Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann
A department store under a 1912 stained-glass dome
- Area Opéra
- Type Shopping
- Time needed 1h
Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is a department store on the Boulevard Haussmann behind the Opéra Garnier, and the architectural reason to walk in is the 1912 stained-glass and steel dome over its central atrium, ringed by tiers of ornate balconies. There is also a roof terrace, open to the public without a ticket, that gives one of the best free views in central Paris. Entry to the store and the terrace costs nothing.
Open in the planner →Getting there
Metro line 7 or 9 to Chaussée d'Antin La Fayette comes up at the store. From Châtelet take line 7 northbound, about seven minutes, or walk it in roughly twenty-five. Opéra, on lines 3, 7 and 8, and RER A at Auber are both five minutes away. Saint-Lazare, served by lines 3, 12, 13 and 14 and by Transilien J and L, is a ten minute walk north-west.
What you see
Go in at the main Boulevard Haussmann doors of the Coupole building and look straight up: the dome is forty-three metres above the ground floor, in coloured glass on a neo-Byzantine steel frame, with the gilded balcony fronts spiralling up around the void. The view is best from the upper balconies, so take the escalators or lifts up a few floors and look down and across. On the top floor, follow signs to the rooftop terrace, where there is an unobstructed panorama over the zinc roofs to the Opéra Garnier immediately below, the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Cœur and the Tour Montparnasse. The gourmet food hall in the adjoining building is worth a look for the counters and displays rather than for eating cheaply. The store itself is the usual run of fashion and beauty concessions.
What to pair it with
The Opéra Garnier is a two minute walk and is the obvious pairing. Printemps is next door with its own glass dome and terrace, and the Place Vendôme and the Tuileries are fifteen minutes south.
When to go
Weekday mornings soon after opening are the only genuinely calm time; the atrium and the terrace are packed from late morning onwards, and Saturdays are the worst. The roof terrace is best in the hour before sunset for the light on the Opéra roof, which is also when it is most crowded. Christmas brings an elaborate decorated tree under the dome and window displays, along with the heaviest crowds of the year. The terrace closes in high wind or heavy rain.
What is hard about it
It is a working shop, so the setting is commercial and loud, the ground floor is dense with perfume counters and tour groups, and the staff are not there to run a monument. Getting a clear photograph of the dome or the view usually means waiting and being jostled. The rooftop bar charges well above normal Paris prices for the view. Signage to the terrace is poor and involves several escalators and a change of building, which puts people off halfway. Prices throughout are high, and the queues at the tax-refund desk are long.
Common questions
How long do you need at Galeries Lafayette?
About an hour for the dome, a few balcony levels and the rooftop terrace. Longer only if you intend to shop.
Do I need a ticket for the roof terrace?
No. The terrace is free and open to anyone during store hours, though it may close in bad weather.
Is Printemps or Galeries Lafayette better for the view?
Galeries Lafayette has the better dome; Printemps next door has a comparable terrace that is usually less crowded. Both are free, so you can see them in one walk.
Nearby
More of the same kind
- Shakespeare and Company (bookstore)The English-language bookshop facing Notre-Dame across the river
- Passage des PanoramasThe oldest of the glass-roofed arcades, full of stamp dealers and bistros
Part of these routes
- Markets and arcadesA glass-roofed passage, a store under a dome, a market street and the island shops.
- Paris in five daysA fuller first visit: the island, the Louvre, the Left Bank, Montmartre and Versailles.
- Paris at lengthEverything the other routes cover, spread over unhurried days with nothing rushed.