Built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900, the Petit Palais now houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. When the beautiful days arrive, its patio also offers us a welcome break of greenery in a luxuriant and romantic setting.
A luxuriant garden
Nestled opposite its “big brother” along Avenue Winston Churchill , the Petit Palais is a gem in the heart of Paris. While walking through this sublime vestige of the Universal Exhibition of 1900, you can familiarize yourself with the works of Courbet, Delacroix or Rembrandt, … or have lunch on the terrace in the middle of an exotic and lush patio! . Adorned with three pools of water bordered by blue and gold mosaics, this semi-circular patio is in the image of the museum: eclectic, astonishing, almost unclassifiable. Here, marble, painted ceilings, mosaic floors and ancient colonnades meet palm trees, banana trees and other exotic trees of all kinds.
The restaurant
And to take a break between two visits to the museum, the “Le Jardin du Petit Palais” café-restaurant opens onto a lush green garden, surrounded by interior arches and mosaic tables positioned around pools of water. We particularly appreciate the freshness of the place in summer, in the shade of palm trees for a coffee break on the terrace, quiet, far from the hustle and bustle of the Champs Elysées. Whose interior rooms are on the first floor and the terrace on the peristyle, offers French cuisine that is refined without being elitist (full lunch menu at € 42, espresso at € 3.3 and beer at € 6). The café is open continuously from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the week except Monday and until 7 p.m. on Friday, in the event of a temporary exhibition. As for the museum, it is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday until 9 p.m. As with all museums managed by the city of Paris, entry to the permanent collections of the Petit Palais is free. More information on the Petit Palais website.
1 Avenue Dutuit Petit Palais, 75008 Paris
