine merchant, a tea room: it is the perfect stop for a break before heading back.
From the galerie, walk back down rue de Richelieu: the hotel is a six-minute walk away.
When to go
On weekday mornings, the Louvre courtyards and the Palais-Royal garden are still quiet, and the light on the façades is beautiful. Set off at around 8am to walk through the courtyards before the groups arrive and the museum opens at 9am.
Late afternoon also works very well in the warmer months, when the gardens stay open late. In that case, do the loop the other way round: start with galerie Vivienne and the Palais-Royal, and finish in the Tuileries at sunset.
Just avoid the museum's opening time, when queues build up around the Pyramid, and the middle of the day at weekends.
Splitting the walk in two
As the hotel sits in the middle of the route, there is no need to do it all in one go. Two half-loops work very well:
- In the morning, the Louvre and Tuileries side: the Comédie-Française, the Louvre courtyards, the Tuileries Garden, and back to the hotel along rue de Rivoli, about an hour and a quarter.
- In the afternoon, the Palais-Royal side: the garden, the galleries, then galerie Vivienne, about an hour.
It is also the best option with a child, or if you are visiting the Louvre on the same day: you save your energy for the museum and can drop a bag off at the hotel in between.
If it rains
Much of the route stays under cover: the arcades of rue de Rivoli, the passage Richelieu, the galleries of the Palais-Royal and galerie Vivienne. In wet weather, start with galerie Vivienne and the Palais-Royal, and keep the Tuileries for a dry spell.
Whatever the weather, wear comfortable shoes: between the cobbles of the Cour Carrée and the gravel paths of the Tuileries, the ground is sometimes uneven. At reception, the team can give you a map of the neighbourhood and point out the shortcuts.
After the walk
The loop ends a few minutes from the hotel, close to the best restaurants in the neighbourhood: our guide Where to eat near the Opéra and the Palais-Royal helps you choose according to the time of day and your budget. To go inside the museum on another day, plan your visit with our guide Visiting the Louvre from the Palais-Royal.