A walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre, Paris

On a Sunday morning in February, I caught the RER A from Maisons-Laffitte to Paris. The previous day, I had planned an itinerary from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre.

The weather forecast had been quite optimistic.

Although chilly in the morning, la météo was forecasting a beautiful sunny day, and it was not at all wrong!

A Winter walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre

Accompanied by my 2-year-old daughter, I went on a photographic walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre via some of Paris’ most famous landmarks: Esplanade des Invalides, Pont Alexandre III, Champs-Élysées, Place de la Concorde, and the Tuileries Garden.

It seems like Paris invites us to walk without end, from one monument to the other.

It took us more than 8 km to find our way from the Bir-Hakeim métro station to the Glass Pyramid of the Louvre (and as you can guess, I pushed Aimée in her stroller all the way!)

• Start at: métro station Bir-Hakeim (line 6), boulevard de Grenelle (15th arrondissement)
• Arrive at: métro station Palais Royal Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7), place du Palais Royal (1st arrondissement)
• Distance: approximately 6.5 km (4 miles).

Champ-de-Mars and Eiffel Tower

How many times have we seen the Eiffel Tower?

Maybe a thousand times… still, we’re always tempted to take tons of photos each time we see it!

On Sunday morning, the Iron Lady was enhanced by the beautiful light of a February sun.

View of the tower from avenue de Suffren (15th arrondissement):

Entering the Champ-de-Mars:

 A classic view of the Eiffel Tower from the Champ-de-Mars… look at that deep blue sky:

The top of the Eiffel Tower spotted through thorns made of leaf-less trees:

Even in the middle of Winter, this is a lovely Parisian place…

The Eiffel Tower in all its glory:

Aligned with a Parisian lamppost:

For great photos, stand by one of the tower’s four pillars.

This one was taken on Avenue Gustave Eiffel:

A view of the Eiffel Tower from the lane in the Champ-de-Mars known as Avenue Jean Paulhan.

With these fir trees, it is hard to believe we are in the centre of one of Europe’s most populous cities!

 One of the two ponds that make up the English garden near the feet of the Eiffel Tower:

Let’s leave the Champ de Mars at rue de l’Université. At the intersection with Avenue de la Bourdonnais (7th arrondissement), turn back to catch this incredible view:

Turn right to Avenue de la Bourdonnais and walk until you reach Rue Saint-Dominique.

You’ll discover some pretty fun views of the Eiffel Tower towering the roofs of Paris:

Rue Saint-Dominique

The picturesque rue Saint-Dominique in the 7th arrondissement of Paris links the Champs-de-Mars to the Esplanade des Invalides and gives a great perspective onto the Eiffel Tower.

The shopping street has restaurants, bistros, boulangeries-pâtisseries, grocery stores and other interesting bookshops.

I used to work as a French teacher in a language school based in the neighbourhood!

At number 131 rue Saint-Dominique, the Neo-Classical “Fountain of Mars” dates back to 1806-1808 under the reign of Emperor Napoleon:

Photos taken at the intersection of rue Saint-Dominique and Avenue Bosquet:

Make sure you look back from time to time, particularly when you reach the intersection with Rue de la Tour Maubourg:

Pont Alexandre III

Rue Saint-Dominique takes you to the Esplanade des Invalides, a vast lawn that stretches between the Hôtel des Invalides and the River Seine.

Once on the Esplanade des Invalides, we turned left towards the River Seine and the Quai d’Orsay.

We crossed one of my favourite bridges in Paris, Pont Alexandre III, which was built for the 1900 Paris World Exhibition and was named after the Russian Tsar.

Spanning the River Seine, the bridge connects the 7th to the 8th arrondissement. 

With its beautiful candelabras and lamp-posts, Pont Alexandre III offers superb views of the Eiffel Tower and the big glass and iron dome of the Grand Palais. Here are a few shots:

The bridge leads to Avenue Winston Churchill, where two grand buildings are found on each side of the street: Grand-Palais and Petit-Palais.

Grand-Palais

The monumental Grand Palais seems like it has been there for many centuries… but the structure is relatively recent, as it was built for the 1900 Paris World Exhibition.

The frescoes, the statues, the columns… everything looks majestic. The Grand Palais is topped by the mast bearing the French flag.

Petit Palais

Opposite the Grand Palais stands the Petit-Palais and its remarkable wrought-iron gate.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

When we arrived at the Champs-Élysées, the traffic was not heavy.

In the distance, behind the leafless trees, we glimpsed the windows of the Palais de l’Élysée (Élysée Palace), the official residence of the French President.

Back then, François Hollande was the President of France…

In the morning, the sunlight falls on the façade of the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs-Élysées.

With good eyes (or binoculars), you can spot visitors enjoying the view from the top of the triumphal arch!

Place de la Concorde

The Champs-Élysées ends at the majestic Place de la Concorde.

The Place de la Concorde is a treat for the eye, particularly for the one who takes the time to explore every little detail: the monuments dedicated to eight French cities, the extravagant lampposts, the statues of the two fountains by Jacques Ignace Hittorff, and the hieroglyphics that decorate the Egyptian obelisk of Luxor.

The Ferris Wheel, which stands on the Historical Axis between the Louvre and the Grande Arche, was due to close on February 15th but was still open and running.

Tuileries Garden

The last stage between arriving at the Louvre is the Jardin des Tuileries.

We entered the garden through beautiful gilded gates.

The exquisite Tuileries Garden was crowded by the time we reached the garden.

Two of our favourite places are the terrasses (Orangerie and Jeu de Paume), offering a fine view over the busy Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Élysées and the Eiffel Tower.

The Grande Allée of the garden along the Historical Axis gives spectacular views to the Grande Roue westwards and the Louvre eastwards.

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

At the end of the garden stands a monumental triumphal arch. Napoleon built the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in the early 1800s to commemorate the victory of the French Imperial Army in Austerlitz.

Marking the limit between the Tuileries and the Louvre, the triumphal arch once faced the Tuileries Palace.

Since the palace was dismantled in the 1880s, the monument has been part of the Historical Axis.

The Louvre Palace and the Glass Pyramid

Our walk ended where the Kings and Queens of France had resided for centuries.

The façades of the Louvre opening onto the Napoleon Courtyard and Cour Carrée are adorned with millions of Renaissance little details reminiscent of the chateaux of the Loire Valley: chimneys, window-frames, classical statues…

The Glass Pyramid in the centre of the Cour Napoléon is unmissable.

By the time we arrived, the museum had already opened, and there was a long waiting line at the entrance!

When the Eiffel Tower shows up behind the Louvre:

We ended our walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre at the métro entrance “Palais du Louvre”, where a man was blowing giant bubbles to the amazement of tourists and children passing by:

Practical Info:

• the site of the Paris Tourist Office
• the official site of the Eiffel Tower
• get your tickets to the Louvre

I hope you’ve found this walk from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre interesting! If so, please share this article on Facebook or Flipboard!