Galeries Lafayette visitor guide

Visit Galeries Lafayette, Paris

Galeries Lafayette is a famous department store in the 9th arrondissement in the centre of Paris, on Boulevard Haussmann and a short distance north of the Palais Garnier opera house.

Discover Galeries Lafayette

France This Way review: the Galeries Lafayette is one of the most iconic and popular free visitor attractions in Paris, and it is much more than just a shop - it has remarkable architecture including an impressive art deco dome and a roof terrace with remarkable views across Paris

Entrance to Galeries Lafayette

The original Galeries Lafayette was opened in Paris in 1894 by two cousins from Alsace. From the very beginning the goal was to provide a superior shopping experience, and the goal was quickly met and recognised by Parisians as a special experience.

Their rapid success allowed them to purchase the site of the current store in 1896.

The dome, for which the shop is now best known, was added in 1912, along with the roof terrace which had opened in 1908. At that time, the roof terrace of Galeries Lafayette became one of the popular places for high society to meet each other.

The dome is in the art deco style, with large amounts of coloured stained glass, and is set above several levels of ornate balconies, rather like those you might see in a theatre, that also incorporate large amounts of art deco details, including ornate ironwork balconies and many decorations based on a floral style.

The dome is really an extraordinary achievement, even more so given that in 1919 the techniques of construction using glass and iron were much less advanced than they are today, and the dome is supported on columns of reinforced concrete, which was also a recent innovation at that time.

Inside the shop and close to the top of the dome they have added a glass walkway so you can walk right out into the centre of the dome and have even more remarkable views of the design.

The terrace attracted such attention that in 1919 a pilot called Jules Védrines landed a small aircraft on the terrace following a challenge from the shop that offered 25 000 francs as a prize. Védrines received the prize money, but was also fined 16 euros because he had ignored the ban on aeroplanes flying over Paris that was in place at the time!

I should also say, the store also offers an exceptional shopping experience, with beautiful displays of goods all around, so if you are coming to Paris for shopping you should also come here, it is not just a tourist attraction! It is the largest shop in Europe and second largest in the world.

Roof terrace at Galeries Lafayette

Visiting Galeries Lafayette

The closest metro station to Galeries Lafayette is the Chaussée d'Antin — La Fayette station on lines 7 and 9 of the metro.

Although the interior of the shop is very upmarket with departments selling many famous and expensive brands, typically fashion, handbags, cosmetics etc, and there are often security guards near the doors, the visit is not at all intimidating (I say that because I know of someone who was deterred from entering) and it is clear that Galeries Lafayette have been welcoming visitors who want to admire the building for more than 100 years.

If you can visit during the weeks before Christmas, Galeries Lafayette are also renowned for their decorations and Christmas trees.

Attractions nearby

Almost next door to Galeries Lafayette, west along Boulevard Haussmann, you can visit another iconic department store, called Printemps Haussmann.

A very short distance south of the store you can visit the Paris Opéra (Palais Garnier), which has one of the most resplendent interiors of any building in France.

You can find more travel ideas in the Paris region guide.

To make travel arrangements to visit Galeries Lafayette see HERE