On the east side of the Place de la Concorde is the gated entrance to le Jardin des Tuileries, the Garden of the Tuileries.
Perched on both sides of the gate are sculptures called the "Chevaux Ailée", "Winged Horses", created by Antoine Coysevox. These are copies. The originals are in the Louvre Museum.
After passing through the gates into the Garden you will find a bookstore on the left (north) side, featuring all gardening interests. On the right (south) side is a public restroom, for which you will need 40 centimes (pronounced "sahn-teem"), cents, to use.
Heading directly into the Garden will bring you to a large pond and fountain, encircled by statues representing mythological figures and events. You will notice the dis-figuration of these sculptures caused by the damaging effects of "acid-rain".
The building to the south is the Musée de l'Orangerie, home of Monet's grand "Les Nymphéas" (Water Lilies). It re-opened in May, 2006, after undergoing several years of extensive renovations.
To the north is the Jeu de Paume, originally an indoor tennis court. It now houses temporary art exhibits. Up until 1986, the Jeu de Paume was the home for the collection of Impressionist paintings. This collection was then re-located to the wonderful Musée d'Orsay.
Farther into the Garden are two cafés on either side of the main path, offering salads, sandwiches, snacks and drinks. There are garden chairs and benches throughout the park, found in the sunny and in the shady spots, excellent for enjoying the passing parade of people.
In the Tuileries Garden are chairs which have a depressed seating which encourages laying back in a seated position. They are recommended.
Throughout the park are a variety of many sculptures, too many to detail here. However, one of the more unusual, is found on the southern path which intersects the main path once past the pond. Lying here in the thicket is a bronze tree, fallen and uprooted.
One can continue on this path to the Solferino Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Seine river and leads to the Musée d'Orsay.
Just before the Solferino Bridge is a stairway, on the left, leading to an elevated walkway that offers an overview of the Tuileries Garden. At the east-end of this promenade is a haunting sculpture called, "Cain and His Sons".
Strolling down the main pathway of the Tuileries Garden will bring you to another large pond, also encircled by statues of mythology. On week-ends, wooden toy-sail boats are available to rent for drifting across this pond. This is the floral section of the Garden and it is always impressive.
Beyond this pond and up a few stairs is the gated, eastern end of the Tuileries Garden.
Here marks the beginning of the Maillol outdoor sculpture garden. Many of Maillol's works are found here. You are permitted to stroll the grounds, walk the hedged mazes and enjoy the open space and sculptures from all angles.
Passing through here brings you to the marbled Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. Commissioned by Napoleon to commemorate his victories of 1805, it was created and built between 1806-1808 by Charles Percier and Pierre Fontaine. The chariot and horses atop the Arc were created in 1828 by Baron Bosio, after the original statues of horses had been returned to Venice in 1815.
One can turn left (north) here and exit the park to view the gilded statue of Jeanne d'Arc on rue de Rivoli.
On either side of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel are stairways leading down to the Carrousel du Louvre, an elaborate shopping mall with marbled floors and walls, the inverted glass pyramid and an entrance to the Louvre Museum.
Here, one can turn left (north) and cross rue de Rivoli and come to the Place du Palais Royal where the Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre metro station on lines #1 and #7 is located.
Often, roller-bladers are zipping and jumping around this Place, so watch out for them and enjoy their acrobatics.
Turning right (south) at Place du Carrousel will bring you to the Seine river and the Bridge du Carrousel.
Continuing straight (east) across Place du Carrousel you will enter the main courtyard of the Louvre, the Cour Napoleon.
Here is the main entrance to the Louvre Museum, a 21 meters high glass pyramid. You can't miss it.
The Louvre is closed on Tuesday which is actually a good time to visit this courtyard as there will be few people here. At night is also a wonderful time to visit as the courtyard is brightly lit up, showing off the sixty-six statues of famous Frenchmen from the ages that stand overhead on the first floor rooftop.
On the left (north) wing of the Louvre is the archway Richelieu. This leads to another entrance to the Louvre reserved for visitors already having tickets, groups, employees and those holding Friends of the Louvre membership cards.
This passage-way offers views through large glass windows into the museum; the Cour Marly, on the west-side, holding the original Marly Horse sculptures created by Guillaume Cousteau in 1745, which once stood at the eastern end of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées; and the Cour Puget, on the east-side, holding the "Chevaux Ailée", "Winged Horses", created by Antoine Coysevox, which, as mentioned above, one time graced the western entrance to the Jardin des Tuileries. The statues standing there today are copies of these originals.
These sculptures were commissioned by Louis XIV for his chateau Marly which was destroyed during the Revolution.
Continuing through the passage will take you to rue de Rivoli and to the Place du Palais Royal, again where the metro station for lines #1 and #7 is located.
Continuing through the Cour Napoleon, you will cross through the Sully passage-way into the smaller and older courtyard called the Cour Carrée, the Square Courtyard. Here is a circular pond and fountain.
The exit to the right (south) of this fountain will take you to the bridge Pont des Arts and on to the French Institute across the river. The left (north) exit takes you to rue de Rivoli. Going straight through the courtyard will bring you to rue de la Amiral de Coligny. Directly across this street is the church Saint Germain l'Auxerrois. Many of the artists who worked on the Palais du Louvre during the 17th and 18th centuries are buried here.
Heading left (north) on Rue de la Amiral de Coligny will bring you to rue de Rivoli and the Louvre-Rivoli metro station on line #1.
Hotels in the Area
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