Si le interesa la historia de Francia y tiene buen ojo para la arquitectura y el lujo, no querrá perderse este paseo, que comienza en el hotel y le lleva por la rue Saint-Honoré hasta la Place Vendôme, luego la rue de la Paix y hasta los Jardines de las Tullerías (consulte nuestro artículo). Esta visita puede ser un buen preludio de una visita al castillo de Versalles.

La plaza Vendôme fue construida bajo Luis XIV. Alberga 28 mansiones privadas, la mayoría de ellas catalogadas como monumentos históricos. Esta obra maestra de perfecta simetría es un bello ejemplo de la arquitectura clásica francesa. Considerada la plaza más lujosa del mundo, la plaza Vendôme es la sede de la alta joyería francesa e internacional.

No less than 28 prestigious jewelers are established around the square.

Boucheron is the first jeweler to have settled on Place Vendôme in 1893. Cartier followed in 1898, Chaumet in 1902, Van Cleef & Arpels in 1906…

Quite late, in 1997, Chanel opened a shop dedicated to watchmaking and jewelry. A legitimate location as Gabrielle Chanel stayed in Place Vendôme for many years.  Legend says that the square’s shape inspired him to for the shape of the famous Numéro 5 bottle.

Don’t hesitate to visit the different shops, you will be very well received.

Many anecdotes contribute to the myth of Place Vendôme, among which we can mention that of the Maharadjah of Patiala. The Maharadjah went to Boucheron in 1923 with twelve guards carrying six trunks of diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. A treasure representing two billion francs, or about 1.5 billion euros. It is the most important convoy that jewelers had ever seen in Paris. The Maharajah placed to this day the largest order in the history of the Place Vendome.

During this stay, the Cartier house received the maharajah and created a spectacular diamond necklace.(Photo Archives Cartier © Cartier)

The square originally had the statue of Louis XIV in its center, though the statue was destroyed during the 1789 revolution. A column topped with a statue of Napoleon I with Caeser’s crown was built in 1810 to commemorate the victory of Austerlitz. The statue was replaced in 1830 by that of the same emperor dressed as “corporal” and again replaced by a copy of the 1st statue of Napoleon. The column was destroyed in 1871 by the Communards, then rebuilt in 1873.

The painter Gustave Courbet,who was deemed responsible for the column’s destruction, was ordered to pay the sum of 323,091 francs needed for its reconstruction. Captured and bankrupt, he fled to Switzerland and died before paying the first installment.

Originally, the square had a statue of Louis XIV at its center, which was destroyed during the 1789 revolution. In 1810, a column topped with a statue of Napoleon I with Caesar’s crown was erected to commemorate the victory of Austerlitz. The statue was replaced in 1830 by one of the same emperor dressed as a “corporal” and later by a copy of the original statue of Napoleon. The column was destroyed in 1871 by the Communards and rebuilt in 1873. The painter Gustave Courbet, held responsible for the column’s destruction, was ordered to pay for its reconstruction. Unable to pay, he fled to Switzerland and died before making any payments.