1 er. Catherine de’ Medici’s Tuileries palace was burned down by the Commune in 1871, but Le Nôtre’s formal 17thC gardens survived. The lawns, flowerbeds and ponds provide a combination of breathing space and open-air gallery between the Louvre and place de la Concorde.

At the western end of the gardens, two 19thC pavilions house art galleries. The former Orangerie (see above) contains a spectacular collection of Impressionist paintings. Its opposite number, the Jeu de Paume (Napoleon III’s tennis court), hosts contemporary art exhibitions.