Unlike the Grand Palais, which still belongs to the State, the Petit Palais was inaugurated in 1902 as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris (fine arts museum of the city of Paris). Access to its permanent collections is therefore free of charge (as for all the museums belonging to the city of Paris) and the renovation works carried out between 2001 and 2005 were financed entirely by the city council (73 million euros, around £49.5 million).

The completely refurbished Petit Palais is a real gem, both for the treasures it houses and for its flamboyant architecture, which combines marble sculptures with stained glass windows and wrought ironwork (the entrance door on avenue Winston Churchill has been compared with the wrought ironwork of Place Stanislas in Nancy!). The architect Charles Girault (1851-1932) achieved the feat of erecting a building totally open to daylight, thanks to numerous glass roofs and large picture windows. The creation in the centre of a colonnade surrounding a very beautiful exotic garden further accentuates this impression of luminosity… The tearoom beneath the arcades is a great place for a rendezvous or to have a drink: a haven of peace in the heart of Belle Époque Paris!

 

Free admission avenue Winston Churchill. Free access to the garden and café.

Metro : Champs-Élysées-Clémenceau