The wildlife of the Opéra and Europe districts

Starting point and access: Louvre-Rivoli underground station.
- Metro - Line 1. Take the only exit.
- Bus - Lines 21, 67, 69, 72, 74, 85.

The main animal representations and key points of interest are indicated in italics in the body of the description.

(S) When you exit the metro station, go straight ahead and cross Rue de Rivoli (at no. 154, door decorated with birds of prey and griffins). First turn right then left, then turn right again to take Rue Bailleul. At the end (opposite the 18th-century Hôtel du Trudon), turn left onto Rue de l'Arbre Sec and continue to the next intersection (on the left, you will see the Louis XVI fountain; opposite, at no. 96, is the house where Molière was born, and two signs depicting an eagle's head holding a snake in its beak, in reference to the Mexican flag).

First turn left then right onto Rue Sauval. At the next intersection, cross Rue Berger and turn left, still on Rue Sauval. Go around the round building of the Bourse de Commerce on the left until you reach its main entrance (lion heads on the pediment and, at the top, snakes and birds on both sides; steel sculpture dated 2014 representing a horse and its rider). With your back to the entrance, cross Rue du Louvre.

(1) Follow the street to the right (Atlantean figures at no. 15 and lion heads on the railings). Take the first left, Rue Coquillère. Cross Rue du Coq-Héron on the right-hand side, then Rue Hérold. At the end, turn right onto Rue Croix des Petits Champs (lion heads and caduceus at no. 39 - Banque de France). Continue to Place des Victoires, in the centre of which a statue of Louis XIV on horseback was erected in 1822 (numerous horses in bas-relief on the pedestal).

Go around the square on the left (mascarons on the façades) and take the third left, Rue Vide Gousset. Cross Rue du Mail on the right and you will come to Place des Petits Pères, at the foot of the Basilique Notre-Dame des Victoires (along the street on the left, on the façades, two statues of the Virgin and Child).

(2) With the church on your right, continue straight ahead along Passage des Petits Pères, cross the street and enter Galerie Vivienne. Go down a flight of steps and, at the intersection, turn right (cornucopias and snakes on the wall). Go down another flight of steps and turn left. Exit the gallery (opposite the Richelieu building of the BNF) and follow Rue Vivienne to the right (roosters at no. 7, lion heads at no. 12). Take the first left, Rue Colbert. At the end, turn left into Rue de Richelieu.

After about 40 metres, turn right into Square Louvois. Go around the central fountain dating from 1844: female statues representing rivers; signs of the zodiac all around the fountain, Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn and Pisces; at the bottom, children riding fish. Exit on the other side and then first turn left then right to take Rue Rameau. At the end, on the right-hand side, there is a butcher's shop with a reproduction of an old engraving in the window.

(3) Turn right onto Rue Sainte-Anne. Take the first left, Rue Saint-Augustin. Go straight ahead to the Fontaine Gaillon fountain (child armed with a trident riding a fish; on the left, the restaurant where the Prix Goncourt is announced each year). Then take the second right, Rue de Port-Mahon, and go straight ahead to the traffic lights.

Cross Rue du Quatre Septembre (lion heads high up on the right) and follow it to the left. You will come out onto Place de l'Opéra (at the corner, there is a metal bas-relief with a bird of prey at the top left) and turn right. Cross Boulevard des Capucines at the traffic lights and continue along the square (at no. 8, wooden gate with lion heads and griffins).

(4) Turn left to cross Rue Halévy at the pedestrian crossing and walk past the Palais Garnier. On the other side of the building, cross Rue Auber and follow it to the right. On the side façade of the Palais Garnier, note the numerous sculptures, including eagles, and a rearing horse on the roof.

Cross Rue Scribe, continue along Rue Auber, then turn left into Rue Bourdreau. Take the first left into Square Opéra-Louis Jouvet. Walk past the Théâtre de l'Athénée (1893) and the statue of the Poet riding Pegasus (1897). Walk under a porch and you will immediately reach an intersection.

(5) Go straight ahead to reach the equestrian statue of Edward VII, created by sculptor Paul Landowski in 1914. Retrace your steps to the previous intersection.

(5) Turn left onto Rue Bruno Coquatrix and pass under a porch decorated with fire-breathing dragons. You will come out onto Rue de Caumartin. Turn right and follow the street. Cross Rue Bourdreau on the right-hand side (with its decorative earthenware on the corner) and then pass under the RATP's Opéra substation. At the crossroads, take the first left, Rue des Mathurins (lion heads at no. 4, mascarons at no. 6).

At the traffic lights, cross Rue Tronchet and follow it to the left (at no. 29, lion heads on the door handles). Take the first right, Rue de Castellane. At the end, follow Rue de l'Arcade to the right. At the next crossroads, note the old clock and leopards on the right , the insignia of the Compagnie des Wagons-Lits.

(6) Follow Rue des Mathurins to the left, then Rue Pasquier to the right. At the corner of these two streets, an Art Deco building features numerous animal bas-reliefs: at the bottom, a fisherman with cod, antelope, tiger, shark, crocodile, elephant and camel; at the top, flying fish and various types of birds, including birds of prey, peacocks and parrots.

Cross Boulevard Hausmann at the traffic lights and continue along Rue Pasquier. At the next traffic lights, cross Rue de la Pépinière (Cour de Rome from Saint-Lazare station on the right).

(7) Follow Rue de la Pépinière to the left (lion heads at nos. 2, 9 and 18; mascarons at no. 12). Then walk along the right-hand side of a military building, the Cercle National des Armées, dating from 1927 and decorated with lion heads at regular intervals. At the corner, turn right onto Place Saint-Augustin and pass a statue of Joan of Arc on horseback by sculptor Paul Dubois, created in 1900, on your left.

At Square Marcel Pagnol, turn left to cross at the pedestrian crossing and pass in front of the entrance to the Church of Saint-Augustin (on the façade, statues of the symbols of the four evangelists: the eagle of Saint John, the bull of Saint Luke, the lion of Saint Mark and the angel of Saint Matthew). At the corner, turn right onto Boulevard Malesherbes and walk along the church on your right.

(8) At the foot of the statue of Jules Simon, Place du Guatémala, turn right and walk past the side of the church. Then take the second left, Rue Portalis. Shortly before the end of the street, climb the stairs on the right to reach Rue du Rocher. Turn left and cross Rue de Madrid via a bridge. Note the bas-reliefs above the gate at No. 56 and, at No. 53, a mansion built in 1877. Take the first right, Rue d'Edimbourg, which slopes slightly downwards. Note several Art Nouveau buildings, notably at numbers 17, 15 and 9, as well as the Art Deco gate of a telephone exchange at number 11.

At the traffic lights, cross Rue de Rome and follow it to the right. Between numbers 53 and 53, note a vertical gutter starting at the top with an unidentified reptile and ending at the bottom with an unidentified animal head, as well as lion heads at the top. Take the first left, Rue de Madrid, and you will soon reach Place de l'Europe Simone Veil.

(9) Go around the square on the right and cross the railway tracks of the Saint-Lazare station. Cross Rue de Londres and continue along Rue de Liège (cornucopias and chimera heads at no. 47; lion heads at no. 41). Take the first left, Rue de Turin. At the traffic lights, go around Place de Dublin on the left and take Rue Clapeyron (roosters and snakes at no. 10; caryatids at no. 15).

At the next intersection, cross a branch of Boulevard des Batignoles, then turn right into the central (pedestrian) lane. Continue straight ahead in this lane and cross the street at the pedestrian crossing. Further on, at the traffic lights, turn left to cross the second branch of Boulevard des Batignoles. On the other side, turn right and you will immediately reach Place de Clichy (monument from 1869 in homage to the defence of Paris in 1814) and its metro station (E).

To return home:
- Metro - Line 2 or 13.
- Bus - Lines 21, 30, 54, 68, 74, 80, 95.

Good sports shoes are sufficient for this urban route.

There are numerous bars, restaurants and shops along the route.

Opening hours of gardens and public passages:
Galerie Vivienne
Every day, 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Square Louvois
- Opening: 8:15 a.m. on weekdays; 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing time: 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. depending on the season (see detailed opening hours).

Useful detailed map (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 14 January 2024. The author would like to thank hiker jaco948 for his additional observations, which helped improve the description of this hike.

The main animal representations and notable places are mentioned in the description itself, without claiming to be exhaustive. The Louvre-Rivoli metro station is decorated with reproductions of sculptures from the Louvre Museum.

Visiting churches:
Visits are free during the day, but please refrain from visiting during services.