Over the years, this venerable restaurant has become a complex that fills an entire building near place de la Concorde, with an upstairs bar, a 300m² Art Nouveau museum spread over three floors, sumptuous reception rooms, an 80-seat theatre, a gift shop, a café…

We had a good look round, and for anyone interested in Art Nouveau it’s a unique feast for the eyes, less than thirty minutes from our hotels.

Here’s all the info.

The restaurant Maxim’s was founded in 1893, and its interior, a remarkably preserved Art Nouveau masterpiece, is probably worth the price of dinner alone (despite the 200€ it will cost you per person).

Bought by Pierre Cardin at the end of the 1970s, it’s his collection of over 550 Art Nouveau pieces – the biggest outside of any museum – that can be seen at the Maxim’s Museum at the same address, rue Royale.

We started our visit by this extraordinary museum which is open to the public without reservation – just be there at 2pm for an guided visit in English, or at 3.15pm for one in French.

On the first two floors, each room is filled to the brim with incredible works of art, superb woodwork, exquisite vases and images from the era.

A third floor of wonders then awaits you, with even more incredible examples of Art Nouveau!

The museum really is incredible for anyone with even a passing interest in Art Nouveau, but there’s even more to see before you leave.

Go down a floor and you’ll find a beautiful bar, then another, and some impressive reception rooms that are used for numerous events, including some rather transgressive club nights!

Even the toilets are beautiful…

And of course, the restaurant has to be seen to be believed. It must be wonderful to spend an evening here.

After the visit, you can take a little of Maxim’s home with you by checking out the shop next door. There are lots of gift ideas for your friends (and you!)

And why not finish off your time at Maxim’s with a quick espresso at… Minim’s!

The Maxim’s Museum (here) is open every day except Mondays, Tuesdays and public holidays. Closed July and August

Visit in English (1 hour) – 2pm

Visite in French – 3.15pm

Admission + guided visit: 20€ / 10€ / free for under-18s

Website: maxims-de-paris.com

Facebook: facebook.com/MaximsDeParis

Twitter: twitter.com/maxims_de_paris

Instagram: instagram.com/maxims.de.paris

We’d like to give our thanks to Pierre André Hélène of the Musée Maxim’s for kindly showing us around this amazing place.

To check out all our photos of Maxim’s, click the four little arrow at the bottom of the image below, or simply click here.

Created with flickr embed.

Ambiance feutrée dans l’escalier en colimaçon du restaurant @maxims.de.paris, l’un des éléments architecturaux emblématiques du lieu. #restaurant #maxims #maximsdeparis #escalier #stairs #colimacon #spiral #spiral staircase #very #green #fleurs #flowers #paris #france

A photo posted by Maxim’s de Paris (@maxims.de.paris) on Sep 30, 2016 at 6:25am PDT