Place Vendôme – Exploring Place Vendôme From The Rooftops
Place Vendôme in Paris is one of the most luxurious squares in the world.
Come along as we discover it from an unusual perspective: the rooftops.
Located in the 1st district of Paris, the Place Vendôme is not what you generally picture when you think about Paris. The most famous places come first: the Tour Eiffel, the Arc de Triomphe or the Louvre.
However the Place Vendôme is one of the most famous places in Paris, and it’s also considered one of the most expensive and luxurious squares in the world.
Place Vendôme facts
Because I’m myself a fan of facts, and I always love learning something new, you can find below some interesting facts about the Place Vendôme, as well of a bit of the Place Vendôme history. You can also scroll down to the next chapter to go straight to the rooftop adventure ? (click here to jump to the “Place Vendôme from the rooftops” part!)
Facts:
-The square has a characteristic octagonal shape, as it’s surrounded by buildings with 8 sides. In the center lies the Colonne Vendôme (Vendôme Column), the iconic column that you can see from afar.
-The Place Vendôme opens up on the Rue de la Paix, one of the most expensive streets in the World, that you might know if you’ve played some Monopoly.
-Most of the buildings surrounding the Place Vendôme are classified as Historical Monument, a label aiming to protect monuments for their historical, artistic or architectural interest.
-The square is a high place for jewelry brands, that have contributed to the Place Vendôme luxurious reputation.
-Place Vendôme is home to the Ministry of Justice.
-Last fact for you: Napoleon replaced the historical statue of the king Louis XIV with the Colonne Vendôme (that has a statue of Napoleon on top) in 1810; it was then destroyed by the Communards on May 16th 1871. Finally, it was rebuilt in 1875 and has been in the Place Vendôme ever since.
The Vendôme Column destroyed on May 16th 1871
Place Vendôme from the rooftops
On a Wednesday evening, I was meeting with my good friend Robin from Parkour Paris to go shoot on rooftops. After work, he picked me up on my way home, and we went to my house so I could change and grab my gear. The original plan was to go in Bercy, but there was at least 1 hour of commute time and we were not feeling it.
We sat down for a bit, drank a cup of coffee to power up, and then decided to change our plans. Robin and I agreed to go shoot at Place Vendôme, with a twist: instead of shooting down below, we would shoot from the rooftops.
We drove 20 minutes to get to Place Vendôme, and luckily found a parking spot nearby (if you’re familiar with Paris you know how hard it is to find a parking spot in the city!). After exploring the area, we found a promising place to climb to the roofs.
Disclaimer: We are both trained professionals. Please do not attempt to replicate what you see in the following pictures without proper training !!
1) The Climb
The first part of the exploration was the climb; before being able to contemplate Place Vendôme, one of Paris most prestigious square, from the top, we had to put in work and climb all the way to the top of the buildings.
Robin went first, and he climbed all the way to the top. When exploring, we usually go at the same time, but here I thought that the climb itself would make for nice images. I got the camera out and began shooting as Robin climbed, and shot some more pictures when he was at the top, looking at me from above.
The main climb was done. We were on the roofs. However to go where we wanted, and to keep exploring more rooftops and eventually find a view over Place Vendôme, we had to do some more climbing.
2) Exploring the Roofs
Our main goal that night was to shoot photos of the Place Vendôme from above. But we just couldn’t resist exploring the roofs and taking more photos before actually going next to the square.
From the roofs, we had a pretty nice view, with some iconic Parisian buildings in the distance: the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre among others.
After some time on the roofs, the light changed as the sun began to set. Clouds were in front of the sun, creating a nice soft light. We used the opportunity to take some more shots, before making our way to Place Vendôme.
3) Place Vendôme rooftops
Around 20 minutes before the sun completely disappeared, the sky was getting some nice orange and yellow colors. That’s when we decided to go on the roofs over Place Vendôme, the main reason to our adventure.
We climbed some more, and navigated our way through the chimney tops to finally reach Place Vendôme.
Standing over one of the most luxurious place in the world felt absolutely amazing. We were watching the sun set on this beautiful Paris square, far above the hustle and bustle of the city below, where everyone was going about their daily lives without realizing that 2 adventurers were over their head.
If you know me and the Parkour Paris team, you know we had to jump. Robin was already looking at a jump, mentally preparing himself for it. After a few seconds of intense focus, he went for it.
I could feel his energy as he climbed, ran, and jumped around, and it got my hyped up even more than I already was with the adrenaline.
After a few jumps, a crowd of people noticed us on the roofs, and a woman yelled « Don’t do it!! » as Robin was prepping for a jump. They were probably thinking we were just fools not knowing what we were doing, or maybe trying to commit suicide by jumping from the roofs.
The reality is way different, as we are both trained professionals, focused athletes, fully understanding the risks and challenges of rooftop exploration.
Following what happened, we decided to leave the main spot right over Place Vendôme, to avoid more crowd gathering and more people noticing us.
We enjoyed the rest of the sunset from a distance, playing around with the big ball of fire in the sky.
4) Going down to Place Vendôme
When the sun had set, and all that was left was the dim ambient light, we headed back to where we came from, ready to leave the rooftops.
Right before beginning to climb down, Robin looked at a big roof gap, one that he had already looked at when first getting on the roofs at the beginning of the night.
He really wanted to break the jump, and was feeling confident. However jumping over roof gaps is never easy, even after years of training. The mental block always plays a big part in the making of the jump, and I let Robin alone in his thoughts, focusing on his body, on the jump, and getting ready to break the jump.
Having trained countless hours with Robin, I knew the jump was definitely something he could do, and I gave him mental support.
Then, out of the blue, Robin said « I’m going. » I felt the confidence in his voice and got into position, knowing I had this small window of opportunity to capture the jump. Robin ran across the roofs, and leapt in the air over this big roof gap. He landed perfectly on the other side, and I could feel the sense of achievement he had at the time.
We went to the ladder we previously climbed, and left this awesome rooftop over Place Vendôme.
Reaching the ground, we still had energy, and decided to go see the Place Vendôme from the ground after having seen it from above. We climbed around for a bit, and Robin trained a little.
If you want to see Robin in action, check out his videos on his Instagram account: Robin’s Instagram
Place Vendôme Paris map
If you want to discover the Place Vendôme, here’s a map for you:
To get to Place Vendôme, you can take the metro; there are several lines you can take that will get you close to the square:
- Metro Line 1: Stop at Tuileries
- Line 14: Stop at Pyramides or Madeleine
- Line 3: Stop at Opéra
- Metro Line 7: Stop at Opéra
- Line 8: Stop at Opéra
You can also walk from Paris Saint-Lazare, that’s a 15 minutes walk.
I hope you enjoyed learning more about Place Vendôme, and discovering it from the rooftops, a pretty unusual perspective.
If you want to discover more cool places in Paris, check out these:
Hunger Games filming location in Paris
10 Best Eiffel Tower Views
Did you already visit Place Vendôme? Or are you planning to visit it? Let me know in the comments below!
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