The Faubourg Saint-Honoré Bestiary

Starting point and access: Place de l’Alma.
- Metro – Line 9, Alma-Marceau station. Take Exit 1 onto Avenue Montaigne.
- RER – Line C, Pont de l’Alma station. Cross the Seine via the bridge, using the right-hand pavement. On the other side, cross the Cours Albert Ier and turn right towards the Monument of Belgium to France and Rue Jean Goujon to start the route.
- Bus – Routes 42, 63, 72, 80, 92.

The main depictions of animals and key features to look out for are indicated in italics within the description.

(S) As you exit the metro station, go straight ahead and cross Avenue Montaigne at the pedestrian crossing. Then turn left, leaving the Monument of Belgium’s Gratitude to France on your right, and head straight into Rue Jean Goujon.

Walk past the Chapel of Notre-Dame de Consolation, then past the Armenian Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, noting the numerous eagle sculptures on its capitals. You will arrive at Place François Ier, which features, in its centre, a fountain whose basin is supported by winged lions and from which water gushes from the mouths of small lion heads.

(1) Take the first left onto Rue François Ier. Note, at No. 14, two dolphins (in the heraldic sense) flanking a window. Cross Avenue Montaigne again and note, at the top of a corner building on the right, a bas-relief depicting two birds. Continue straight on along Rue François Ier and look out for lion-headed mascarons at nos. 28, 30, 34, 39, 41 and 52.

(2) Take the next right onto Rue Pierre Charron. Note the lion-headed mascarons at nos. 55, 57, 61 and 62. Note the rich decoration on the façade of no. 68, including a lion’s head high up. Cross the Avenue des Champs-Élysées at the pedestrian crossing on the left. On the other side, note the building with a bow window and floral decoration featuring a famous perfume brand. Follow the avenue to the left. Note the numerous mascarons, including lion heads, at numbers 74 and 78.

Take the first right onto Rue de Berri (lion heads at No. 4). Opposite No. 8, there are two large dragon sculptures in the front of an Asian restaurant. Then turn right into Rue de Ponthieu (at both corners, the coats of arms of Colombia and Mexico, on the façades of their respective consulates, featuring an eagle and an eagle with a serpent). Note the mascarons on the façades of Nos. 63, 61 and 53. Turn slightly left into Rue Paul Baudry, then left again into Rue Frédéric Bastiat.

(3) At the end, turn right into Rue d’Artois. At the junction, take the first left, Rue Saint-Philippe du Roule. At the end, turn right onto Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. At the traffic lights, turn left onto Avenue Myron Herrick and go round the Church of Saint-Philippe du Roule on the left. Cross Place Théodore Chassériau and turn right onto Rue de Courcelles. At the end, turn right onto Rue La Boétie (lion heads at nos. 72 and 70). Return to the foot of the church.

(4) Then head left along Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (lion heads on the façade at no. 140 and on the gate at no. 134). Take the first left onto Rue de Penthièvre (lion head framing a window at no. 36). At the end of the street (with a trompe l’oeil opposite), turn right onto Avenue Matignon. Note the two Atlantean figures at No. 34, which appear to be supporting the metal framework of a tall bay window. At the next junction, rejoin Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and follow it to the left (lion heads beneath a balcony at No. 71).

Cross Place Beauveau (the Ministry of the Interior on the left, the Élysée Palace opposite on the right) and turn left into Rue des Saussaies. On the right-hand side, you’ll pass Rue Montalivet and then Rue de Surène. Pass a small triangular square on the right (Place des Saussaies, with lion heads at No. 4) and follow Rue Cambacérès. At No. 3, note the two lion heads flanking the gate and, above them, bas-reliefs depicting, from left to right, theatre, music, painting and literature. At No. 16, beneath a window, what is likely a beehive.

(5) At the junction (opposite on the left, at No. 2, balcony corbels with lion heads), turn right into Rue Roquépine. Cross Rue d’Astorg and walk alongside the Protestant Church of the Holy Spirit. Cross Boulevard Malesherbes at the pedestrian crossing on the right (opposite, on the left, a building dating from 1860 with metal-framed conservatories). Follow the boulevard to the right (lion heads at nos. 30, 28, 25 and 23).

Cross Rue d’Anjou on the left-hand side and take the next street on the left, Rue Chauveau-Lagarde. Cross Rue Pasquier and take the next right onto Rue de l’Arcade. Turn into the first left, Passage de la Madeleine. At the end, cross at the pedestrian crossing and walk alongside the apse of the Church of La Madeleine (statues of the evangelists Mark, with his lion, and John, with his eagle).

(6) Continue straight on, then cross at the pedestrian crossing which veers to the left. Carry on along Rue de Sèze and, at the junction that appears immediately, go straight on. Note the dolphin heads (in the heraldic sense) on the façade of the building on the right-hand side. At the next junction, carry on straight ahead. At the traffic lights, cross Boulevard de la Madeleine and continue straight ahead into Rue des Capucines. Pass Rue Volney on your left and you’ll soon reach a junction.

(7) Then turn right and enter Place Vendôme. Start by walking round the square, in either direction. Note the uniformity of the architecture of the buildings lining the square, all built in the first half of the 18th century. Numerous mascarons adorn the façades, displaying a wide variety of designs. Note the Cour Vendôme at No. 7 and the Ministry of Justice at No. 13. Once you have completed the circuit, cross the square to reach the foot of the Vendôme Column.

This column was erected to commemorate the Battle of Austerlitz, which took place on 2 December 1805 between Napoleon I’s Grande Armée and a coalition of the armies of the Austrian and Russian emperors, a theme reflected in the column’s decoration. At the top of the plinth, at each of the four corners, stands a Napoleonic eagle. The bas-reliefs on the plinth depict trophies taken from the enemy, hence the presence of numerous double-headed eagles, symbolising both the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires. There are also a few lion heads… The shaft of the column is adorned with bas-reliefs depicting military scenes, featuring countless horses.

Then cross the square to the other side (south) and you will come to a junction.

(8) Turn left onto Rue Saint-Honoré. Note a sign depicting a bulldog at No. 352 and a lion’s head at No. 217. Walk past the Church of Saint-Roch, whose façade is adorned with a statue of the saint accompanied by his dog.

(9) At the corner by the church, turn left into the Passage Saint-Roch. At the end, turn left onto Rue des Pyramides and then immediately left onto Rue d’Argentueil. At the end (with caryatids on the left, at No. 45), follow Rue Saint-Roch to the right. Cross Rue Gomboust and note, on the left-hand side, the caryatids with lion’s heads at their bases.

At the next junction, turn left into Rue Danielle Casanova (more lion-headed caryatids). Note an old townhouse at No. 15, whose gateway is flanked by two lion heads. Carry straight on until the next set of traffic lights, at a junction you have passed previously.

(7) Then turn right into Rue de la Paix. There are numerous architectural details to note: caryatids at no. 3; two allegorical figures at no. 4, the one on the left holding ears of wheat, the one on the right a caduceus with two snakes; two griffins and lion’s heads on the gate at no. 6; caryatids and lion’s heads at No. 8; lion’s heads and two dogs on the façade of the mansion at No. 13; two lion’s heads at the gateway of No. 18; a mascaron framed by a garland of fruit at No. 23.

At the end of the street, first turn left then right to cross the Place de l’Opéra at the pedestrian crossing and reach the central island where the metro entrance is located (E).

To get back home:
- Metro – Lines 3, 7, 8.
- RER – Line A, Gare d’Auber station, with a connection from the metro station.
- Bus – Routes 20, 21, 22, 27, 29, 32, 45, 52, 66, 68, 95.

A good pair of trainers is all you need for this urban walk.

There are plenty of bars, restaurants and shops all along the route.

A detailed map is useful (at the very least, the one accompanying this description).

Walk undertaken by the author on 13 October 2024.

The main depictions of animals and notable sites are mentioned in the description itself, though this is by no means an exhaustive list.

Visiting the churches
Visits are permitted during the day, but you should refrain from visiting during services.