Place de la Madeleine

Lonely Planet review

Ringed by a plethora of fine-food and gourmet shops, the place de la Madeleine is named after the 19th-century neoclassical church in its centre, the Église de la Madeleine. Built in the style of a Greek temple, La Madeleine was consecrated in 1845 after almost a century of design changes and construction delays.

It is surrounded by 52 Corinthian columns standing 20m tall, and its marble and gilt interior is topped by three sky-lit cupolas. You can hear the massive organ being played at Saturday and Sunday Mass.

The monumental staircase on the south side affords one of the city's most quintessential panoramas: down rue Royale to Place de la Concorde (and the obelisk) and across the Seine to the Assemblée Nationale. The gold dome of the Invalides appears in the background.

Paris' cheapest belle époque attraction is the public toilet on the east side of La Madeleine, which dates from 1905. Nearby is a gorgeous flower market, which has been there since 1832.