Palais Royal and the Covered Galleries: walking audio tour

Facing the Louvre is one of the little treasures of Paris, a small park known as the Palais Royal. Tucked away behind the Council of State and the Comédie Française, this park provides Parisians with an enjoyable bit of greenery, not to mention luxury shopping!In the late 1700s the park witnessed the invention of the first shopping mall under the arcades. Parisians came to shop, dine in fine restaurants, enjoy the numerous cafés or theatres, or simply enjoy the gardens themselves. But amongst the various forms of entertainment, less wholesome pastimes sprang up, such as gambling and prostitution. By the early 1800s the gardens had become a vast red light district, a wild party that lasted until 1840.Today, the Palais Royal is much calmer and provides a lovely area for modern-days Parisians to do some shopping, enjoy some fresh air, or simply sit and read.Discover the Covered Gallery exhibitions, beautifully decorated and lined with charming boutiques, wich replaced the the city's early shopping malls.With this tour you will discover the park's incredible history, and be free to enjoy some of your own shopping along the way!