If you’re like me, going on a tour of a bank doesn’t sound like the most interesting activity unless they are giving away some crisp bills at the end.
Or unless that bank happens to be the Banque de France.
As I mentioned on Monday, there is a magical weekend coming up in Paris (and throughout Europe), known in French as Les Journées du Patrimoine. This weekend, September 20-21, many buildings and monuments will be opening their doors to the public and often offering free entry. And a lot of these venues are only open to the public once a year. The time is now.
Last year my parents were in town during Les Journées du Patrimoine and we all headed over to the Banque de France in the 1st arrondissement. While the first section of the exhibition looked informative, we really came to see this:
The crowds gathered in la Galerie Dorée
We came for the splendid la Galerie Dorée. Just a reminder that this building hasn't only housed the Banque de France - it used to be someone’s residence as the Hôtel de Toulouse.
Unfortunately I looked online in search of the hours to visit La Banque de France for this upcoming weekend and found that it is closed for all of 2014 and the first third of 2015 due to restoration work [link in French].
But don’t worry, there are plenty of other fantastic interiors to visit this weekend. If you like the style of this hall, don't miss the glitzy, decked-out town hall, Hôtel de Ville. And there are many others - check out the official website here [link in French]!
Where are you going to visit during Les Journées du Patrimoine? Or what do you wish you could see?
More on Les Journées du Patrimoine (European Heritage Days ) in Paris:
