Grand Mosque of Paris Mosque

Address: Grande Mosquée de Paris, 2bis Place du Puits-de-l’Ermite, 75005 Paris, France

Website: https://www.mosqueedeparis.net/

Hours: Open daily for prayers; visiting hours for non-worshippers vary-check official site

Admission: Visiting the mosque is free; some facilities (tea room, hammam) charge fees

The Grand Mosque of Paris is a large mosque complex in Paris’s 5th arrondissement, notable for its Hispano-Moorish architecture and public gardens. It was constructed in the 1920s and opened in 1926 as both a place of worship and a cultural institution.

The complex includes a prayer hall, a 33-metre-high minaret, tiled courtyards, ornamental gardens and public spaces such as a tea room and hammam. The mosque is one of the best-known Islamic religious sites in metropolitan France and also engages in cultural and community activities.

Built in the aftermath of World War I, the mosque commemorated Muslim soldiers from French territories and has since functioned as both a religious centre and public landmark in the Latin Quarter, adjacent to the Jardin des Plantes and higher education institutions.

It stands in central Paris’s 5th arrondissement, within walking distance of the Seine and major central Paris landmarks.

• Date and purpose: Construction began in the early 1920s and the mosque was inaugurated in 1926, built as a national tribute to Muslim soldiers from French colonies who served in World War I.
• Setting: Located in Paris’s Latin Quarter, close to the Jardin des Plantes, and notable for its Hispano-Moorish decorative style and public garden courtyard.

What to See#

• Prayer hall and minaret: The prayer hall and minaret - the mosque interior features a large prayer space with Moorish decorative elements and an adjacent minaret forming a visual landmark in the 5th arrondissement.
• Courtyard and gardens: Courtyard and gardens - a landscaped courtyard and small gardens with fountains accompany the mosque complex and connect to visitor spaces including a tea room.

The Grand Mosque of Paris is on the edge of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris’s 5th arrondissement. The nearest metro is Place Monge (Line 7), from which the mosque is a short 3-6 minute walk; Gare d’Austerlitz (RER/rail) is also within walking distance (about 10-15 minutes).

• Visit on weekday mornings when the mosque and its courtyard are quieter; avoid the main Muslim prayer times (particularly Friday midday) if you wish to view the garden and architecture without interruption.
• Don't skip the mosque's courtyard garden and tea room-many visitors only photograph the minaret and façade but the Andalusian-style gardens and the café (famous for mint tea and pastries) are part of the experience.
• Enter via the public visitor entrance (check opening hours at the entrance on rue Georges-Desplas/rue de la Mosquée) and be aware that parts of the complex are reserved for worship during prayers; plan your visit around published opening hours.