After the mob of the Louvre, I’m desperate for peace and quiet.
So I take a hard right out of the exit doors of the Louvre, and make my way through the Tuileries Garden for the garden at Palais-Royal. You know what I love about Paris? There aren’t many cities in the world where you answer the question, “How do you get to the one of the most beautiful parks in the world?” With the answer, "Through one of the most beautiful parks in the world.”
Only in Paris.
Historians believe this is the exact path that originated the term, “Parkway”.
From the Louvre, we cross Rue de Rivoli, take a quick right on Rue Saint-Honore, a quick left on Rue de Valois, and then you are pretty much at Le Palais Royal, and it is a quiet and relaxing garden.
There is hardly anyone here on most occasions, except for those in the know, which now includes you, because you have me.
The garden is a rectangle that is surrounded by delicious restaurants of your choosing, tucked into pretty much every corner bordering this post-mob oasis. Under the trees here is a place to eat and to catch up with Paris.
The Palais-Royal was built for the bad guy in The Three Musketeers, Cardinal Richelieu, in 1639. When that dude died, it fell into the hands of King Louis XIII. Then he died and it was Louis XIV’s mom’s home. Her name was Anne of Austria. Anne then moved to a little place called Versailles, so Louis XV gave Palais-Royal to his brother’s daughter-in-law, who was Louis IV’s illegitimate daughter with the Marquis de Montespan. You’ll remember the Marquis de Montespan as one of Louis IV’s mistresses from show Versailles on Netflix. Then, in 1780’ish, Louis Philippe commercialized it into the square of cool stuff you see today.
If you ask me, the number one mistake people make when traveling is that they plan a whole lot of beginnings, but not enough endings. Your exit is just as important as your entrance, if not more so. It’s like when people plan when to arrive at a museum, but don’t plan when to leave, so you just linger and linger, like a snow man that gets dirty on the curb and brown weeds grow through it. It’s the same when you linger in the crowds of the Louvre for far too long. It affects you. Hit the exits and come enjoy Paris, who has been waiting for you, at Palais-Royal.