Le Grand Véfour, Paris, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

Le Grand Véfour is a historic restaurant beneath the arcades of the Palais-Royal in Paris, at 17 Rue de Beaujolais. It has served diners since the late 18th century, and its painted, gilded dining rooms are among the most admired period interiors in the city. Writers, artists and public figures have eaten here for more than two centuries.

The story behind it

The restaurant opened in 1784 as the Café de Chartres, in the galleries around the Palais-Royal gardens. At the time this was one of the liveliest places in Paris, full of shops, cafés and crowds. The name Véfour came later, in the early 19th century, when a new owner took over and gave the place the name it still carries.

Its guest list reads like a roll call of French cultural life. Napoleon and Josephine are said to have dined here, and Victor Hugo and Colette were among the writers who made it a regular stop. Jean Cocteau, who lived nearby in the Palais-Royal, designed a menu for the restaurant in the late 1940s. Few Paris restaurants can show such an unbroken link between food, literature and the arts.

What to look for

• The arcade outside on Rue de Beaujolais, where the restaurant's old-fashioned shopfront sits under the stone galleries of the Palais-Royal.
• The view from the garden side, where the arcades frame the lawns and trees that made the Palais-Royal a social centre of Paris.
• The interior seen through the windows or from inside if you dine, with its mirrors, gilding and crystal chandeliers.
• The painted panels protected under glass on the walls and ceiling, which give the dining rooms their rich, old-world character.

Tips for your visit

• Le Grand Véfour is a working restaurant, so you see the inside by booking a table. Check current opening hours and reservation rules before you go.
• You can admire the exterior and the arcades for free at any time. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough for a look from outside.
• Combine it with a wander through the Palais-Royal gardens and courtyard, which are right next door and pleasant in the morning or late afternoon.
• The Louvre, the Comédie-Française and the covered passages of the area are all within a short walk, so it fits easily into a day of central Paris sightseeing.

See it on a quest

The quest Coco Chanel's Paris passes Le Grand Véfour as one stop on a longer walking route through the city. You reach the restaurant on foot, the app tells you about it when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It is a good way to see the Palais-Royal with context rather than just walking past. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever suits you.