Paris Places

Les Grands Boulevards

In Belle Époque Paris, the Grand Boulevards were the place to see and be seen: in the cafés, at the opera, or in the ornate passages couverts, the glass-roofed arcades that were the world's first shopping malls. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine the Grands Boulevards immortalized on canvas by the Impressionists: well-dressed Parisians strolling wide avenues dotted with shops, cafés, and horse-drawn carriages—all set against a backdrop of stately Haussmannian buildings. Today, despite the chain stores, sidewalk vendors, and fast-food joints, the Grands Boulevards remain the city's shopping epicenter, home to the most popular department stores, Galeries Lafayette and Au Printemps, near Place de l'Opéra at the heart of the long chain of avenues.

Shopping aside, the Grands Boulevards are a cultural destination anchored by the magnificent Opéra Garnier, commissioned by Napoléon III. The neighborhood is also home to some of the city's best small museums, all former private collections housed in 19th-century maisons particuliers (or mansions) that alone are worth the trip. The exquisite Musée Jacquemart-André plays host to an impressive collection of Italian Renaissance art, while the jewel box Musée Nissim de Camondo remembers one family's tragic end. The Musée Cernuschi has an impressive collection of Asian art, and the Musée Gustave Moreau is a quirky tribute to the Symbolist master.