Palais de l'Élysée

Just off the Champs-Élysées, this 18th-century mansion has been the official residence of the President of the French Republic since the mid-19th century. Built for a nobleman and later occupied by figures including Madame de Pompadour and Napoleon, it combines elegant classical architecture with a large private garden hidden behind its walls. Its reception rooms, decorated in the styles of successive regimes, host state ceremonies. Normally closed to the public, the palace opens its doors during national heritage weekends.