Updated: 30 March 2020
Whether you’re on top of the Eiffel Tower, climbing the steps of Sacré-Cœur, or standing in the doors of Notre Dame, architecture is synonymous with Paris. Its traditional beauty, many will tell you, is observed through Haussman’s historic renovation of the city in the 1800s under the watchful eye of Napolean; the widening of its boulevards and introduction of magnificent parks and squares defined what it meant to live in a modern city at the time.
But it’s been the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries that have brought just as much intrigue and change to Paris. Art Deco and the closing of World War II introduced modernism and the likes of Le Corbusier in the age of machine living. More recently, the emergence of globalism and ecological design is yet again putting Paris on centre stage and asking us what it means to live in the modern city.
Below is the MUST-SEE Architecture in Paris. I hope you find it useful as you walk its historic streets (there’s a map at the bottom to guide you around). As you see with the date at the top, this list is always updating as new projects are completed. If you want to see your photo featured, hashtag #AVONTUURA on Instagram and we’ll try my best to include it.
Onwards!
Architecture Guide to Paris
Buy now at avontuura.com/shop
Contemporary Architecture
Fondation Louis Vutton
Practical Information
Architect: Frank Gehry
Built: 2014
Type: Museum
Address: 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday, Thursday & Monday: 12:00am – 7:00pm, Friday: 12:00am – 9:00pm, Saturday & Sunday: 11:00am – 8:00pm
Cost: €14
Website: fondationlouisvuitton.fr
Philharmonie de Paris
Practical Information
Architect: Jean Nouvel
Built: 2014
Type: Concert Hall, Exhibition
Address: 221 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr
Fondation Cartier
Practical Information
Architect: Jean Nouvel
Built: 1994
Type: Museum
Address: 261 Boulevard Raspail, 75014 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday – Monday: 11:00am – 8:00pm (10:00pm on Tuesday)
Cost: €12
Website: www.fondationcartier.com
Fondation Jerôme Seydoux-Pathé
Practical Information
Architect: Renzo Piano
Built: 2014
Type: Cinema, Archive, Exhibition
Address: 73 Avenue des Gobelins, 75013 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Tuesday – Friday: 1:00pm – 7:00pm, Saturday: 11:30am – 7:00pm
Cost: €4 to €6
Website: www.fondation-jeromeseydoux-pathe.com/
Cinémathèque Française
Practical Information
Architect: Frank Gehry
Built: 1993
Type: Museum, Cinema
Address: 51 Rue de Bercy, 75012 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday – Monday: 12:00am – 7:00pm (10:00pm on Thursday)
Cost: €5
Website: cinematheque.fr
Islamic art galleries at the Musée du Louvre
Practical Information
Architect: Mario Bellini, Rudy Ricciotti
Built: 2012
Type: Museum, Art Gallery
Address: Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Ministry of Culture and Communication
Practical Information
Architect: Francis Soler, Frédéric Druot
Built: 2005
Type: Museum
Address: 182 Rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Monday to Friday: 8:00am – 7:00pm
Cost: unknown
Website: https://www.culture.gouv.fr/
Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Practical Information
Architect: Dominique Perrault Architects
Built: 1995
Type: National Library
Address: Quai François Mauriac, 75706 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Varies, check website
Website: https://www.bnf.fr/fr/francois-mitterrand
EMI Music France Headquarters
Practical Information
Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Built: 2005
Type: Headquarters
Address: 118 Rue du Mont-Cenis, 75018 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Unkown
Musée du Quai Branly
Practical Information
Architect: Jean Nouvel
Built: 2006
Type: Museum
Address: 37 Quai Branly, 75007 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Daily: 10:30am – 7:00pm (closed Mondays)
Cost: €12
Website: www.quaibranly.fr/en/
Les Docks: City of Fashion and Design
Practical Information
Architect: Jakob + MacFarlane
Built: 2008
Type: Museum of Fashion and Design
Address: 34 Quai d’Austerlitz, Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Daily: 10:00am – Midnight
Cost: Free
Website: www.citemodedesign.fr/
La Seine Musical
Practical Information
Architect: Shigeru Ban, Jean de Gastines
Built: 2017
Type: Museum of Fashion and Design
Address: R6GH+FQ Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday: 10:00am – 7:00pm
Cost: Free
Website: www.laseinemusicale.com/
Paris Longchamp Racecourse
Practical Information
Architect: Dominique Perrault Architects
Built: 1857
Type: Racecourse
Address: 2 Route des Tribunes, 75016 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Vary
Website: www.parislongchamp.com/fr
Flower Tower
Practical Information
Architect: Dominique Perrault Architects
Built: 1999
Type: Apartment
Address: 23 Rue Albert Roussel, 75017 Paris, France
Open to the Public: No
Hours: Vary
Website: www.edouardfrancois.com/projects/tower-flower
Palais de Tokyo Expansion
Practical Information
Architect: Lacaton & Vassal
Built: 2002
Type: Museum
Address: 13 Avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Open 24 hours (closed Tuesdays)
Cost: unknown
Website: https://www.palaisdetokyo.com/
Halle Pajol
Practical Information
Architect: Jourda Architects
Built: 2014
Type: Recreation Centre
Address: 20 Espl. Nathalie Sarraute, 75018 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Permanently closed
Modern Architecture
Musée du Louvre
Practical Information
Architect: I.M. Pei
Built: 1989
Type: Museum Renovation & Expansion
Address: Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday – Monday: 9:00am – 6:00pm (10:00pm on Wednesday & Friday)
Cost: €15
Website: www.louvre.fr
Centre Georges Pompidou
Practical Information
Architect: Richard Rogers & Renzo Piano
Built: 1977
Type: Museum
Address: Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday – Monday: 11:00am – 10:00pm
Cost: €14
Website: www.centrepompidou.fr/
Communist Party Headquarters
Practical Information
Architect: Oscar Niemeyer
Built: 1972
Type: Leisure, Shopping
Address: 2 Place du Colonel Fabien, 75019 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 4:00pm
Website: paris.pcf.fr
Grande Arche de la Défense
Practical Information
Architect: Johann Otto von Spreckelsen & Paul Andreu
Built: 1989
Type: Monument, Museum
Address: 1 Parvis de la Défense, 92044 Puteaux, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Daily: 11:00am – 7:00pm
Website: grandearche.com
Villa Savoye
Practical Information
Architect: Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret
Built: 1929
Type: Museum
Address: 82 Rue de Villiers, 78300 Poissy, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Daily: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (closed Mondays)
Cost: €8
Website: www.villa-savoye.fr/
Fondation Le Corbusier
Practical Information
Architect: Le Corbusier
Built: 1923
Type: Foundation
Address: 8-10 Square du Dr Blanche, 75016 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Weekdays: 10:00am – 6:00pm, closed Sunday
Cost: unknown
Website: www.fondationlecorbusier.fr/
Les Orgues de Flandre
Practical Information
Architect: Martin van Trek
Built: 1980
Type: Apartment
Address: 24 Rue Archereau, 75019 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Friday: 10:00am – 6:00pm
Cost: unknown
Website: orguesdeflandre.business.site/
Les Choux de Créteil
Practical Information
Architect: Gérard Grandval
Built: 1974
Type: Apartment
Address: Les Choux de Créteil
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: vary
Cost: unknown
Website: www.arpej.fr/residences/residence-les-choux-de-creteil/
Historic Architecture
Eiffel Tower
Practical Information
Architect: Gustave Eiffel, Stephen Sauvestre, Maurice Koechlin, Émile Nouguier
Built: 1887
Type: Tower
Address: Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Vary
Cost: Varies
Website: https://www.toureiffel.paris/fr
Palais-Royal
Practical Information
Architect: Jules Hardouin-Mansart
Built: 1639
Type: Former Royal Palace, now the Ministry of Culture
Address: 8 Rue de Montpensier, Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Notre Dame Cathedral
Practical Information
Architect: Pierre de Montreuil, Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus
Built: 1163
Type: Cathedral
Address: 6 Parvis Notre-Dame – Pl. Jean-Paul II, 75004 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Closed for repairs
Website: https://www.notredamedeparis.fr/
Sacré-Cœur Basilica
Practical Information
Architect: Paul Abadie, Lucien Magne, Honoré Daumet, Charles Laisné, Henri-Pierre-Marie Rauline, Jean-Louis Hulot
Built: 1914
Type: Basilica
Address: 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday – Monday: 9:00am – 6:00pm (10:00pm on Wednesday & Friday)
Cost: €15
Website: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/
Palace of Versailles
Practical Information
Architect: Louis Le Vau, Andre Le Notre and Charles Lebrun
Built: 1631
Type: Palace
Address: Place d’Armes, 78000 Versailles, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Daily: 9:00am – 6:30pm
Cost: €27
Website: www.chateauversailles.fr/
Musée d’Orsay
Practical Information
Architect: Gae Aulenti, Victor Laloux, Émile Bénard
Built: 1898
Type: Museum
Address: 1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur, 75007 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday – Monday: 11:00am – 10:00pm
Cost: varies
Website: https://www.musee-orsay.fr/
Galeries Lafayette Haussmann
Practical Information
Architect: Georges Chedanne, Ferdinand Chanut
Built: 1898
Type: Shopping Mall
Address: 40 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hôtel Guimard
Practical Information
Architect: Hector Guimard
Built: 1912
Type: Townhouse
Address: 122 Avenue Mozart, 75016 Paris, France e
Open to the Public: Yes
Architect: Jean Nouvel
Built: 2014
Type: Concert Hall, Exhibition
Address: 221 Avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Website: www.philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr
Architect: Renzo Piano
Built: 2014
Type: Cinema, Archive, Exhibition
Address: 73 Avenue des Gobelins, 75013 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Tuesday - Friday: 1:00pm - 7:00pm, Saturday: 11:30am - 7:00pm
Cost: €4 to €6
Website: www.fondation-jeromeseydoux-pathe.com/
Architect: Jean Nouvel
Built: 1994
Type: Museum
Address: 261 Boulevard Raspail, 75014 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday - Monday: 11:00am - 8:00pm (10:00pm on Tuesday)
Cost: €12
Website: www.fondationcartier.com
Architect: Frank Gehry
Built: 1993
Type: Museum, Cinema
Address: 51 Rue de Bercy, 75012 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday - Monday: 12:00am - 7:00pm (10:00pm on Thursday)
Cost: €5
Website: cinematheque.fr
Architect: Frank Gehry
Built: 2014
Type: Museum
Address: 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday, Thursday & Monday: 12:00am – 7:00pm, Friday: 12:00am – 9:00pm, Saturday & Sunday: 11:00am – 8:00pm
Cost: €14
Website: fondationlouisvuitton.fr
Architect: Johann Otto von Spreckelsen & Paul Andreu
Built: 1989
Type: Monument, Museum
Address: 1 Parvis de la Défense, 92044 Puteaux, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Daily: 11:00am - 7:00pm
Website: grandearche.com
Architect: Oscar Niemeyer
Built: 1972
Type: Leisure, Shopping
Address: 2 Place du Colonel Fabien, 75019 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 4:00pm
Website: paris.pcf.fr
Architect: Richard Rogers & Renzo Piano
Built: 1977
Type: Museum
Address: Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday - Monday: 11:00am - 10:00pm
Cost: €14
Website: www.centrepompidou.fr/
Architect: I.M. Pei
Built: 1989
Type: Museum Renovation & Expansion
Address: Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France
Open to the Public: Yes
Hours: Wednesday - Monday: 9:00am - 6:00pm (10:00pm on Wednesday & Friday)
Cost: €15
Website: www.louvre.fr
