The Town Hall

Hôtel de la Place du Louvre invites you to explore this historical building, the Paris Council offices, its exhibitions and events on the forecourt.

The Town Hall

This neo-Renaissance style building on Place de l’Hôtel de Ville is home to the Paris mayor's offices. Regular guided tours are provided by the Protocol department and available to book on the Paris Town Hall's official website. 
Visitors on a guided tour have the honour of being able to visit the Ballroom that's reminiscent of the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles and the Provost Hall.
The Town Hall plays host to several free exhibitions all year round. Various events are also sometimes staged on the Town Hall's forecourt, formerly Place de la Grève de Paris. 

The surroundings

Near Hôtel de la Place du Louvre and opposite the Town Hall, Le BHV Marais is a major department store on the right bank nestled on Rue de Rivoli. Its initials stand for Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall Bazaar) and, as the name suggests, it has all sorts of departments from DIY, womenswear, menswear and home accessories to toys and cookery. 

Also close to the Town Hall is Saint-Jacques Tower and its neighbouring square, one of the first public parks in Paris. The tower was built in the 16th century and is the bell tower from a church which was destroyed during the Revolution and called Saint Jacques de la Boucherie ("boucherie" meaning "butchery") as the area around it belonged to the butchers' corporation at the time. A statue of Saint Jacques stands at the top as the tower is on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route. Tours by "Des Mots et des Arts" provide a historical insight into the landmark and magnificent views over Paris from the top of the tower. You'll learn that, legend has it, the tower was saved from ruin during the Revolution by Blaise Pascal who used it for his experiments on gravity. A statue of the philosopher still stands at the base of the tower in tribute to the story.