Who would have known that one day I’d be writing on Paris’ most beautiful doors! After all, when you end up living in Paris, you get so busy discovering the most famous monuments and museums (and stores!) of the city that it would seem quite a loss of time to look at little details such as doors. But doors are the reflection of what lies beyond, the Parisians’ homes. After all, they are part of the city’s history. After years of walking through the 20 arrondissements of Paris, I have compiled a few of my best photos of Paris doors. I’ve shared their exact location so you can also see them for yourselves!
Paris’ most beautiful doors
They are literally thousands of doors lining the streets of Paris. Some are very simple doors, others are extravagant works of art. The styles of these doors tell about the history of Paris. As you walk across the 20 arrondissements of Paris, you will discover Gothic, Renaissance, Haussmann and Art Nouveau door styles. It is up to you to take the time to look for little details of these Paris’ most beautiful doors: mascarons, statues, bas-reliefs, gold-leaves, handles…
(By the way, I’ve written another article about Paris’ door knockers and handles that might interest you too.)
For those of you who are learning French, here is a bit of useful vocabulary:
| building | bâtiment (m) |
| carriage gate | porte cochère (f) |
| door | porte (f) |
| doorbell | sonnette (f) |
| handle | poignée (f) |
| house | maison (m) |
| key | clé, clef (f) |
| knock knock | toc toc |
| knocker | heurtoir (m) |
| lock | serrure (f) |
| Paris’ most beautiful doors | Les plus belles portes de Paris (f,p) |
| portal | portail (m) |
A few samples of Paris’ most beautiful doors
On your walk through Paris, check out monumental doors of churches and official buildings to small and elegant doors of simple houses.
Many of these Paris’ most beautiful doors are located in the central arrondissements. Several doors found 7th, 8th, 16th and 17th arrondissement have a definite aesthetic purpose. The beautiful Parisian doors give to the passersby an idea of the opulence that could be found beyond them.
Here is a selection of Paris’ most beautiful doors listed by arrondissements (arrt.):
Louvre Palace, 1st arrt.
One of the many heavy and tall doors of the Louvre.
American Dream restaurant, 21 Rue Daunou, 2nd arrt.
The best American-style door you can find in Paris!
Hôtel de Chatillon, 13 rue vieille du Temple, 3rd arrt.
Madame de Maintenon, the future wife of Louis XIV, once lived in this mansion built at the end of the 16th century.
50, rue de Turenne, 3rd arrt.
The emerald painted door of a former mansion.
60, rue de Turenne, 3rd arrt.
The deep blue painted door of a former mansion.
110, rue de Turenne, 3rd arrt.
The red painted door of a former mansion.
3, rue Volta, 3rd arrt.
The old door to one of Paris’ oldest houses. Not sure the door dates so far back though! 🙂
4, rue Rambuteau, 3rd arrt.
An elegant door with a finely ornate frame.
8bis rue de Braque, 3rd arrt.
This blue door was the entrance to the former house of the Trudaine family (18th century).
Notre-Dame cathedral, 4th arrt.
The tall doors of Notre-Dame cathedral are masterpieces that are often ignored by the thousands of visitors that enter the sanctuary each day. Take a look at their wrought-iron strap hinges and arabesques which were restored in the 19th century.
Hôtel Roualle de Boisgelin, 29 Quai de Bourbon, 4th arrt.
Located on the Île Saint-Louis, the massive door and the mansion date back to 1750.
5 rue des Guillemites, 4th arrt.
A massive carriage gate in the old district of Marais.
Place des Vosges, 4th arrt.
There are several beautiful and old carriage gates under the arcades of Place des Vosges.
Saint-Sèverin Church, 5th arrt.
The main door of the church.
Hotel de Cluny, 5th arrt.
The two red painted door of the mansion are of medieval style.
167 rue Saint-Jacques, 5th arrt.
A carriage gate in Paris’ oldest street.
Hôtel Guistel, 58, rue de Vaugirard, 6th arrt.
A monumental wooden door with six circles. Known as Hôtel Guistel, it housed Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald between April and Octobre 1928. It is found opposite the Luxembourg Gardens.
148 rue de Grenelle, 7th arrt.
The house has a remarkable entrance door designed in dark wood. It is ornate with two small palm branches. The handles are fixed onto green marble support.
2 and 4 rue de Poitiers, 7th arrt.
Massive Haussmann-style doors.
Lavirotte Building, 29 Avenue Rapp, 7th arrt.
This Art Nouveau door dates from 1901. It was created by architect Jules Lavirotte in an exotic and intricate design. The centrepiece of the building is its extravagant doorway. The wooden door itself was depicted as a gigantic reversed phallus and is a frame with statues of Adam and Eve. Of all Paris’ most beautiful doors, this is probably the most eccentric one!
3 Square Rapp, 7th arrt.
Another beautiful Art Nouveau door designed by architect Jules Lavirotte who lived there with his family. The entrance is decorated with fine stone carving and cast iron features.
151 rue de Grenelle, 7 arrt.
This Art Nouveau house was Jules Lavirotte’s first building in Paris (1899). Take a closer look at the door handles and notice the lizards. The left one is eating a corn cob. The right one is just in a still position.
St. Augustin Church, 8th arrt.
The main entrance door of St. Augustin Church.
97, Boulevard Malesherbes, 8th arrt.
Very tall Haussmann-style door.
109, Boulevard Malesherbes, 8th arrt.
Iron and glass door.
Élysée Palace, 8th arrt.
You’d expect a great and refined door at the Élysée Palace, the official residence of the French President. You might be disappointed to learn that the door is simply made of glass!
Petit-Palais, 8th arrt.
The gilded doors of the Petit-Palais could well be installed in the palace of a king.
28-29, rue Ballu, 9th arrt.
Massive wooden door in a néo-louis XIII-style mansion.
3, rue Condorcet, 9th arrt.
Beautiful door decorated with two glass circles.
14, rue d’Abbeville, 10th arrt.
An extravagant Art Nouveau door.
11 rue Chernoviz, 16th arrt.
A stunning Art Nouveau door in glass and iron.
Castel Béranger, 14 rue de la Fontaine, 16th arrt.
This Art Nouveau entrance to the Castel Béranger building was created by Hector Guimard, famous for the decorative features in the Paris métro.
Hôtel Guimard, 122 avenue Mozart, 16th arrt.
This is the extravagant door of the Art Nouveau house built by architect Hector Guimard as his home base in Paris (1909-1912).
Church of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, 18th arrt.
The central door of the church tells about the story of St. Peter. Like a stained-glass window, you should read it from left to right and from top to bottom. It was placed there in 1980.
1 Place du Calvaire, 18th arrt.
The Art Nouveau door of painter Maurice Neumont’s house. The curious building was designed by architect Louis Brachet and built on top of Montmartre hill.
10 Villa Léandre, 18th arrt.
Does number 10 ring a bell to you? Of all Paris’ most beautiful doors, this is arguably the most British-looking one!
La Bellevilloise, 19-21 rue Boyer, 20th arrt.
The Art Déco entrance door to the exhibition and concert hall of La Bellevilloise, a historic building in the district of Belleville.
Do you have your own Paris’ most beautiful doors too? Please leave us a comment with their address! 🙂
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