National Library of France visitor guide

Visit National Library of France, Paris

The Richelieu site of the National Library of France (Bibliothèque Nationale de France Richelieu) is an impressive library in the centre of Paris, on Rue de Richelieu in the Second arrondissement, a short distance north of the Jardin du Palais Royale.

Discover the National Library of France

France This Way review: although a visit does not take long if you are only here to see the Oval Hall and the gardens (like most visitors), this important site is well worth visiting to see the 17th century palace which holds the library, and the imposing Oval Hall, the centre of the library

Before you reach the building you can explore the small park in front of the entrance, called Jardin Vivienne. This is very well maintained and has some interesting plants and trees.

The entrance to the palace is through an imposing facade in stone, that incorporates stone columns and tall windows. This building, that now holds the library, was built in the 17th century as a Palace for Cardinal Mazarin.

In 1721 a part of the palace was transformed into a library for the King, with the space occupied by the library slowly extending over the following two centuries, so that by the 19th century the library occupied the whole of the palace.

The Oval Room

The principal room inside the library is the Oval Room, often referred to as the Oval Paradise. This room is 44 metres by 33 metres and was completed in the 19th century, and was the final important transformation of the palace. The room is very charming, with a dome ceiling that contains a large area of glass to allow light into the space.

All the walls of this space are covered by bookshelves, separated by thin pairs of columns. Between these and the dome there are further decorative elements including arches and a series of smaller round windows.

The Oval Room is open to visitors and you can discover comic books, many works of reference and books about religion and history, among others. Many of these are on display around the edges as you tour the room, and will entice you to stay a little longer to look at them!

Many visitors consider the National Library of France Richelieu building to be one of the most beautiful libraries to be found, which I am sure is true, but I must recommend that you also visit the National Assembly, where you have a chance to see their library, which in my opinion is even more impressive than this one...although a visit to the National Assembly does require reservation in advance and does not always include a visit to the library!

Seating for those using the library is in the centre of the room, and remains a quiet space, but visitors are able to walk all the way around the edges of the room with plenty of places to admire the architecture, along with some of the books that are displayed on low bookshelves around this area.

You will also find a cafe and a bookshop in the library.

Visit the National Library of France

There is no charge to visit the gardens in front of the palace, and the Oval Hall. There is also a museum and other exhibitions in the library, which you need to pay around 10 euros per person to visit, and allows you to appreciate some of the other rooms in the Palace.

The library is open 10.00 - 18.00 every day except Monday.

The closest metro stations to the National Library of France are the stations Quatre Septembre and Bourse, both on line 3 of the metro and on Rue IV Septembre.

Attractions nearby

Very close to here you can visit two of the covered galleries for which Paris is well known: the Gallery Vivienne and the Gallery Colbert.

The building of the Bourse is an imposing classical style building on Rue Quatre Septembre, a short distance to the north east of the National Library.

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

To make travel arrangements to visit National Library of France see HERE