Place Vendôme

Paris


Octagonal place Vendôme and the arcaded and colonnaded buildings around it were constructed between 1687 and 1721. In March 1796 Napoléon married Josephine, Viscountess Beauharnais, in the building at No 3. Today the buildings surrounding the square house the posh Hôtel Ritz Paris and some of the city’s most fashionable boutiques.

The 43.5m-tall Colonne Vendôme in the centre of the square consists of a stone core wrapped in a 160m-long bronze spiral made from hundreds of Austrian and Russian cannons captured by Napoléon at the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Paris attractions

1. Colonne Vendôme

In the centre of place Vendôme, this column consists of a stone core wrapped in a 160m-long bronze spiral made from hundreds of Austrian and Russian…

2. Marché de St-Honoré

0.11 MILES

This monumental glass hall (Ricardo Bofill, 1996) of offices and shops replaces an unsightly parking garage (now underground) and evokes the wonderful…

3. Théâtre-Musée des Capucines

0.18 MILES

A separate wing of the Perfume Museum is located a short distance south in the Théâtre-Musée des Capucines. The activity in this early 20th-century…

4. Musée du Parfum Scribe

0.26 MILES

This wing of Fragonard's Perfume Museum holds a collection of copper distillery vats and antique flacons. It's located in a beautiful old hôtel…

5. Église de la Madeleine

0.28 MILES

Place de la Madeleine is named after the 19th-century neoclassical church at its centre, the Église de la Madeleine. Constructed in the style of a massive…

6. Nouveau Musée du Parfum

0.28 MILES

If the art of fragrance entices, stop by Fragonard's perfume museum. One of a trio of Paris locations, it has 30-minute guided tours (English available)…

7. Jeu de Paume

0.29 MILES

The Galerie du Jeu de Paume, which stages innovative photography exhibitions, is housed in an erstwhile jeu de paume (royal tennis court) of the former…

8. Jardin des Tuileries

0.29 MILES

Filled with fountains, ponds and sculptures, the formal 28-hectare Tuileries Garden, which begins just west of the Jardin du Carrousel, was laid out in…