Despite its setting just across the street from the Louvre, the Palais-Royal remains a quiet refuge from big-city crowds. As the past home of cardinals and kings, it manages to be both a window on Paris’ history and a touchstone in contemporary life, a meeting-place where tourists, transplants and natives collide. It’s the favorite spot of Charlotte de Charentenay, your expert storyteller on this journey. “You’re right in the center of Paris, but it’s still somehow a bit of a well-kept secret,” Charlotte says.   

On this unforgettable promenade she’ll recount how kings, aristocrats, prostitutes and Revolutionaries once mingled here, under arcades that have been setting fashion trends for more than 200 years. You’ll  discover fine art, formal gardens and elegant boutiques – like medallion shop Bacqueville, in existence since 1790; luxury vintage clothing store Didier Ludot; and Delvaux, the world’s oldest fine leather goods house.