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 centre 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.

We will also discover the Covered Gallery, which replaced the Palais Royal as the city's early shopping centres. Beautifully decorated and lined with charming boutiques, we will visit one of the loveliest Covered Galleries in the city.

With this tour you will discover the park's incredible history, and enjoy some of your own shopping along the way.