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Elysee Palace Paris Overview

Located in Paris, the Élysée Palace serves as the official house of France's president. It was erected in 1722 for Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, the Governor of Île-de-France, a nobleman and army officer. It is a masterwork of architecture that is only open to the public on European Heritage Days; and features lavish reception halls, a library, formal dining rooms, and a garden. Élysée is a Parisian neighbourhood that translates to "eloquent fields" in Greek mythology and is located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré next to Champs-Élysées.

The Élysée Palace, located in the centre of Paris, is France's most prestigious location. 

Armand-Claude Mollet, the architect who designed the palace in Paris's 8th arrondissement, fashioned it after a classic French mansion. The palace has been the official residence and workplace of the French president since 1873; President Emmanuel Macron hosts weekly meetings of the Council of Ministers here. The leader of France lives in this almost 300-year-old palace, which most Parisians just call "the Palace." Hundreds of aides and bodyguards guard the president behind these high fortifications. Visit the ancient special president palace in Paris with our Europe travel.

Negative body language and snide remarks should be avoided at all costs. Seeing the Élysée Palace from the outside, it appears to be a fortification, which is in line with the French concept of power. Since Napoleon's reign, all political decisions have been made in Paris and other cities that exude immense authority while yet remaining ethereal. 

Madame de Pompadour lived in the palace from 1721 to 1764, Nicolas Beaujon from 1718 to 1786, Bathilde d'Orléans from 1750 to 1822, Joachim Murat from 1767 to 1815, and Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry from 1767 to 1815. (1778–1820). The French Parliament, acting under the Second Republic, approved a statute on December 12th designating the structure as the official residence of France's President. There are 365 chambers in the palace. During the ceremony, the president is sworn in and the Council of Ministers convenes at the Salon Murat, which is a grand hall.

The palace is adorned with chandeliers, tapestries, rare ceramics, and an old collection of pendulum clocks. This is where France's president usually sits when making major choices that have a lasting impact on history. In the heart of Paris, the Élysee Palace serves as a major power centre.

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Highlights

• Embark on an enjoyable exploration of the palace that includes visiting the grand entrance hall, the ballroom, the Murat room, and the tapestries room.
• Get to know interesting stories about the artworks exhibited here alongside the salons.
• Check out the unique furnishings and lavish decoration of the venue that make it one of Paris’s most prestigious palaces.
• Head to the palace’s western wing, and marvel at the beauty of the bedecked banqueting hall that hosted official ceremonies, receptions and state dinners.
• Visit one of the largest French presidential residences, the Élysée Palace that is larger than the Versailles Palace and the White house.
• Stop by the Elysee store if you're looking for little trinkets like flag pins, tote bags, golden medallion bracelets, stamps and mugs to remember your trip by.Explore The Beautiful Art At Musée Du Quai Branly

How To Reach

By train: Board the J and L trains, from Les Marronniers, Sevres, and in 76 minutes you will reach the Champs Élysée Palace by rail; while from Tour Pacific, Puteaux, you will reach in about 45 minutes.

By metro: The Élysée Palace is just a few blocks away from two of the city's transit lines. Thus, boarding a metro you can reach in 34 minutes from Les Marronniers, Sevres, to Tour Pacific, Puteaux, and 82 minutes to travel from Sceaux.

By bus: From Les Marronniers in Sevres, buses take around 107 minutes to reach the palace; from Tour Pacific in Puteaux, it takes about 47 minutes; and from Sceaux, it takes about 94 minutes.

By car: It takes around six minutes to go to the Champs Elysees from the Eiffel Tower through the Voie Georges Pompidou, while it takes about nine minutes via the Quai Branly, it takes 10 minutes from the Louvre Museum.

By foot: A 30-minute walk from Paris' Eiffel Tower to Élysée Palace provides an excellent perspective of the city. You can also go to Élysée Palace from the Louvre Museum in around 30 minutes by walking a distance of 3 kilometres.

It is located in 55 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, France 

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Best Time To Visit

Other Essential Information

Tips to visit 

  • Be sure to visit the Elysee store if you're looking for little trinkets like flag pins, tote bags, golden medallion bracelets, stamps and mugs to remember your trip by.
  • Make a stop at the local shops to buy souvenirs and gifts. Tourists can take home a piece of French culture-inspired jewellery as a souvenir.
  • Visit nearby eateries to sample French meals and desserts such as crème brûlée, soufflé, macaroons, and the like.
  • Observe the Bastille Day festivities on July 14th every year. The avenue is also the site of the world-famous Tour de France bicycle competition.
  • A word of advice: don't tote around bulky bags around the palace! Keep your heavy bags at the hotel or other lodging facility where you're staying.
  • When visiting the palace, avoid going during the height of the summer and on weekends when it is most crowded.

Fun facts

  • As of today, the palace has 365 rooms, offices, and salons spread across 11,179 m2.
  • The Hall of Honor (Vestibule d'Honneur), the Silver Room (Salon d'Argent), and the Hall of Festivities (Salle des Fêtes) are the most attractive chambers. The first-floor Golden Room (Salon Doré) serves as the President's primary working space.
  • It maintains 6,500 pieces of tableware and 90 tablecloths for distinguished guests.
  • Each year, more than 2,000 grand-crus wines are presented in 3,000 Baccarat crystal glasses.
  • 200 tapestries are among the 2,000 priceless items of furniture.
  • A total of 320 clocks keep track of the passing hours.
  • There are a total of 800 people working here, including 350 military.

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Point of Interest for Elysee Palace Paris
The Grand Entrance Hall
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The Grand Entrance Hall

Because it is the entryway to the Élysée Palace visible from the courtyard, the French are familiar with the Grand Entrance Hall. There is one standout feature among the restrained decor: a massive white marble sculpture by French artist Arman, named Hommage à la Révolution de 1789. It was ordered by President François Mitterrand in 1984, and was erected to commemorate the Revolution's influence in the French political system on the second centenary of the event.

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The Palace's Garden
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The Palace's Garden

Interlacing greenery and quadrilateral gravel paths divide the gardens, which were originally created in the form of a French countryside park, and were a lot bigger back then. A cave, a waterfall, a maze, and animals were all added by the Marquise de Pompadour. An English-style garden was created there by The Duchess of Bourbon in the late 18th century. Lawns were installed in place of the previous walkways and flowerbeds. A pond with an irregular shape was added, as well as new paths that wound their way through the new vegetation. Attractions like ring jousting and swings were also added to open the grounds to the general public commercially.

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The Cockerel Gate
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The Cockerel Gate

Back in the gardens, an elegant wrought-iron gate was erected in 1905, opening onto the Champs-Élysées. In honour of France's national bird, a gold-plated rooster stands atop the gate's railing

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Tapestries room
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Tapestries room

To everyone's surprise, there aren't any tapestries in this room today. During his tenure as President of the Third Republic (1895-1899), Félix Faure began the process of putting up the first tapestries.

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Murat Room
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Murat Room

When the Murats came into the palace in 1807, they completely remodelled this reception room. Five paintings in the Empire style adorn the large lounge, which was created by combining two rooms into a single space. There are still three of them hanging out there. During the Italian campaign, Murat and his cavalry crossed the Tiber on one of the canvases. One depicts the Rhine, which overlooks Murat's castle house, Schloss Benrath. The room was supposed to be completed by two more paintings, but they were stolen in the nineteenth century. A painted Vendôme column, topped by a statue of Napoleon I, the brother-in-law of Joachim Murat, stands between the two windows overlooking the gardens.

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Napoleon III Room
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Napoleon III Room

The walls of the Élysée Palace bear the seals of the people who have lived there over the course of its three-hundred-year existence. Salon Napoleon III has a rich history, with imperial eagles on the ceiling and the "RF" (French Republic) monogram framed by olive and oak branches. The sign of the Republic was included into the Empire's logo without removing it. The crimson drapes in Salon Napoleon III were recently removed and restored, and 21st century decor was installed in their place, marking the beginning of a new era. The room has changed through time, but the memories of our ancestors are still there in it.

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Garden of the Seasons
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Garden of the Seasons

The Jardin d'Hiver glass canopy serves as a reminder of its former life as a greenhouse, where rare plants were housed before they were used to host news conferences and parties. On Jules Grévy's idea, it was constructed in 1881 to serve as a link between the Hôtel d'Évreux and the gardens of the Third Republic.

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Ballroom
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Ballroom

For the 1889 Universal Exposition, the Salle des Fêtes, also referred to as the ballroom was built by architect Eugène Debressenne and opened by President Sadi Carnot, making it suitable for the largest banquets, from presidential ceremonies to conferrals of the Legion of Honour. As time goes on, the Salle des Fêtes keeps developing. Ten new French windows, located on the garden side, were installed in 1984 to increase the amount of natural light. As a salute to science, it features a wealth of stucco imagery.

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Golden Room
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Golden Room

The President of the Republic's office is located in the Salon Doré, which is situated in the heart of the Palace. President Giscard d'Estaing, for example, used the Fifth-Republic Presidents' Office as a ceremonial one while working in a more austere space a few metres away. This apartment retains the original 1861 design for Napoleon III's wife, Empress Eugénie. The Imperial couple "NE" ( Vapolean and Eugénie) is evident above the doors as a remembrance of its past occupants. Decorated with contemporary art and contemporary furnishings, the room's vivid colours are highlighted by the heavy use of black.

The President of the Republic's office is located in the Salon Doré, which is situated in the heart of the Palace. President Giscard d'Estaing, for example, used the Fifth-Republic Presidents' Office as a ceremonial one while working in a more austere space a few metres away. This apartment retains the original 1861 design for Napoleon III's wife, Empress Eugénie. The Imperial couple "NE" ( Vapolean and Eugénie) is evident above the doors as a remembrance of its past occupants. Decorated with contemporary art and contemporary furnishings, the room's vivid colours are highlighted by the heavy use of black.

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Cleopatra Room
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Cleopatra Room

An Antony and Cleopatra tapestry by Charles Natoire, which was on display at the Salon Cléopatre until 2019, is the inspiration for its name. As a replacement for the romantic Roman Triumvir and Egyptian Queen, tourists can see a 173-color tapestry created by Yves Oppenheim in its place. The Marquise de Pompadour's dressing room also lingers in this space, evoking memories of another great woman. As with the Salon des Portraits, this space was completely renovated in the fall of 2019.

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Fern Room
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Fern Room

When President Obama's wife was elected in 2008, this room was designated as her official residence. Madame Macron's current residence, this office's design is an attractive mix of traditional and modern elements. The room's name comes from the wall hangings, which are based on lamps made by silk craftsman Camille Pernon in 1785 for the bedroom of King Louis XVI in Compiegne. The desk, created by Matali Crasset, is part of the contemporary décor in the room. For focus and thought, the desk features a minimalist leather section in the middle. The wooden drawers that contain computer equipment and paperwork serve to mould and materialise thoughts.

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Paulin Room
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Paulin Room

The sole chamber in the Élysée Palace that retains its 1970s interior style is the former bedroom of Napoleon III. Claude and Georges Pompidou worked together to contract Pierre Paulin to develop a freestanding wall structure in 1972 so that it could subsequently be dismantled. There are novel materials used in the room's walls and ceiling, as well as a unique design that incorporates the furnishings. Molded polyester panels make up the mural's framework. The furniture is composed of cast aluminium and plastic, like the Apollo spacecraft cabins. Glass stems and balls in pink anodized aluminium cover the entire ceiling, creating a magnificent chandelier that stretches across the exposed area of the reflective surface.

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Silver Boudoir
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Silver Boudoir

The mauve tones and silver-colored wood panelling, coated with white gold, of this boudoir's interior design broke new ground in 1807, when it was created by Caroline Murat, the wife of Joachim Murat and the sister of Napoleon I. Despite its modest size, this boudoir is steeped in tradition for instance, following the fall at Waterloo, here Emperor Napoleon I signed his abdication, and a reproduction of this document is displayed on the desk. Here, President Napoleon Bonaparte plotted his December 2, 1851, takeover of the country. In 1899, President Félix Faure suffered a fatal seizure while on a date with his mistress Marguerite Steinheil in this boudoir.

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Portrait room
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Portrait room

After Napoleon III, the eight paintings of the royal household painted by Joachim Murat were replaced by pictures of Napoleon III's major European benefactors such Pope Pius IX, Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph, Italian King Victor Emmanuel. Napoleon III requested this decoration be completed so that he may use the space for his Council of Ministers meetings. Ministers gather in a larger and more centrally located room nowadays, while smaller official meals are conducted in the Salon des Portraits for those who want a more intimate atmosphere.

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Pompadour room
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Pompadour room

In 1753, the Marquise de Pompadour, Louis XV's mistress, purchased the Hôtel d'Évreux with her own money and used it as a "parade room," a reception area different from the more private bedchamber. Meetings and dinners with the President of the Republic are still held in Salon Pompadour. In contrast to the Second-Empire interiors, the woodwork decoration stems from the 18th century construction of the Hôtel d'Évreux. This old woodwork is complemented by contemporary works of art that reinterpret the room's design. A tapestry by Juan Miró and two Picasso sculptures are currently on display in the National Museum of Modern Art.

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Ambassadors’ Room
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Ambassadors’ Room

Salon des Ambassadors hosts the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers. A meeting of the government is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, with the President and Prime Minister hosting the event. In order of rank, the ministers are seated around them at a huge oval table. To give this room its name, foreign ambassadors used to present their credentials here before it was transformed into the Council of Ministers. The abstract artwork Atlantique (Atlantic), by Breton-born artist Geneviève Asse, uses 18th-century woodwork as a backdrop to depict the light on sea in her abstract painting, Atlantique (Atlantic).

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The aide de camp room
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The aide de camp room

As its name suggests, this room was formerly used by the aides de camp, who were young officers assigned to one particular general and responsible for relaying orders to him on the battlefield. This palace was owned by Napoleon Bonaparte's sister Caroline before Joachim Murat, Napoleon's aide-de-camp, married her and bought it from her. The guest room is presently being used. However, despite its 19th-century restoration, the room's original 1720s décor, which includes woodwork carved with feminine-masked masks and mirrors, is still visible. Only Emperor Napoleon III's 1859 appointment of painter Charles Landelle added the overdoors. Water, earth, fire, and air are depicted as allegories for peace and conflict in these paintings.

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