around 16Petit Palais – Musée des Beaux-Arts Champs-Élysées de la Ville de Paris 14Grand Palais Whether in the setting of the Nave, hall of honour or Galeries Nationales, the Grand Palais offers an exciting year-long pro- gramme of events, exhibitions and concerts, which are an important part of Paris’s cul- turalcalendar. The Grand Palais is also an The Petit Palais is an architectural jewel, architectural gem, dating from 1900, com- built in 1900 on the occasion of the Universal bining stone, steel and glass, crowned by a Exposition. The museum’s 1,300 works magnificent dome. The site boasts several (sculptures, paintings, tapestries) offer a shops and a restaurant, Le MiniPalais. large artistic overview, from antiquity to the Entrance to Galeries Nationales du Grand early-20th century. Highlights include the Palais: 3 av. du Général Eisenhower (8th). painting collection of the great masters of Entrance to Nave: av. Winston Churchill (8th). the 19th century: Delacroix, Monet, Renoir, M Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau.o Toulouse-Lautrec, Courbet, etc. The inner 01 44 13 17 17. Opening days and times and garden is an ideal spot for a relaxing stroll rates vary according to exhibition programme. and adds to the charm of the site. www.grandpalais.fr Av. Winston Churchill (8th). M Champs-o Élysées – Clemenceau. 01 53 43 40 00. Daily: 10am-6pm, except Mon and on certain public holidays. Fri: open until 9pm (temporary exhibitions). Permanent collections free. Charge for temporary exhibitions. www.petitpalais.paris.fr 15Palais de la Découverte 17Place de la Concorde Housed in a wing of the Grand Palais, the The Place de la Concorde is situated at Palais de la Découverte offers permanent the end of the Champs-Élysées. Created in and temporary exhibitions of a scientific 1772, the square was originally known for nature. Catering to both children and adults, having been a site for executions during the museum promotes the learning or trans- the French Revolution: Louis XVI and Marie- mission of science through the numerous Antoinette were both guillotined here. fun, interactive activities and experiments Today, it is famous for the Luxor Obelisk, on offer. In order to get closer to the stars the oldest monument in Paris (3,300 years and to discover the joys of astronomy, a ses- old!), the sumptuous buildings that line the sion at the planetarium is not to be missed. square and its two monumental fountains. The diameter of the planetarium’s dome 8th. M Concorde.o measures an impressive fifteen metres. Av. Franklin D. Roosevelt (8th).M Champs-o 18Musée Jacquemart-André Élysées – Clemenceau. 01 56 43 20 20. Daily: The Musée Jacquemart-André was born of a 9.30am-6pm (Sun and public holidays: 10am- double love story! That of a couple, Édouard 7pm), except Mon, 1 Jan, 1 May and 25 Dec. Full André and Nélie Jacquemart, and their rate: €9. Planetarium (6 yrs+): €3 supplement. shared love of the arts. Over the course of www.palais-decouverte.fr their lifetime, they collected paintings by the great masters, as well as sculpture, fur- niture, jewellery and tapestry. Their treas- ures are now on display in a sumptuous pri- vate mansion. The museum also organizes very fine temporary exhibitions. WEST PARIS 41