Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The church is a popular venue for classical-music concerts (some free); check the posters
outside or the website for dates.
On the south side, the monumental staircase affords one of the city's most quintessential
Parisian panoramas. From here, you can see down rue Royale to place de la Concorde and
its obelisk and across the Seine to the Assemblée Nationale. The Invalides' gold dome ap-
pears in the background.
ART MUSEUM
LA PINACOTHÈQUE
€12.30/10.80; 10.30am-6pm Sat-Tue & Thu, to 9pm Wed & Fri; Madeleine)
The top private museum in Paris, La Pinacothèque organises three to four major exhibits per
year. Its nonlinear approach to art history, with exhibits that range from Mayan masks to ret-
rospectives covering the work of artists such as Edvard Munch, has shaken up the otherwise
rigid Paris art world and won over residents used to more formal presentations.
Although the focus is primarily on temporary exhibits, make sure to visit the permanent
collection as well. Displayed thematically, it presents artwork rarely seen side by side in
most other museums.
ART MUSEUM
MUSÉE NATIONAL GUSTAVE MOREAU
10am-12.45pm & 2-5.15pm Mon, Wed & Thu, 10am-5.15pm Fri-Sun; Trinité)
Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau's former studio is crammed with 4800 of his paintings,
drawings and sketches - although symbolism received more attention as a literary move-
ment in France (Baudelaire, Verlaine, Rimbaud). A particular highlight is
La Licorne
(The
Unicorn), inspired by
La Dame à la Licorne
(The Lady with the Unicorn) cycle of tapestries
in the Musée National du Moyen Âge.
Present a Palais Garnier or Musée d'Orsay ticket for reduced admission.
MUSEUM
MUSÉE DU PARFUM
9am-6pm Mon-Sat, to 5pm Sun;
Opéra)
If the art of perfume-making entices, stop by this collection of copper distillery vats and an-
tique flacons and test your nose on a few basic scents. Run by the parfumerie Fragonard, it's
located in a beautiful old
hôtel particulier
(private mansion); free guided visits are available
in multiple languages. A short distance south, a separate wing in a 20th-century theatre, the
