On 14 July 1789 a Paris crowd stormed the Bastille, the royal fortress-prison that guarded the eastern gate of the city. It held only seven prisoners that day, but its fall became the founding symbol of the French Revolution, and the building was demolished within months. The outline of the fortress is marked in the paving stones where Rue Saint-Antoine meets the square.
In the centre stands the Colonne de Juillet, the bronze July Column completed in 1840. It commemorates not 1789 but the July Revolution of 1830, and is crowned by the gilded Génie de la Liberté. Around it, the Opéra Bastille opened in 1989 for the bicentenary, the Canal Saint-Martin’s Port de l’Arsenal marina runs down to the Seine, and the streets of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine fill with bars at night.
Top things to do at Place de la Bastille
Shop the Marché Bastille
On Thursday and Sunday mornings one of the largest open-air markets in Paris lines the Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, just north of the square: fruit, cheese, fish, rotisserie chickens and prepared food. Sunday is the big day.
Walk the Promenade Plantée
A few minutes south-east, the Coulée verte René-Dumont — a planted walkway on an old railway viaduct — starts above the Viaduc des Arts on Avenue Daumesnil. It was a model for New York’s High Line.
See a performance at the Opéra Bastille
The Opéra national de Paris stages opera and ballet here. Last-minute and restricted-view tickets can be surprisingly affordable.
Stroll the Port de l’Arsenal
The marina between the Bastille and the Seine has gardens along its western bank — a pleasant route down to the river.
How to get to Place de la Bastille
- Métro: Bastille (lines 1, 5 and 8). On the line 5 platform you can see remains of the fortress’s foundations.
- From the Place des Vosges, walk down Rue de Birague and along Rue Saint-Antoine, or Rue du Pas-de-la-Mule and Boulevard Beaumarchais — about eight minutes.
Insider tips
- Bastille Day (14 July) itself is mainly celebrated with the military parade on the Champs-Élysées and fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, but the Bastille area has balls and events.
- Rue de Lappe and Rue de la Roquette are the nightlife streets — lively, sometimes rowdy, at weekends.
- Beware of pickpockets at the busy Métro interchange.
Best tours & tickets for Place de la Bastille
These top-rated experiences pair well with a visit to Place de la Bastille:
Bike tour from €45 Paris by Night: 3-Hour Guided Bike Tour
Paris is at its most magical after dark, and a bike covers far more ground than walking. A guided three-hour ride past the illuminated monuments, at an easy pace, with stops for photos and stories.
- Illuminated monuments by bike
- Easy pace, flat route
- A fun first evening
Bike tour from €45 Paris: Charming Nooks and Crannies Bike Tour
A daytime ride away from the obvious boulevards, threading through the Marais, across the islands and into lesser-known corners — with nearly 3,000 reviews averaging 4.8. Paris’s cycle lanes have multiplied in recent years, and this is a relaxed way to enjoy them.
- Quiet streets, islands and squares
- The Marais and the Île Saint-Louis by bike
- Rated 4.8 by thousands of riders
