Palais Bourbon

The Palais Bourbon is the Parisian palace that houses the French National Assembly, the lower house of France’s Parliament, located on the Left Bank of the Seine. Originally constructed as an 18th-century private palace, it has served as the seat of legislative assemblies since the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods.

Architecturally the complex combines 18th-century palace structures with later neoclassical additions on the riverside façade and portico. The building contains the Assembly’s working spaces, most notably the principal debating chamber or hemicycle where elected deputies meet.

Built in the early 18th century as a private residence, the palace was adapted over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries for governmental use and has undergone successive alterations to accommodate legislative functions. It remains the main location for France’s lower-house parliamentary business.

The palace sits on the Left Bank of central Paris on the Quai d’Orsay, immediately across the Seine from the Place de la Concorde and within the Île-de-France urban core.

• Active parliament: Serves as the official seat of the French National Assembly, the lower house of France's Parliament, and is an active working legislature subject to security and access restrictions.

What to See #

• Hemicycle (debating chamber): The hemicycle - the main debating chamber of the French National Assembly where 577 deputies sit to debate and vote on legislation.
• Riverside façade and portico: The riverside neoclassical façade and portico that faces the Seine; the exterior links the building visually to Paris's Left Bank urban axis.