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Last Updated: 28 February 2020

The garden of the Palais-Royal is the only garden in Paris classified as “Remarkable Garden” by the French Ministry of Culture. Bordered by the Palais-Royal and the adjacent arcaded galleries, the garden is a peaceful haven in the French capital, not far from the busy thoroughfares of avenue de l’Opéra and rue de Rivoli.


About the Palais-Royal Garden

Palais-Royal Garden © French Moments
In the garden of Palais-Royal © French Moments

The garden covers a surface of 20,850 m2. Pierre Desgots created the garden in 1633 for Richelieu. Later, in 1674, the great landscape architect André Le Nôtre redesigned it. Then, Duchess Henrietta envisioned to make it one of Paris’ most beautiful ornemental gardens.

Today it contains some 500 trees, including four double rows of lime trees planted in the 1970s and red horse chestnuts planted in 1910.

Palais-Royal Garden © French Moments
Palais-Royal Garden © French Moments

A basin with a water jet occupies the central part of the garden.

Palais-Royal Garden © French Moments
The water jet in the garden © French Moments
Palais-Royal Garden © French Moments
Statue in the garden © French Moments

The central garden has two long lawns bordered with flowerbeds. They are the work of American gardener Mark Rudkin.

Palais-Royal Garden © French Moments
In the garden © French Moments
Rose bushes © French Moments
Rose bushes © French Moments
Palais-Royal Garden © French Moments
In the garden, rose bushes © French Moments
Rose bushes © French Moments
Rose bushes © French Moments
Palais-Royal Garden © French Moments
Statue in the garden © French Moments

The inner courtyard and the Buren Columns

The large inner courtyard (cour d’honneur) of the palace is separated from the garden by a double row of columns, the Orleans Gallery. In 1986 it welcomed a monumental (and controversial) work of art designed by Daniel Buren. Known as ‘les colonnes de Buren’, it comprises of 260 black and white striped octogonal columns of unequal height.

The Buren work of art © French Moments
The Palais-Royal courtyard and the Buren columns © French Moments
The Buren work of art © French Moments
The Buren columns © French Moments
The Buren work of art © French Moments
The Buren columns © French Moments

Furthermore, four arcaded galleries border the entire length of the garden:

  • the Montpensier Gallery (west),
  • the Beaujolais Gallery (north),
  • the Valois Gallery (east), and
  • the Orleans Gallery (south).
Valois Gallery, Palais-Royal, Paris © French Moments
Valois Gallery, Palais-Royal, Paris © French Moments
Beaujolais Gallery, Palais-Royal, Paris © French Moments
Beaujolais Gallery, Palais-Royal, Paris © French Moments
Orleans Gallery, Palais-Royal, Paris © French Moments
Orleans Gallery, Palais-Royal, Paris © French Moments

Find out more about the Palais-Royal on the blog and on the Centre des Monuments Nationaux website.


 

Gems of Paris by French Moments
About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

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