How I got into this glorious private Paris mansion (and how you can too)

A visit to the Hotel de Beauvais

My birthday was on Saturday and we had a relaxing, long walk around Paris. It was unplanned and lovely.

We were pleasantly surprised to see that we spent the day doing almost exactly what Lina and I had recommended in last week’s itinerary episode. Luxembourg Gardens, Le Peloton Cafe, St Regis restaurant, a stroll along the Seine... the ideal day for a first-time visitor, or a ten-year resident, it seems.

But one special highlight was passing by my favourite hotel particulier (or aristocratic mansion) - the Hotel de Beauvais - and seeing that it was open to the public for the annual Heritage Days.

What luck! I’d been wanting to see in here for about 8 years, but given it’s a court of law, the general public isn’t allowed in.

I think the friendly security guards took pity on us, as we had two small children in tow (our own!) and we were granted access without a guide. We were rushing about, taking it all in, hoping we could see it all before the guards changed their minds and before the three-year-old got bored.

I told the whole story in this week’s podcast episode, which you can listen to below (or anywhere you get podcasts). You can also watch it on YouTube below, I included some of the videos I took.

Meanwhile, the building itself is incredible. In short, it was built in the 1600s for Catherine de Beauvais, first lady of Anne of Austria. Downstairs are vaulted cellars from when it was a monastery in the 13th century. Mozart once stayed there, it was a long-time maternity ward, and it used to be a royal stop-off along the eastern entry to Paris.

And the front door is enough to stop anyone in their tracks.

As for you, you can also visit it during the Heritage Days each year. Or, as I explained in the episode, you can get into the first chamber of the courtyard using the daring “sneak-in-behind-a-lawyer” technique, which is totally worth a try. Or you can ask the security guards, they’re often pretty friendly. But of course, you will only get to that first chamber of the courtyard, not into all the best bits.

Anyhow, I took loads more pics and videos, and I’ll be sharing them throughout the week on all my various social media channels. Come and say hello on Instagram, Facebook, and especially YouTube. If we get to 15,000 subscribers on YouTube I will do a special 1.5 hour bonanza live video.

Lastly, this spectacular building - the Hotel de Beauvais - is one of the main stops on my Monday morning Marais walk. You can book a spot here.

Have a lovely week, dare to explore, and I’ll be back with another email on Friday.

Oliver