Paris · 1st arrondissement · Free courtyard and garden
Palais Royal: Free Gardens, Buren Columns and History
Just north of the Louvre, the Palais Royal pairs a formal seventeenth-century garden with one of Paris's most photographed modern artworks. The courtyard and garden are free to enter.
By the AllTrips Editorial Team ·
Palais Royal at a glance
Area: 1st arrondissement, north of the Louvre Museum. Allow: 20–45 minutes. Entry: the courtyard, garden and arcades are free, with no admission ticket. Nearby: Louvre, Tuileries Garden and the covered passages.
The Palais Royal is a former royal palace whose outer spaces — the Cour d'Honneur, the garden and the arcaded galleries — are open public areas. The palace buildings themselves are used by French state institutions and are not a museum you can walk through.
What is there to see?
The Cour d'Honneur holds Les Deux Plateaux, Daniel Buren's 1986 installation of black-and-white striped columns of different heights — better known simply as "Buren's columns". It is one of the most popular photo spots in central Paris and costs nothing to see.
Beyond the courtyard, the garden offers tree-lined paths, flower beds, a central basin and benches under the lime trees, framed by the palace wings. The surrounding arcades shelter small shops, galleries and cafés, including some of the oldest restaurant addresses in Paris.
A little palace history
The palace was built in the 1630s for Cardinal Richelieu, chief minister to Louis XIII, and passed to the Crown after his death. The young Louis XIV lived here, and the palace later became the seat of the Orléans branch of the royal family. In the eighteenth century its arcades and garden became a famous — and notorious — centre of Parisian shopping, gambling and political debate.
Today the buildings house the Conseil d'État, the Constitutional Council and the Comédie-Française theatre. The ornate state rooms, such as the Salle Napoléon shown below, are working government interiors and open to the public only on rare occasions such as European Heritage Days in September.
Free entry and optional activities
The courtyard, garden and arcades are free. There is no Palais Royal entrance ticket to buy for these outdoor spaces. Paid guided tours, theatre performances at the Comédie-Française and nearby ticketed attractions are separate choices, not requirements for enjoying the courtyard and garden.
Optional nearby experiences · affiliate link
Explore around the Palais Royal on Tiqets
Browse guided tours and paid attractions listed around the Palais Royal. This is not an admission ticket for the free courtyard and garden; check the chosen offer's location and inclusions.
See nearby activities on TiqetsThis Tiqets link is an affiliate link: AllTrips may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Entering the Palais Royal courtyard and garden is free.
Planning your visit
The courtyard and arcades are open during the day; the garden keeps seasonal opening hours set by the City of Paris, generally from early morning until evening, with later closing in summer. Check current times before an early or late visit, as hours change with the season and for events.
The garden is a calm spot for a break between the Louvre and the Opéra district, with benches and shaded chairs. The nearest metro stations are Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7) and Pyramides (lines 7 and 14).
The Palais Royal in photos
What is nearby?
The Louvre Museum is directly south across Rue de Rivoli, and the Tuileries Garden begins just beyond it. The covered passages of the 2nd arrondissement, such as Galerie Vivienne, are a short walk north. See their locations on our Paris attractions map.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Palais Royal free to visit?
Yes. The Cour d'Honneur with Buren's columns, the garden and the arcades are free public spaces. The palace buildings themselves house state institutions and are not generally open as a museum.
Does the Tiqets link buy admission to the Palais Royal?
No. The link opens Tiqets' Palais Royal destination page for optional guided tours and nearby paid attractions. The courtyard and garden themselves need no entrance ticket; check the specific offer before booking.
Can you go inside the Palais Royal palace?
Generally no. The buildings house the Conseil d'État, the Constitutional Council and the Comédie-Française. The Comédie-Française can be visited by attending a performance; some state rooms open only on special occasions such as European Heritage Days.
How much time should I spend at the Palais Royal?
Allow roughly 20–45 minutes for the courtyard, columns and garden; longer if you want to sit in the garden or browse the arcade shops.
What are the striped columns in the courtyard?
They are Les Deux Plateaux, an artwork by Daniel Buren installed in 1986. The black-and-white striped columns of varying heights stand in the Cour d'Honneur and are one of Paris's most photographed modern installations.
Official sources
Reviewed September 2026. Garden hours and special openings can change; check the City of Paris before travel.