Palais de Chaillot Palace

Address: Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 75116 Paris, France (Palais de Chaillot)

Website: https://www.paris.fr/

Hours: Public esplanade open daily; museums within Palais have their own hours (varies by institution)

Admission: Place and esplanade free; museums housed in the wings have separate admission fees (varies by museum).

Palais de Chaillot is a 20th-century complex on the Trocadéro hill in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, built for the 1937 International Exposition. Its two broad, curved wings surround a central esplanade that faces the Eiffel Tower across the Seine.

The site is principally visited for the wide esplanade and the framed view of the Eiffel Tower, and for the museums housed in the wings such as the Musée de l’Homme and the Musée national de la Marine. The esplanade is a primary pedestrian space used for photography, ceremonies and public events.

The present palace replaced the 19th-century Trocadéro Palace and was completed for the 1937 exposition under architects Jacques Carlu, Louis-Hippolyte Boileau and Léon Azéma. Since then the complex has been adapted to house cultural institutions and public spaces.

The Palais de Chaillot stands at Place du Trocadéro, on the right bank of the Seine opposite the Champ de Mars and Eiffel Tower, close to the Trocadéro metro station and major central Paris avenues.

• Best viewpoint: The esplanade offers unobstructed frontal views of the Eiffel Tower and is the standard vantage point for photos and light-show viewing.
• Architectural date: The building dates from the 1937 Exposition Internationale and was designed by architects including Jacques Carlu, Louis-Hippolyte Boileau and Léon Azéma.

What to See#

• Esplanade du Trocadéro: A large open esplanade facing the Eiffel Tower that provides the most widely photographed frontal view of the tower across the Seine.
• Museum wings: A group of museums and cultural institutions housed in the palace wings, including the Musée de l’Homme and the Musée national de la Marine.
• Palace wings: Two curved classical wings linked by the central esplanade, designed and rebuilt for the 1937 International Exposition.

Trocadéro is served by Paris Metro lines 6 and 9 (Trocadéro station). Multiple bus routes and taxis serve the square. The esplanade is a short walk from the Seine and the Iéna bridge.

• Cross the esplanade at dusk for the best photographs of the Eiffel Tower lit against the Trocadéro façade.
• Pick up tickets for the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine or Musée de l'Homme in advance-weekends can be busy.
• Stand in the square and watch the unofficial ceremony of selfie-frames, street performers, and couples; the spot still produces the definitive 'Eiffel' view.