Things To See In Place des Vosges Paris
One of the most beautiful squares in the city, the intended home for royalty and the rich, including one of the greatest French authors, there are easily enough things to see in Place des Vosges Paris to spend half a day or more there.
Place des Vosges is also one of Paris’ most fascinating squares. Originally named Place Royale, it’s a perfect square, 140 metres on each side, and it was one of the first such planned squares in all of Europe. It became a place for wealthy Parisians to socialise and dine, though this all changed with the 1789 Revolution, which brutally did away with all things (and people) royal and aristocratic. The square was renamed Place des Vosges after the mountain region of eastern France, which was very supportive of the French Revolution.
In this guide to the Place des Vosges, I’ll give you an overview of the square’s history, and show you the various things you can do and places you can visit when visiting the square. As well as admiring the grand architecture, it’s a wonderful place to relax, with benches around the Place where you can sit and appreciate it in all seasons.
I’ll also run through the practicalities of getting there, suggest a few places to see nearby, and point you in the direction of some places to stay and restaurants in the vicinity. I hope you find it helpful.
Where To Stay Near Place des Vosges
Le Pavillon de la Reine & Spa – one of the finest luxury hotels in Paris, right on the Place des Vosges, the whole 5-star works in a stunning location
Le Petit Beaumarchais Hotel & Spa – fine modern hotel just off Place de la Bastille, a three-minute walk from Place des Vosges
Grand Hotel Malher – historic building with 17th-century wine cellar, great location less than 5 minutes from Place des Vosges
Hotel Marais de Launay – lovely 3-star on side street close to Place des Vosges and Place de la Bastille
Hotel Americain – one of the best budget options around the Marais, a 15-minute walk from Place des Vosges, close to Filles du Calvaire Metro (line 8)
Le Marais Walking Tours
Le Marais Without Crowds Guided Tour – from Place des Vosges to Hotel de Ville via a delve into Jewish and Paris LGBTQ+ history
Le Marais & Montmartre Jewish walking tour – great introduction to Paris’ Jewish history, exploring two fascinating districts of the city
Le Marais Guided Food Tour – a tasting tour of Le Marais district
Things To See In Place des Vosges Paris
Place des Vosges Architecture
The architecture of Place des Vosges, originally known as Place Royale, was revolutionary with a small ‘r’. As well as being a perfect square length-wise, it’s the first square in Paris – and one of the earliest in Europe – to have been built with the houses all appearing the same. They all have identical red-brick fronts with high exceptionally high windows framed outside by light stone jambs. I’m sure to this day that my high school in Wales was partly inspired by or modelled on it, albeit on a more modest scale!
The only breaks in the uniformity are the two royal pavilions, which are a storey higher than the rest of the houses in the square. On the northern side of Place des Vosges, the Pavillon de la Reine (Queen’s Pavilion) is now a high-end 5-star luxury hotel (see Where To Stay section above). Anne of Austria, wife and Queen to Louis XIII, briefly lived there, but no reigning French monarch resided in the square.
Statue of Louis XIII
The equestrian statue of King Louis XIII was added by square resident and chief minister Cardinal Richelieu in 1634, becoming its focal point.
The original bronze statue was pulled down and melted by Revolutionaries, and it was eventually replaced by Jean Cortot’s white marble figure which we see today. It was based on an earlier design by Charles Dupaty. I was amazed to learn this after seeing the statue for the first time in a decade or so: a clean-up is probably long overdue!
In this iteration, Louis XIII is portrayed in the vein of a Roman Emperor, wearing a toga, crown of laurel and armour typical of the Roman period.
Eagle-eyed visitors among you might notice an unusual detail. The figure is supported by a tree trunk, presumably installed at the time (1825) to keep it upright and prevent it from collapsing under its own weight.
Maison de Victor Hugo
The Maison de Victor Hugo was the great author’s residence in Paris for 16 years, from 1832 to 1848, before his departure into exile. The second-floor apartment where Hugo and his wife Adele lived is now a museum dedicated to him, furnished and refurbished so that it appears much as it did during his period of residence.
They lived at 6 Place des Vosges, in the southeast corner of the square. The spacious apartment includes a Chinese-themed dining room and a dining room inspired by the Middle Ages with plant-patterned wallpaper (also on the ceiling).
Hugo became involved in politics in the 1840s, and was elected to the Constituent Assembly in 1848. However, three years later, with the rise to power of Napoleon III, Hugo went into exile in Brussels, moving to Jersey after a year and eventually Guernsey. Hauteville House, his home there, is the other half of this Museum, which is free for all to visit.
Arcades and Restaurants
Like the house fronts above, the vaulted brick arcades of the Place des Vosges are uniform and symmetrical. They’re beautiful to walk through, and there are plenty of places to stop, from numerous art galleries to cafes and restaurants, some of which are rather expensive for what they offer.
Fine dining options include L’Ambroisie at number 9 and Restaurant Anne in the Hotel Pavillon de la Reine.
The pick of the mid-range options (three courses around €60-70 is La Place Royale at 2bis Place des Vosges – just to the right as you enter the square via the Pavillon du Roi entrance on the south side.
The Place des Vosges Gardens
I think that the best way to enjoy Place des Vosges is to bring a picnic.
Many of the restaurants around the square and nearby are overpriced, capitalising on their location in one of the most beautiful Parisian squares.
The shady gardens of Place des Vosges are wonderful, and you have the option of sitting on the benches under the linden trees or spreading your picnic blanket on one of the lawns in the Place. Many just come to Place des Vosges to relax and have a snooze in the afternoon sun, but a baguette or two, a bottle of wine, a few choice slices from a nearby charcuterie and a block of tangy Roquefort is the best way to enjoy this magnificent square.
There are also four fountains in the Place des Vosges, one in each corner of the gardens in the centre of the square. As with the marble statue of Louis XIII, they are the work of Jean Cortot, and they were also installed in 1825.
Café Hugo
Just after I started writing this piece, my son recognised one of my images of Place des Vosges on my screen. “That’s in Paris – we went there!” he exclaimed. “That’s where Marinette’s family has a bakery in Ladybug & Cat Noir.”
And so he proved to be right. The bakery in the animated series is in the same location as Café Hugo, on the corner of the square, so perhaps it’s based on this café.
I haven’t eaten in house, just ordered take-out coffee and pains au chocolat, which were very good. But the service there is some way short of super-heroic. Maybe I caught them on a couple of bad days, but there are plenty of other places nearby that serve similar French classics in a far more pleasant way.
Places to See Around Place des Vosges
As you could spend weeks exploring the area around Place des Vosges (I have, and am nowhere near finished) I’m just going to limit this section to a few places within the immediate vicinity of Place des Vosges.
The Hôtel de Sully is one of the finest hôtels particuliers in Paris. It was built at the same time as the Place des Vosges as a private mansion with secret access to the arcades of the Place des Vosges, located just behind the complex.
The Hôtel de Sully now serves as the headquarters of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, the body in charge of France’s historic monuments. The building isn’t open to the public, but the elegant courtyard and simple, beautiful garden are, and free of charge at that. If you’re in the area, it’s well worth a few minutes of your time.
The Musée Carnavalet is also very close to the Place des Vosges, just west of the square on Rue des Francs Bourgeois. It’s one of my top ten museums in Paris, focusing on the history of the city from pre-Roman times to the present.
There are many artworks depicting the city, but what I found most intriguing were the scale models, including one of the medieval city, and another of the Bastille Prison, whose storming was the spark that began the French Revolution in 1789.
You’ll also see some stunning rebuilt historic rooms from around the city, from the 18th-century Salon of the Hotel de Breteuil to the exquisite interior of an Art Nouveau jewellery store designed by the Czech master Alfons Mucha.
There’s another Paris Art Nouveau treasure a few metres away on Rue Pavée. The Agoudas Hakehilos Synagogue – sometimes referred to as the Guimard Synagogue – is the only religious building designed by Hector Guimard, architect of the (now) popular Art Nouveau Metro station entrances and signs across Paris. It’s one of the hidden gems of Paris, its angular façade and straight lines prefiguring the Art Deco style that would follow by the mid-1920s. Its simple, elegant interior is a delight, and it’s one of the loveliest surviving Art Nouveau synagogues in Europe.
Where is the Place des Vosges
The Place des Vosges is on the border of the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris, at the southern end of the Marais district on the Right Bank (Rive Droite, or northern side) of the Seine.
It’s close to several major Paris squares and streets, including the Place de la Bastille (5 minutes’ walk away) and Rue Saint-Antoine (a 3-minute walk away).
How To Get To The Place des Vosges
Metro:
Bastille – lines 1 (yellow), 5 (orange) and 8 (lilac) – a 5-minute walk away
Chemin Vert – line 8 (lilac) – a 3-minute walk away
Sully-Morland – line 7 (pink) – 7-8 minutes’ walk away
Bus:
The 29 bus stops a 2-minute walk away from Place des Vosges on Rue Saint-Antoine
Things To See In Place des Vosges Paris – Final Thoughts
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this Place des Vosges guide, and that it inspires you to visit this gorgeous square at some point during your visit to Paris. It’s one of the best places to get a glimpse of pre-Revolutionary Paris, and a great introduction to the Marais district.
I’ve written numerous other articles on Paris, so feel free to browse some of them below:
General Paris Articles
Art Nouveau Paris – 12 magnificent sights not to be missed
Best Eiffel Tower Views – over 20 superb vantage points of the most famous landmark in Paris
Sunset in Paris – the best 15 places to see one
Best Things to Do In The Latin Quarter Paris – in-depth guide to the fascinating Left Bank in Paris
Visiting the Arc de Triomphe Paris – all you need to know before you visit one of the great monuments of Paris
Paris Carousels – the best merry-go-rounds in Paris
Statue of Liberty in Paris – seek out the replicas of Lady Liberty across the French capital
Churches In Paris
22 Famous Churches in Paris – 22 ecclesiastical wonders
La Sainte Chapelle Paris – one of the wonders of the Gothic Age
Basilica of St Denis Paris – the birthplace of Gothic architecture
Saint Germain des Pres – landmark ancient Left Bank church
Saint Etienne du Mont – stunning Latin Quarter church
Saint Sulpice Church Paris – vast Neoclassical church dominating the Latin Quarter skyline
Pantheon Paris – the resting place of many famous French luminaries
Saint-Séverin Church Paris – Left Bank Gothic wonder
St Julien Le Pauvre – humble ancient church within sight of Notre Dame
Montmartre
Abbesses Metro Station Paris – one of the most beautiful Metro stations in Paris
Rue de l’Abreuvoir – one of the most picturesque streets in Paris
Rue St Rustique Paris – ancient Parisian street in the heart of Montmartre
Sacré Coeur Basilica Paris – the white-domed symbol of Montmartre
Bridges in Paris
Famous Paris Bridges – 15 of the most beautiful bridges on the Seine
Pont Alexandre III Paris – the most flamboyant, ornate bridge in Paris
Bir-Hakeim Bridge Paris – stunning double-decker bridge near the Eiffel Tower
Pont des Arts Paris – elegant iron bridge connecting the Louvre and Institut de France
Pont Neuf Paris – the venerable oldest bridge in Paris, and sometime art installation subject
Parks in Paris
Square du Vert Galant Paris – the most romantic garden in Paris
Jardin du Luxembourg – one of the most beautiful gardens in Paris
Tuileries Garden Paris – amazing garden near the Louvre
Parc Monceau Paris – gorgeous folly-filled park near the Arc de Triomphe