Grand Palais
The beautiful glass roof of the Grand Palais in Paris covers various 'salons' that contain really interesting exhibitions that are definitely worth seeing.
What you need to know about the Grand Palais
City: Paris, France.
Transport links: Franklin-D.-Roosevelt & Champs-Elysées-Clemenceau (Metro Lines 1, 9 and 13), Invalides (RER C Train Line - Yellow).
Nearby attractions: Palais Garnier, Musée d'Orsay, Louvre Museum, Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Access: It depends which exhibition you are wanting to see when you visit. Budget for entry costing around €10 on average to most exhibitions.
Fact: The Grand Palais is the largest metalwork and glass structure in the world. Amazingly the building is made up of 9,400 tonnes of steel framework, 0ver 160,000 square feet of glass and the roof is made up of over 5,000 of iron. Basically the thing is huge.
It was once dwarfed by Crystal Palace in London, but that building was lost in a fire in 1936.
The Grand Palais is a premier venue for art and events
Over the last century there have been innumerable events held at the Grand Palais. It lends itself perfectly as a venue for hosting fancy, swanky and splendid gatherings.
For tourists who travel to Paris it is most relevant as a place to see excellent collections of contemporary art. There are many other bespoke displays that are on show in rotation including antique and classic car shows featuring some exceptional four-wheelers. Expect at times for the building to be showing weird and wonderful sculpture collections, modern artwork and even big fashion events and showcase collections from outstanding designers.
The Grand Palais in Paris is most famous for its amazingly large glass roof.
The Grand Palais is split into several sections
Depending on what you are wanting to see, you can visit any one (or all) of the exhibition spaces housed within the Grand Palais. When you are set to visit, check the current listings to see what is on and come up with your plan of attack accordingly.
The Galeries nationales du Grand Palais are the museum spaces that you will find within the Grand Palais, and they are open six days a week. On the closed day (usually a Monday or Tuesday) the space is closed to allow for essential cleaning and polishing to take place. That way you always visit when the exhibits are at their most shiny and impressive.
You should not need more than about 1-2 hours max to comfortably see the highlights.
The French flag flying above the roof of the Grand Palais.
Plan your visit to see more of Paris
The area has more big Paris attractions nearby - all easily accessed on foot or by metro - so take the time to plan your day to make sure you pack in as much as possible.
Before you visit this glass-roofed marvel, visiting places like Musée d'Orsay or the Louvre early in the day is smart given their popularity. You can then simply saunter along to see the other sights in the area and pack in a whole lot of Paris into just a few hours. Enjoy a yummy lunch either at one of the cafes in the museums or at any of the excellent eateries and cafes not too far away. Keep in mind that most of these cafes are in the opposite direction of the Louvre so again just plan your day and you will have a tremendous time on your travel trip to the French capital.