How has Paris architecture evolved over the centuries?

Despite spanning centuries of styles and advancements, Paris architecture is often viewed as stylistically cogent or bearing an overall harmony. Perhaps it's because many of these trends evolved from one to the other, or perhaps it has to do with how older structures have been repurposed and stylistically augmented to aid that evolution. Take the Louvre: from palace to museum, it's been built, remodelled and restored over many periods from Gothic to Second Empire and now boasts a modern monument at its entrance.

While the earliest extant architecture in Paris is Roman, very little remains outside of the arena and baths. What Paris owes most architecturally to its Roman heritage is how the city spirals out from the Ile de la Cité, a tribute to how it grew ring by ring from its walled-city beginnings. Romanesque, the first significant movement to follow in the medieval period, mimicked the Roman style with its rounded arches, thick walls and massive brickwork, seen most often in historical churches. Only a few Romanesque churches remain in Paris. The 10th-century Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés is the best example, but you should also visit Saint-Martin-des-Champs Priory.

Born in Paris in the 1100s, the Gothic movement brought an ornateness with soaring pointed arches, flying buttresses, ribbed vaults and enormous stained-glass windows. The most famous Gothic cathedral, of course, is Notre-Dame de Paris, begun in 1163. The cathedral suffered a fire in 2019 and isn't set to reopen until December 2024. In the meantime, tour Sainte-Chapelle and Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois.

When Renaissance architecture came to France in the late 1400s, it didn't supplant the Gothic style but developed alongside it. The new style focused on precise proportions, classical forms, symmetry and harmony. You can view most of Paris's Renaissance architecture in the Marais district. Place des Vosges is lined with Renaissance-style houses, and from there you can walk to Hôtel Carnavalet (1548-1560), which remains an excellent specimen despite renovations.

Associated with the reigns of Louis XIII to XV, the Baroque movement emphasized grandeur and complexity, employing dynamic contrasts, illusory effects, and bright colour and lighting to produce sensuous environments. In France, the movement was tempered by Classicism, which drew inspiration from the ancient Greeks and Romans, emphasizing order and symmetry. France's premiere Baroque example, the palace of Versailles, lies outside Paris, but you'll find plenty of buildings within the city showcasing both French Baroque and Classical tenets. Start with these:

• Temple du Marais (1632-1634): The influential architect of this church, François Mansart, is credited with introducing Classicism into the French Baroque period.
• Les Invalides (1671-1701): This complex by Libéral Bruant and Jules Hardouin-Mansart illustrates the blending of Baroque and Classicism with an emphasis on the latter.

Parisian designers in the mid-1700s strayed from the period’s geometric patterns to create the Rococo movement. Just as grand and more theatrical, it differed from early Baroque by embracing asymmetrical curves, pastels, and decorative themes based on nature and the Far East. You can see prime examples in the interiors of Hôtel de Soubise, particularly the princess’s chamber designed by Germain Boffrand (1730s), and the prince’s chamber at Chateau de Chantilly designed by Jean Aubert (c. 1720).

In the late mid-1700s, Classicism reasserted itself as the dominant style, once again emphasizing clean lines, symmetry and grand columns. This resurgence, known as Neoclassicism, swept through Paris for almost a century, leaving an abundance of every type of classical pillar. Explore these famous examples:

• Panthéon (c. 1758-1790): This church-turned-mausoleum by Jacques-Germain Soufflot was inspired by the Roman Pantheon.
• La Madeleine (1807-1828): Pierre-Alexandre Vignon based his design for a Napoleonic monument on classical temples, but this Neoclassical gem ended up a church.

For a hotel with period flair, choose Sofitel Paris le Faubourg, a boutique luxury hotel housed in two historical mansions, one from the 18th century and one from the 19th.

In the 19th century, the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris led the training of architects, not just for France, but for the western hemisphere. Its teachings evolved Neoclassicalism to include ornate flourishes from the Renaissance and Baroque styles as well as architectural advancements and modern materials. The Musée d’Orsay (1898-1900) and the National Museum of Natural History (1877-1889) are among the best Parisian examples.

Similar to Beaux-Arts, the Second Empire (or Napoleon III) style blended elements from previous movements along with modern innovations and building materials. The result was an eclectic yet harmonious whole. The mansard roof, designed by Baroque architect Francois Mansart, became a staple of the period. The most famous example of Second Empire architecture is the Paris Opera House (Palais Garnier) designed by Charles Garnier.

The quintessential look of Paris is owed largely to a civil servant, rather than an architect. Under Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann undertook a massive restructuring of the city to deal with population increases, water shortages and other civil crises. For nearly 30 years, the city became a construction zone and a hotbed of controversy, though eventually many critics came to realize how much Haussmann did to save Paris. His network of wide boulevards gave Paris its openness as well as effectively connecting central points to the city centre. The buildings lining these streets were similar in height and bore uniform cream-colored facades with black wrought-iron accents, the look that has become distinctively Parisian. The apartment buildings and hotels of central Paris, such as Novotel Paris Les Halles, still exemplify the Haussmannian style.

At the turn of the century, Art Nouveau architecture sought to bridge fine and applied arts. Hallmarks include severe curves, asymmetry, organic repetition and bold decoration with floral ornamentation, ceramics and sculpture. The style proved popular in Paris as people tired of the sameness of Haussmannian architecture. Excellent examples dot Paris in the form of Métro entrances by Hector Guimard (1906). For the work of Jules Lavirotte, visit the apartment building at 29 Avenue Rapp (1901), and for a hotel with Art Nouveau décor, stay at Hotel Paris Bastille Boutet-MGallery.

Born in Paris between the World Wars, the Art Deco movement embraced the optimism of the jazz age with sharp angles and decorative brickwork. An art-rich shopping trip to La Samaritane and the Galeries Lafayette will showcase both Art Nouveau and Art Deco. It’s no surprise that musical halls and theatres provide other stellar examples:

• Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (1927-1928) by Jacques Carlu
• Folies-Bergère (1925-1931) by Jacques Carson

Soon Modernism swept in the era of glass, steel and concrete, and rich ornamentation began to fade. The Swiss-French architect known as Le Corbusier was among the Modernist leaders in Europe, and his work is on high display in Paris, perfect for a walking tour.

Since the 1970s, Paris architecture has once again embraced an eclectic mix of bright colours, textured ornamentation, and complex, curved and contrasting forms. The transition hasn’t always been smooth, as with Les Halles, a historic market that received a maligned revamp in 1979 only to be redone in the 2010s with a massive and distinctive canopy. Other highlights include:

• Philharmonie de Paris (2010-2015) by Jean Nouvel
• Fondation Louis Vuitton (2014) by Frank Gehry

During the Cold War, Brutalist architecture embraced minimalism with exposed and raw building materials, angular geometry and monochromatic colour schemes. Most Brutalist buildings rose in the suburbs, but these residential gems are worth the trip:

• Choux de Créteil (1974) by Gérard Grandval
• Les Étoiles d'Ivry (1969-1975) by Renée Gailhoustet and Jean Renaudie

Focusing on the latest building techniques, high-tech architecture showcases underlying structural designs and functions. Two iconic examples in Paris are the colourful Centre Pompidou by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers (1971-1977) and La Seine Musicale with its solar sail by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines (2017).

In the 1980s, President François Mitterrand launched a programme to produce modern monuments for Paris. Several of these sleek pieces have become architectural icons, filling the city with new energy:

• Louvre Pyramid (1988) by I. M. Pei
• Grande Arche (1989) by Johan Otto von Spreckelsen and Erik Reitzel
• Institut du Monde Arabe (1981-1987) by Jean Nouvel

As you stroll the Haussmannian boulevards and take in the various museums, residences, monuments and bridges, don't forget to include a notable Paris hotel on your architectural tour. Whether historic or contemporary, it's the perfect way to cap off the day, combining your quest of style with luxury accommodation.