lafayette tours france

Jump to navigation

In the footsteps of La Fayette | An exceptional Tour

In the footsteps of the Marquis de La Fayette | An exceptional Tour

June 18 to 25, 2022, Privileges Voyages is offering an exceptional 8-day tour of France in the footsteps of Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, better known as the Marquis de Lafayette (how he was known in America.)

The tour will take guests from Paris to Vollore in the Auvergne-Rhone-Alps, home to descendants of the Marquis de La Fayette, via Chavaniac where La Fayette was born September 6, 1757. Then on to Langeac, Toulouse & Bayonne—where guests will be treated to a tour and dinner aboard the Hermione—a replica of the Frigate that brought the Marquis to the USA in 1780. Then back to Paris to enjoy a day in Versailles—to visit the palace and hear about La Fayette’s actions in Versailles during the French Revolution and a tour of Paris and the neighborhoods frequented by La Fayette.

For the duration of the 8-day tour of France, the group will be accompanied by Laurent Zecchini, former journalist at Le Monde and author of the biography Lafayette, “Herald of Freedom” and by Sabine Renault Sablonière, descendant of the Marquis de La Fayette and author of the book "Imaginary memories of Adrienne de La Fayette," as well as the Administrator of the Hermione Association.

• Central America
• North America
• South America
• Train Travel
• Testimonials
• Travel Insights

Tour of Lafayette’s France

Written by [email protected] on January 23, 2024 . Posted in Cultural trips , News , Specials .

Experience the Spirit of Lafayette

May 01 to 08, 2024.

Join us on an unforgettable journey tracing the legacy of the Marquis de Lafayette. Our 8-day tour takes you from Paris to the castles and countryside of France where Lafayette was born and raised.

What’s Included

High-end accommodations.

7 nights in charming 3 & 4 star boutique hotels

French Gourmet Dining

Savor the rich culinary traditions of France

From rustic country cuisine to fine Parisian fare

Expert Guide

Led by Francis Dubois, expert in French history and President of the “Comité Français du Souvenir de Lafayette”

Insider Access

Skip the lines with exclusive tours and VIP access

Go behind-the-scenes at places not open to the public

Cultural Immersion

Trace Lafayette’s legacy across France

Walk in his footsteps through castles and countryside

A Day on the Trail of Lafayette

Each day of our journey brings new discoveries into the world of Lafayette. Here’s a glimpse at one of our tour days:

• Visit Château de Chavaniac, Lafayette’s birthplace and family estate
• Marvel at the treasures and mementos from his time in America
• Dine at a quaint French restaurant nearby
• Enjoy free time to wander the charming village

Lafayette: Citizen of Two Worlds

Lafayette’s mythic status as the defining symbol of friendship between France and the United States was solidified during his triumphal American tour of 1824-25, and amplified by Lafayette himself, who was a skillful manager of his own image. French and American officials have deployed his romanticized figure to promote understanding, forge new diplomatic or economic partnerships, or to curb hostility between the two nations ever since. More than two centuries later, Marquis Gilbert Du Motier de La Fayette is still an important link between France and USA.

On this tour, we will trace Lafayette’s legacy across both sides of the Atlantic. Walk in his footsteps, visit his ancestral homes, and deepen your understanding of the enduring “special relationship” between France and America embodied by this one remarkable historical figure.

This Tour is For You If:

• You want an immersive Lafayette experience
• You love history and want to walk in Lafayette’s footsteps
• You appreciate fine French food, wine and castles
• You seek a blend of guided tours and free time

Space is limited!

A deposit is due by February 26th to confirm your booking. The outstanding balance must be paid in full by March 29th to avoid cancelation.

Return to:   Destinations  |  Inspiration

The Lafayette Trail: Mapping General Lafayette’s Farewell Tour in the United States (1824-1825)

The Marquis de Lafayette laying the cornerstone at Bunker Hill in 1825.

“Permit us then to receive you as the Nation’s Guest and to render to you all the honors which it is in our power to bestow on you. They are the voluntary tribute of hearts burning with gratitude. We wish our children to understand that virtue alone has the right to such homage, and that in the midst of a free people merit never stays without reward .”

A representative from Portsmouth, NH welcoming Lafayette on September 1 st , 1824.  

I n the early 1820s, the United States had solidified its political system and had become a nation free of any wartime binding agreement with the Republic of France. Thomas Jefferson , a lifelong friend of France, negotiated the Louisiana Purchase and secured westward expansion. The War of 1812, however, reminded the United States that homeland security needed to be a top priority for the next decades. As the generation of veterans of the Revolutionary War was wearing thin, emphasis was placed on building up national awareness capitalizing on the momentum resulting from previous conflicts. The early 1820s was marked by the Monroe Doctrine, a rationale enshrining American ambitions to secure a comfort zone around the United States of America, as the balance of power was rapidly changing in Europe.

At the same time in France, the French Revolution had brought about a new social order, which was no longer based on privileges for the few at the expense of the people of France, but rather a reshuffling of the political cards into the form of a Republic. The Marquis de Lafayette opposed the conservative Bourbon Restoration that followed the Napoleonic years but soon realized that liberal thinking had gradually weakened in France.

As the last surviving Major General of the Revolutionary War, Lafayette was invited by U.S. president James Monroe and Congress to visit the 24-state Union for what would become his Farewell Tour in the United States of America. Accompanied by his Secretary Auguste Levasseur, General Lafayette visited all the 24 states of the Union in 13 months (August 1824 – September 1825). The American experiment narrated by Levasseur was meant to serve as a driver to revive Liberals’ political views at a time when the Bourbon Restoration was stifling liberalism in France. In 1829, Lafayette started off a much smaller tour between Grenoble and Lyon in France [i] to challenge the authority of King Charles X and the secret appointment of Jules de Polignac as the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

While almost 50 years had elapsed since the end of the Revolutionary War, the presence of General Lafayette in the United States unleashed a burning desire to express the peoples’ gratitude that had been building during the postwar period. Although the Farewell Tour of Lafayette is generally described as an outpouring of love and respect from the American people, looking at  a specific narrative emphasizing the preparations made for the reception of Lafayette remains a unique vantage point to capture that spirit. A source documenting Lafayette’s visit to the Adams Female Academy in Derry, NH highlights the aura surrounding him when he met with local people, which granted him a godlike presence impacting not only people’s mood but also local weather.

In his Book of Nutfield [ii] , George F. Willey provides a description of the preparations made to welcome Lafayette at the Academy based on a letter written at that time. “ Ladies from the village now came in, hoping to share our chance of seeing the hero. After remaining an hour they departed, supposing he might have taken some other route, and that it was useless to wait any longer. But we were not so ready to relinquish our hopes, and concluded to remain.” The letter also describes Lafayette entering a classroom. “ As he entered the teacher's desk I turned to look at the pupils. A magician's hand could not have effected a more sudden transformation. […] Smiles and animation had displaced fatigue and anxiety. […] Every eye glistened, but it was with enthusiasm ; every heart swelled with intense interest as we beheld the friend, the defender, the martyr of liberty.” The letter ends by emphasizing the local weather, reportedly greatly enhanced after Lafayette departed. “ As he left the building, the clouds which had obscured the heavens suddenly became dissipated in the west, and although the rain still fell in torrents, the sun broke forth with unusual splendor, forming a magnificent rainbow in the east. The splendid colors of the rainbow beautifully contrasted with the masses of dark clouds that still skirted the horizon.”

In his memoirs, Josiah Quincy Jr describes the moment when Lafayette was transferred to the authorities of the Granite State upon crossing into New Hampshire at the Methuen-Salem border in June 1825. “ To me his last words were ‘Remember, we must meet again in France!’ And so saying, he kissed me upon both cheeks. 'If Lafayette had kissed me,' said an enthusiastic lady of my acquaintance, ‘depend upon it, I would never have washed my face again as long as I lived!’ The remark may be taken as fairly marking the point which the flood-tide of affectionate admiration reached in those days.” [iii] This story encapsulates how people perceived Lafayette’s physical and spiritual presence during his visit, which was often characterized by the utmost desire to touch him and receive his personal blessing. Walter Harriman, who served two terms as Governor of New Hampshire, recalls the crowd in attendance when Lafayette passed through Warner, NH on June 27, 1825, “ Before Lafayette could alight from his carriage, an eager crowd pressed forward to look upon his face and to grasp his hand.” [iv]

The Farewell Tour provides a unique opportunity to look at the core of American society almost 50 years after the Revolutionary War, and to assess what the country thought of itself. It taps into remote and vivid historical backgrounds and reveals how the United States celebrated one of its heroes in large cities as well as in the countryside, all across the nation.

The Farewell Tour was characterized by a fast pace as well as very frequent unscheduled stops that Lafayette made along the way.

In New England alone, Lafayette made more than 170 stops on his two visits, in August-September 1824 and June 1825. He visited people he knew from the Revolutionary War such as Caleb Stark, son of New Hampshire General John Stark , Elias Hasket Derby Jr, officer during the Revolutionary War, and James Armistead Lafayette, former slave that played a pivotal role as a double agent during the Siege of Yorktown in September/October 1781.

Many streets, cities, towns and squares across the United States today are named after General Lafayette and his La Grange castle in the outskirts of Paris. Most of those names are a direct result of the momentous Farewell Tour.

The schedule of the Tour was mostly driven by commitments Lafayette had already made, especially to large cities like Boston, New York and Washington D.C. As a result, he consistently declined a lot of invitations originating from smaller cities and towns due to their geographic location. Indeed, venturing further into the countryside carried the risk of spending time on poorly maintained roads and undergoing mechanical failures that would delay the rest of the trip.

Though many prearranged commitments were inescapable, some decisions and alterations to the existing itinerary could still be made on the fly. Lafayette, in an 1824 letter [1] to a committee from Portsmouth, NH, declines their invitation to visit Portsmouth because of previous commitments made in Washington, D.C. Notwithstanding the content of this letter, Lafayette rushed through Portsmouth in a one-day trip the same year. This letter embodies how pivotal geographic location and previous commitments were in decision-making on the Tour. The fact that Lafayette’s visit to Portsmouth lasted only one day, followed by nighttime travel to return to Boston by early the next morning, lets us capture somehow the “guilt” to have accepted an unexpected offer. The desire to catch up on the initial schedule, even if it meant spending the night in a carriage, lies behind this need to accommodate as many people as possible.

The Lafayette Trail, Inc. is a nonprofit organization with the mission to document, map, and mark General Lafayette's footsteps during his Farewell Tour of the United States in 1824 and 1825. It aims to educate the public about the national significance of Lafayette's Tour and to promote a broader understanding of Lafayette's numerous contributions to American independence and national coherence in preparation for the 2024-2025 tour bicentennial celebrations. The Trail brings together history, cartography and computer science in an education program whose principal goal is to raise awareness about Lafayette and the ideals he stood for throughout his life. It relies heavily on boots-on-the-grounds research that adds valuable materials kept in local historical societies and public libraries to the large-scale narratives covering (with much less detail) the whole trip. It features a user-friendly web-based mapping program ( thelafayettetrail.org )  as a tool capable of generating large interest in the French-American longstanding friendship, a powerhouse of progressivism that brought about democratic ideals still in motion around the world.

[1] The letter reads:

“Gentlemen,

The resolutions of the town of Portsmouth delivered by you in terms equally kind and flattering have excited the most lively feelings of gratitude. Happy I will be eventually to present the citizens of Portsmouth with the homage of sentiments which I have cherished for near half a century. I much regret, gentlemen, that previous engagements and the propriety of an early visit to the seat of the government of the Union make it necessary for me to limit this first eastern excursion to the city of Boston where I had been kindly invited to land from Europe. I shall now certainly return to this part of the country before I leave the United States when it will be my happy lot, as it long has been my eager desire to visit the town of Portsmouth and express to her citizens the grateful and affectionate respect that bind me to them.

Accept, gentlemen, my respectful acknowledgement and cordial attachment,

[i] Jérôme Morin, Itinéraire du Général Lafayette, de Grenoble à Lyon, ed. (Lyon, France : Imprimerie de Brunet, 1829), 128p.

[ii] George F. Willey, Willey’s Book of Nutfield , ed. (Derry NH: Derry Deport, 1895), p22.

[iii] Josiah Jr. Quincy, Figures of the past , ed. (Boston, MA: Robert Brothers, 1883), p153.

[iv] Walter Harriman, History of Warner, New Hampshire , ed. (Concord, NH: The Republican Press Association, 1879), pp. 335-336.

The Cost of War

Lost & Bewildered: Dealing With Mental Wounds After the American Revolution

Native American Impact on British War Strategy in Southern Campaign

You may also like.

• Fete Lafayette: A French Hero’s Tour of the American Republic

March 2, 2024 - December 31, 2024

• Exhibitions

On the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of the American Revolution, the marquis de Lafayette embarked on a tour of the United States, returning for a final time to the country he helped establish and whose republican form of government he saw as a model for the rest of the world. In August 1824, Lafayette sailed into New York Harbor, beginning a thirteen-month tour of the United States that took the Frenchman to all twenty-four states of the union and the federal city of Washington. He was celebrated in each city and town, and the routes along the way, with processions, banquets and receptions, worship services, and visits to important sites—along with a flood of souvenirs that met the intense demand for a memento of the French hero.

Lafayette is back! The marquis was seen recently in Washington, D.C., commenting on how his adopted country has changed. See what he thinks in this short video (02:26).

Lafayette’s farewell tour highlighted the country’s revolutionary ideals and origins for a new generation. To Americans in the 1820s, Lafayette represented the French alliance that helped to win American independence and the soldiers who served in the Revolutionary War, providing a personal link to George Washington and other founders of the nation. His farewell tour revived an interest in and appreciation for the Revolution, its ideals and its veterans in popular American culture. It celebrated the United States’ ongoing experiment in democracy, while exposing ways in which the ideals of the Declaration of Independence had not been fully applied in America, as Lafayette argued for an end to slavery and an expansion of civil rights for all citizens. Two hundred years after he last set foot in the United States, Lafayette remains a symbol of French-American friendship, universal liberty and patriotic service.

Through more than fifty objects, Fete Lafayette explores Lafayette’s farewell tour of the United States in 1824-1825, how it highlighted the Frenchman’s contributions to its creation and vision for its future, and the tour’s role in highlighting the country’s revolutionary ideals for a new era. Drawn from the collections of the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati and of several important lenders, highlights of the exhibition include a mezzotint engraving of Lafayette by the noted American artist Charles Willson Peale; letters between Lafayette, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and other notable figures in the United States and France; first-hand accounts of Lafayette’s farewell tour and ceramics, silver, medals and other artifacts used to celebrate it; and sculpture, textiles and other objects showing Lafayette’s legacy since his death in 1834.

Special thanks to the top supporters of this exhibition:

Ambassadors.

Americana Corner  •  Kate W. Carr  •  Hannah C. Cox  •  Randall Alan Hammond and Andrew James Thomas  •  Jennifer B. London, Ph.D.  •  Lucy S. Rhame  •  Mrs. William H. Savage  •  The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire

Anonymous Donor  •  Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia

View the full list of supporters here .

Related programs.

Join us for a series of lectures, object talks, and other programs exploring Lafayette’s life and legacy and the importance of his 1824-1825 farewell tour.

Support the Exhibition

This exhibition is only possible through the support of generous philanthrophy. To support this museum exhibition, please click below to make a tax-deductible donation to the American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati, Inc.

Are you looking for a restaurant ? Click Here

• Paris Travel
• See & do

Galeries Lafayette guided heritage tours

Discover the idem gems of the iconic parisian grand magasin.

7 reasons to join the guided Heritage tour of Galeries Lafayette

 You might be convinced that shopping in Galeries Lafayette is a must-do while traveling to Paris. But visiting the "Grand Magasin" through a guided tour might seem a bit awkward to you: don't worry, we will explain to you why you should not miss this unique experience!

Enjoy empty Galeries Lafayette

Learn amazing anecdotes about the history of Galeries Lafayette

The guided tour is organized by professional guides, which have been working for the Galeries Lafayette Heritage department. The tour is the result of years of research in Galeries Lafayette archives. Created in 1894, Galeries Lafayette are the symbol of a new way of shopping, the "Grand Magasin" (malls). This phenomenon is well described by the famous writer Emile Zola, in the late 19th century, in his Book The Ladies' Paradise : the development of huge malls, with fixed prices, electricity, ready-to-wear products, sale seasons... By discovering the History of Galeries Lafayette, you also learn a lot about Fashion history, Parisian history, shopping history, and Architecture! There are many incredible anecdotes to discover (a plane landed on the roof in 1919, there are up to 12 000 people working for Galeries Lafayette, there used to be an open toboggan to send products from one floor to the other...).

See the famous Dome from the other side

"La Coupole" is an Art Nouveau Masterpiece Created by master glassworker Jacques Gruber, and one of the Parisian most iconic architectural gems. The stained glass currently in place forms an immense flower comprised of 10 luminous sections stretching over a total of 1000m².

Discover small architectural details you would never notice

With such a long history, Galeries Lafayette had witnessed many enlargements and different architectural styles (Art Nouveau, Art Déco...). During the tour, you can of course enjoy information about these architectural heritages, but also discover some small details that are hidden in the buildings, and tell many stories about how the building was in the past.

Enjoy the privilege of entering Galeries Lafayette Archives and private museum

Conscious of the History and precious Heritage of Galeries Lafayette, the owning family (descendants of the founder) decided to take well care of the archives and historical objects and created a dedicated room to collect and display these gems. Usually, that room is not open to the public, but during the tour, you have the unique chance to visit it and to discover many historical objects and documents (old posters and announcements, unique creations, ancient mirrors....)

Discover the oldest clothes in Galeries Lafayette

 Among all the objects in the museum, there are a few very old clothes creations from the early 20th century. These historical clothes are very fragile and not often shown to the public. It's a unique chance to admire these masterpieces and learn about their history, especially if you are interested in fashion.

Admire amazing views of Paris

The tour ends on the rooftop, where you can enjoy a perfect photo spot with almost nobody since the tour ends when Galeries lafayette just opens to regular customers.

How to book your tour?

Being an intimate and exclusive experience, the Guided Heritage tour is not done on a daily base. Right now there are around 2 tours in English each month (usually on Saturday, 9a.m), for small groups (around 10 people). It costs 15€ per person (10% discount with the code GLOBONPARIS, see below), and the meeting point is at Porte Lafayette of the main store (at the corner of Boulevard Haussmann and Rue de la Chaussée d’Antin). The tour lasts for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

 You can reserve your seats by choosing a date on the calendar below and follow the different steps until confirmation:

1) Choose the date and number of participants, and click on the "Add to shopping cart" button.

2) Click on 'Redeem coupon code', type the code GLOBONPARIS and validate with 'apply coupon' to get an immediate 10% discount.

3) Provide your contact information and proceed to payment

If you have specific questions or requests, you can contact the Lafayette Heritage team through this mail: [email protected]

Your tour finishes when the Mall opens. That's the perfect timing for you to continue by doing some shopping before too many customers arrive. Don't forget to have a look at our exclusive voucher by clicking here , to enjoy unique gifts while shopping in Galeries Lafayette!

Related articles

O'Bon Paris

Paris travel.

• Eat & Drink
• See & Do

France travel

• Paris outskirts
• Central France
• South West France
• French riviera

Travel Info

• General Information
• Country Information
• Europe Travel

Follow us on :

©2024 - O'BonParis is a registered trademark of SoCobon

Chateau de Chavaniac Lafayette, Marquis de Lafayette’s birthplace

Chateau of chavaniac lafayette.

The Chateau de Chavaniac Lafayette is about 100kms southeast of Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne .

This is where Gilbert Motier, Marquis de La Fayette was born on September 6, 1757, spent a happy childhood and in 1774 married Adrienne de Noailles.

He fled France in 1792, at the fall of the monarchy, when the revolutionary radical factions ordered his arrest after he voted against the death of Louis XVI.

His castle was declared national property, however, remained in the family until 1917 as his aunt acquired it in 1793.

An American industrialist of French origin, John Moffat, purchased it on behalf of the ‘Friends of Lafayette’ association.

The association restored the castle and transformed it into a memorial-museum to display Lafayette’s historical collections gathered in France and America.

The association managed the castle-museum at the death of Moffat in 1966.

The Haute-Loire General Council acquired it in 2009 and has since been in charge of the administration.

Chateau de Chavaniac Lafayette, a historical monument

A wealthy family from the nearby town of Langeac, the Suat , built the Manoir de Chavaniac in the 14th century.

The current Chateau de Chavaniac Lafayette was built in 1701 on the site of this fortified manor house, destroyed by a fire a few years earlier.

It passed to the Lafayette family in 1708 when Marie Catherine Suat de Chavaniac married Edouard Motier.

Gilbert Motier modernized his castle and landscaped the park in 1790.

However, the major changes date back to the 1920s.

The Friends of Lafayette association undertook major modernization and restoration work under the supervision of the architect of the Historic Monuments of Haute-Loire.

The outside work included a new roof, the reconstruction of one of the two round towers that frame the main facade; it also included the reconstruction and raising of the south wing and the square tower…

Electricity, running water, central heating, telephone and modern facilities were installed in the castle.

Finally, a landscape architect designed a rose garden and an English garden; he also planted the various plant and tree species that earned the park the label “Jardin remarquable”.

The Chateau de Chavaniac Lafayette was granted the label “House of Illustrious” and both the building and its interior were classified Historical Monuments in 1989.

The decoration and collections are exceptional; however, the bedroom where Lafayette was born on the 1st floor, and the Grand Salon on the 4th floor, are the star pieces.

Lafayette’s key role during the American War of Independence

The French and American flags permanently fly on the Chateau de Chavaniac Lafayette to honour the key role Lafayette played during the American War of Independence .

On July 4, 1776, the American colonies rebelled against British rule and made the United States Declaration of Independence.

A year later, Lafayette decided to get involved in their rebellion.

Louis XVI was not keen on provoking the British empire, however, hoped to restore French influence and presence in North America and take revenge after the Seven Years War .

Lafayette eventually convinced the French king to deploy military assistance to the young United States of America.

40,000 soldiers were therefore sent as reinforcements and a fleet of 200 ships, among which La Victoire , commanded by Lafayette, stopped the British fleet at Yorktown .

However, the British didn’t capitulate until 1781, five years after the proclamation of the official Declaration of American Independence.

Lafayette, hero of the French Revolution

This gigantic military aid, however, had tragic repercussions for Louis XVI.

The taxes the French king raised to subsidize this expedition were obviously very unpopular, at a time when the kingdom of France was broke and people starved; this accelerated the fall of the monarchy and the start of the French Revolution.

Lafayette, however, retained his popularity among the revolutionaries thanks to his humanistic and liberal views.

Indeed, with the help of Thomas Jefferson, he penned a draft of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen .

On July 11, 1789 he presented it to the revolutionary Assembly, which adopted it on August 27.

This major document, largely inspired from the ideals of the American Revolution, is still part of France’s current constitution.

Lafayette post-revolution

However, Lafayette’s troubles started when he voted against the death of Louis XVI; he was indeed in favour of the establishment of a modern monarchy instead of a revolution.

He fled to the Austrian Netherlands where the Austrians captured him and imprisoned him for five years.

They indeed considered him a traitor for not preventing the execution of Queen Marie-Antoinette (who was Austrian.)

Napoleon-Bonaparte negotiated his liberation and he returned to France in 1797, but stood aside from public life during the Empire.

He entered the House of Deputies in 1815.

He died on May 20, 1834 and was buried beside his wife, in the cemetery of Picpus in Paris .

According to his wish, soil he collected on the site of the Battle Bunker Hill (one of the prominent battles of the American War of Independence) during his last trip to America, 10 years earlier, was sprinkled on his grave.

Lafayette, American Honorary Citizen and Hero of the Two Worlds

Named General by George Washington, Lafayette remains forever one of the heroes of the American Independence War.

As a tribute, some 600 places, 42 American cities and the square that faces the White House in Washington, were named after him.

Lafayette is also known as ‘The Hero of the Two Worlds’ , as his humanist and liberal views earned him unlimited tributes and honours in France.

Department of Haute-Loire – Auvergne region Coordinates: Lat 45.15861 – Long 3.58056

Credits photos Jean Piludu – Papou Poustache cpauvergne.com

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes – Latest content

Bourbon-l’Archambault, royal spa town

St Laurent Collegiate Church in Auzon

Palais Ideal du Facteur Cheval

Tournemire, a beautiful French village

Savvy Travel Advice

Guide to Visiting Galeries Lafayette in Paris

Last updated: March 7, 2024 - Written by Jessica Norah 20 Comments

Galeries Lafayette is a grand department store in Paris that is known for its upscale fashion, gourmet food, beautiful Art Nouveau architecture, and in-store activities. It has long been a popular tourist attraction in Paris, welcoming thousands of Parisians and visitors each day. So we wanted to share our guide to visiting Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann.

We’re going to cover all the things you can do at Galeries Lafayette in Paris. You may be wondering what else there is to do at a department store other than shop. There are actually a lot of other things you can do here including learning how to bake macarons, joining a guided history and architecture tour, having lunch, attending a fashion show, taking French cooking classes, and admiring sweeping views over Paris.

My first visit to Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann was in 2012 and we’ve visited several times since then. We’ve shopped, ate, explored, and taken part in many of the offered activities at the department store over the years. So we’ll share our tips and experiences so you can plan your own visit here.

In this article, we’ll share a brief history of Galeries Lafayette, tips on getting to the store, the top things to do and see in Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, and advice on how to book the various activities and tours.

Table of Contents:

Brief History of Galeries Lafayette

Galeries Lafayette is an upscale Parisian department store chain that sells clothing, accessories, cosmetics, home decor, gourmet foods, and much more. The store’s beginnings date back to 1893 when two cousins from the Alsace, Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn, decided to open a small haberdashery shop in Paris on rue Lafayette.

In the mid-nineteenth century, department stores were popular and were spreading across the big cities of Europe and the United States. Instead of shopping at lots of small shops, consumers could now go to one large department store and get all the things they needed.

In the early 20th century, Bader and Kahn would greatly expand their store and it would eventually become a department store. Architectural renovations would lead to the addition of a number of Art Nouveau features, including a grand staircase and its famous central glass dome. Galeries Lafayette would soon become a premier shopping destination in the city, joining the ranks of the other great department stores in Paris, including Le Bon Marché, Printemps, and La Samaritaine.

Galeries Lafayette continues to be a popular shopping destination in Paris today. The store has also become a tourist attraction due to its architecture and offered in-store activities such as macaron baking classes and weekly Paris fashion shows .

Today the original flagship store is now spread over 3 buildings along Boulevard Haussmann. There are also two other store locations in Paris (one on Champs-Elysées and one in Beaugrenelle) and over 50 Galeries Lafayette locations across France. There are also several international locations of the store.

Although there are three Galeries Lafayette stores in Paris, this article just focuses on things to do at the Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann store. Some of these things apply to the other stores as well, but many are unique to the large flagship store.

How to Get to Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann?

Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann is located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris (Opéra District). The department store is easy to reach by public transit or taxi from central Paris. There is also an on-site parking garage if you are driving yourself.

For assistance in using public transit, you can check the RATP website which covers the Meto, RER, buses, and tramways. We also find that having a laminated street map that includes a metro map helpful when navigating Paris.

The main store’s address is: Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann, 40 Boulevard Haussmann 75009 Paris.

The other two store buildings, Galeries Lafayette Homme (Men’s store; 48 Boulevard Haussmann) and Galeries Lafayette Maison (Home & Food store; 35 Boulevard Haussmann), are located next to the main store.

Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann by Paris Metro:

There are several Metro stations within a short walk of the store. The closest station to Galeries Lafayette is Chaussée d’Antin (Line 7 and 9), but Opéra (Line 3, 7 and 8) and Havre – Caumartin (Line 3 and 9) are also located about a 3 minute walk away. Trinité (Line 12) is about an 8 minute walk away.

Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann by RER

The closest RER line station is Auber on RER A which is about a 2-minute walk away from the store. Another close station is Haussmann St. Lazare along RER E which is about a 5 minute walk away.

Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann by Bus

There are a number of bus stops within a short walking distance of the store. Bus lines you could take include lines 20, 21, 22, 26, 32, 42, 53, 68, and 98. Bus stops located within a 5 minute walk include Gluck-Haussmann, Opéra – Scribe, Auber, Paris – Opéra, Opéra – Rue Halevy, and Opéra.

Most of the Paris sightseeing buses also make stops nearby, normally in front of the Palais Garnier (Paris Opera). These include both the Big Bus and Tootbus hop-on hop-off buses. It is about a 5 minute walk from the Palais Garnier opera house to the department store.

Galeries Lafayette by Taxi, Minicab, or Rideshare

There are a number of taxi, minicab, and rideshare services available in Paris. In addition to just hailing a taxi, you can also arrange a taxi via an app or online via Uber, G7 , or Free Now .

If you need any assistance when leaving the store, the Concierge can help you arrange a taxi if needed.

Parking at Galeries Lafayette

There is a parking garage at Galeries Lafayette that is currently operated by Indigo. The entrance is off Boulevard Haussmann in front of the Lafayette Homme building (48 Boulevard Haussmann). The parking garage is normally open 24/7. There is a parking fee and the parking fee amount depends on the length of stay. You pay upon exiting the parking garage.

NOTE : There are three Galeries Lafayette store locations across Paris, so be sure you have the right one if looking up the address or using a GPS for directions. The main flagship store is Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann.

10 Things to Do at Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann

There are lots of things to do at Galeries Lafayette and we have included our top things to do at the store to help you plan your trip.

Shopping is of course the main reason why many visitors come to Galeries Lafayette. Galeries Lafayette mainly sells fashion items, fragrances and cosmetics, gourmet food, and home furnishings. But you can also find souvenirs, luggage, toys, books, and even small appliances at the store.

Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann is a huge department store spread out across 3 multi-floor buildings offering over 3,000 brands.

The three buildings are:

• Galeries Lafayette / Magasin Coupole (Main Store Building) : Women’s fashion and accessories, dome, cosmetics, jewelry, children’s fashion and toys, souvenirs, main shopper services, books, luggage
• Galeries Lafayette Homme / Magasin L’Homme (Men’s Store): Men’s fashion, accessories, and shoes
• Galeries Lafayette Maison / Magasin Maison & Gourmet (Home & Gourmet Store ): Food, home decor, home furnishings, linen, cookware, small appliances

The main department store (women’s) and Men’s Store buildings are located next to one another and are connected by an enclosed bridge that you can walk across. The Home & Gourmet Store is located across the street. You can see a store map here .

Although the department store definitely carries more of the luxury and expensive brands (e.g. Chanel, Gucci, Armani, Cartier, Louis Vuitton), they do have some lines that fall into the moderate to even budget price levels. The store has even recently launched a second-hand section, called (Re)Store, where you can buy lightly used and vintage clothing and fashion accessories.

The store also regularly has pop-up shops and spaces in its store as a way of introducing newer and smaller fashion brands as well as highlighting new collections from established brands. They also do pop-up shops for food and drinks as well.

Just note that the flagship Haussmann store can be overwhelming as it can get very crowded, especially in the summer and around the holidays. Not only is it a store, but it’s also a popular tourist attraction. There are sometimes lines just to get into some of the luxury accessory shops for brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Prada. So just be prepared for that.

When we really need to shop for something and want some peace, we tend to go to one of the other Galeries Lafayette locations. There are 2 other Galeries Lafayette store locations in Paris (one on Champs-Elysées and one in the Beaugrenelle Paris shopping mall) and over 50 store locations across France. Although the other stores tend to be less crowded than the flagship store, most are smaller and offer less selection.

If you are wanting some help finding some items for your wardrobe, the store offers a personal shopping service . There is also a virtual live video version of this service available for those who can’t travel to Paris. I believe that both basic personal shopper services are still offered for free, although you can pay more for private stylist services at the store if you are looking for a more VIP experience. You need to reserve an appointment in advance.

Remember if you spend over 100 euros at the store and live outside of the European Union, you may be eligible to get a 12% VAT refund on your purchases. There is a desk at Galeries Lafayette that can help you with tax refunds. You can also see this page for more information on VAT refunds and how to apply.

Admire the Dome

Today, the 43-meter (141 feet) high stained-glass dome is an icon of the Galeries Lafayette store. It is located in the center of the main building (Coupole Store). Many people come to the store just to look at the beautiful Art Nouveau dome.

The main store actually gets its building name, Magasin Coupole or Coupole Store, from its dome. The word coupole in French means cupola or dome in English.

However, the dome has not always been a part of the store. The store underwent a huge renovation in 1912 by Ferdinand Chanut to expand it and decorate it in the Paris Art Nouveau style. The dome was designed by master glassmaker Jacques Grüber and is made of stained glass and lead mountings. The pattern is meant to imitate a large flower and the stained glass panels are divided into 10 sections.

After renovations, the store was reopened in October 1912, and here is how the store website describes the opening day: “Golden light, filtered through the domed roof, would flood the grand hall and set the products aglow.”

The dome is still the architectural focal point today and lets light illuminate the central part of the store. Some of the glass has been lost over the years (some was hidden too well during World War 2) and many pieces have had to be replaced or restored over the years.

Each year during the holiday season, a Christmas tree is suspended from the dome. This is a tradition dating back to 1976. So the holidays are a popular time to come see the dome as the decorations change each year.

You can see the dome from any floor of the building, but you get the best overall views from the lower floors. However, from the upper floors, you can get a better peek at the details. If you want to savor a view, you can grab some coffee or a juice at Joe & the Juice on the 2nd floor as the tables there provide great views of the dome and over the store’s ground floor below.

In 2018, for the holiday season, Galeries Lafayette built a 9-meter long glass walkway that stretches out under the dome from the 3rd floor of the store. This walkway, known as the Glasswalk, allows one to get a lovely view beneath the Art Deco dome. Just note there are often lines here and the time you can spend on the walkway is limited by staff to allow everyone a chance to walk here and take photos.

Paris is full of wonderful architecture and art, but the dome remains one of our favorite architectural details you can see for free in the city. Even if you are just walking by the store, it’s worth taking 10 minutes to walk into the store to admire this beautiful dome.

Attend a Fashion Show

The Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann holds a weekly fashion show. Here models show off the latest ready-to-wear fashion collections available in their stores from brand names such as Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, Kooples, Ralph Lauren, and Minelli.

While it’s not like attending a runway show during Paris Fashion Week, it is an entertaining 30-minute show that most fashion lovers will enjoy. They dim the lights, put on music, and have models show off a number of pieces. The clothes change with the seasons, and each show normally features 30 to 40 different looks.

If you want to know more about the experience, you can read our article about attending the Galeries Lafayette fashion show . We’ve been a few times over the years.

The show generally lasts for about 30 minutes and takes place every Friday afternoon (normally at 3pm) throughout the year. Sometimes in summer they hold it twice a week. But this obviously means that if you want to attend, you will need to make sure that the dates and times of your trip align with the show schedule.

You can check available dates and book tickets online here . You need to make a reservation and book your tickets in advance. The tickets often sell out, especially in the summer months.

The fashion show is currently held in the Salon Opéra on the 4th floor of the main building. You’ll want to arrive at least 15 minutes early to check-in and get in line before the show starts. Be sure to bring proof of your reservation (note phone reception can be sketchy inside the store so I’d recommend either printing it or saving it to your smartphone) and a photo ID.

Note that if you have a Paris Pass (or plan to purchase one), the Galeries Lafayette fashion show is included as part of your pass. But you do still need to book tickets in advance. Once you have the pass, you can read how to reserve your free tickets here .

Have a Meal or Coffee

Galeries Lafayette has several cafes and restaurants that you can stop at to have a meal. These range from fine dining and champagne and caviar sort of places to coffee shops and a cafeteria. There are also takeaway meal options available.

Cuisine types offered vary and include French, Mediterranean, American, and Asian. I don’t think any of the restaurants require reservations, but reservations can be made at some of the sit-down restaurants to ensure a table. The cafes and restaurants do change fairly regularly, and you can see the current options here .

If you are just looking for a drink there are places you can stop to have coffee, tea, juice, wine, alcoholic drinks, or a soft drink. In the summer months, they usually have pop-up restaurants and a cafe on the rooftop terrace so you can enjoy a drink or meal there.

There are food and drink options in all three of the buildings, but the main food options are in the main Coupole building and the Gourmet building.

Enjoy the Rooftop Terrace View

You can head up to the 8th floor of the Galeries Lafayette Coupole Store (Main Store) to enjoy a nice view over Paris. You can see lots of Paris from here, including Opéra Garnier, the Eiffel Tower, Sacré Cœur, and Notre Dame. You also see the very top of the store’s dome from here.

This isn’t our favorite view of Paris, but it is still a very nice view overlooking the city. Certainly worth the effort to visit if you are at Galeries Lafayette.

The rooftop is usually open to the public and is free to visit. It is open the same hours that the store is open. I believe that the only way to access the terrace is to take the stairs from the 6th floor. You can reach the 6th floor by escalator, stairs, or elevator, and then take the stairs the rest of the way up.

In the warmer months, they often have food, snacks, and drinks on offer here that you can enjoy while sitting on the terrace. So summer is a particularly nice time to visit and enjoy the terrace here.

Buy Souvenirs

Even if you are not looking for anything for yourself, it can be a good place to get a nice gift or souvenir for friends and family. You can find a bit of everything here from miniature Eiffel Tower keyrings to luxury handbags to a box of gourmet French tea.

If you are looking for classic types of souvenirs, you can head to the Souvenirs de Paris boutique located on the 6th floor of the main building. This store includes all types of things from mugs and keychains to candles and books. They also tend to have gifting stuff available on the main floor of the store during the holidays.

But you can find great gifting items in any section of the store. Popular gift items include perfumes, handbags, scarves, gourmet food items, kitchen utensils, home decor items, wine, jewelry, belts, and cosmetics. For example, we’ve bought scarves, bread knives, cider, and backpacks here as gifts over the years.

Learn How to Make Macarons (or Cook French Classics)

Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann regularly holds cooking, baking, and pastry classes and workshops. One of the most popular is their French macaron bakery workshop.

If you are looking for a fun and sweet experience at the department store, you might consider joining their macaron bakery class . This 1.5 hour class teaches you in a step-by-step manner how to make these delicious French confections.

We did the macaron class here a few years ago and had a lot of fun. The instructors show you how to do everything and the shells are made together as a class. But then everyone individually makes the fillings and assembles their own macarons. At the end, each person gets to take home four macarons and the recipes.

Instructions during the macaron classes are generally given in both English and French. But our class was just in English as everyone understood English in our class.

Just note, like in most macron classes in Paris, you don’t do everything on your own as the instructor helps make the shells with piping help from the whole group. So the class is at the level of most home cooks who just want to learn and have fun rather than someone who is already an expert baker.

The class is also great for older kids and suitable for those age 12 and older. But there is also a macron making family class offered for those with kids of any age.

Of course, if you would rather just eat macarons without having to make them, you can buy macarons (and other sweet treats) from Pierre Hermé. The macarons are sold in both the Main Store and in the Home & Gourmet Store at Galeries Lafayette.

The store also regularly holds cooking classes and pastry classes in the Lafayette Maison & Gourmet Store on various classic French dishes. Note that most of these are offered in both French and English, but some are French only.

If you are interested in any of these cooking classes or workshops, you will need to book them in advance to guarantee a spot.

Take a Guided Historical Tour

If you are interested in the history and architecture of Galeries Lafayette, then you might consider taking one of the guided heritage tours offered by the store.

This history of Galeries Lafayette dates back to 1893 when cousins Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn opened a small haberdashery shop on the corner of rue La Fayette and rue de la Chaussée d’Antin in Paris.

The guided heritage tours include information about the history of the store, its founders, the architecture, and how the store has evolved over the years. The store has changed a lot from the beginning in terms of the buildings, the merchandise, and its business model. It has gone through many turbulent times such as the World Wars. During World War 2, all of the Jewish staff, including the owners, were forced to resign under the Vichy government.

Architecture is a big focus in the tours as Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann is the most famous example of an Art Nouveau department store in Paris. As you tour the store, you’ll learn of the main architects, including Georges Chedanne and his apprentice Ferdinand Chanut, and others who helped create the major Art Nouveau elements such as designer Louis Majorelle (staircase) and glassmaker Jacques Gruber (the beautiful glass cupola).

These guided tours last about 1.5 hours and begin before the store opens to the public. They start outside the store and then head inside to explore the interior. The tour includes both public areas of the store as well as behind-the-scenes areas that are not usually accessible to the public.

Tours are available in both French and English. They are usually given on Saturday and Sunday mornings only. To join the tour, you must book in advance to reserve a spot.

Enjoy the Art & Decor

The Galeries Lafayette is a great place to wander around to just enjoy the art and decor here. Even from the outside, you can enjoy the shop window displays and inside there is often art exhibited in the store. Not to mention the beautiful Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture and decor that can be enjoyed throughout the main store.

The holidays are definitely the best time to come to enjoy the store’s decorations. At this time of year the shop windows generally have the most over-the-top displays and the Christmas tree is out. Each year, since 1976, a Christmas tree has been suspended upside from the dome. The theme of the decorations changes each year.

In 2001, Galeries Lafayette opened Galerie des Galeries, a free-entry contemporary art gallery in the main store dedicated to exhibiting the relationships between art, fashion, and design. The store often has free-entry art shows or art exhibits displayed in the store. Last time we were there, there was a sculpture display.

Put Together a Gourmet French Picnic

Galeries Lafayette can be a great place to pick up food items for a lovely Parisian picnic. Head to the Home & Gourmet Store to pick up everything you would need for a luxury picnic.

For instance, you might grab a baguette, French cheeses, smoked salmon or local sausage, olives, fruit, and a prepared salad. For dessert, you might choose chocolate truffles or macarons. To wash it down, you have thousands of labels of wine to choose from.

If you are looking for a nearby spot to enjoy a picnic, we’d recommend the Tuileries Garden (Jardin des Tuilleries) which is about a 15 minute walk away from Galeries Lafayette. You can enjoy picnics here on the lawns (in most areas of the park) or find a nice bench to sit on. Or you might head further to Jardin du Champ de Mars (about a 25 minute Metro ride) if you prefer your picnic with a view of the Eiffel Tower !

Note that not all Paris parks and gardens allow picnicking or walking on the grass so just avoid areas that have signs that say do not walk on the grass or phrases like Pelouse Interdite .

You can also pick up groceries at Galeries Lafayette for cooking a lovely meal at home if your lodging has kitchen facilities. This isn’t the place to shop for low prices, but you can certainly find a lot of gourmet brands and local and regional specialties here. The ground floor has a market that includes meats, fish, poultry, cheeses, fruit and vegetables, spices, condiments, bread, and baked goods. You can also find a wide selection of wines, coffees, and teas.

And that is our guide to Galeries Lafayette and the many things you can do at Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann. We hope that if you are planning to visit the Galeries Lafayette department store that this guide has been helpful to you. If you have any questions about your trip to Paris, just ask us and we are happy to try to help.

Want to remember this article, PIN it on Pinterest to read it again later:

Are you planning a visit to Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann? Which of these activities would you like to do? If you have visited Galeries Lafayette, we’d love to hear your personal experiences and tips.

If you are planning a trip to Paris feel free to ask us any questions about any aspect of your trip below and as always we’ll do our best to answer your questions!

Share this Post!

There are 20 comments on this post.

Please scroll to the end to leave a comment

Mr. Chudamani Post author

March 11, 2023 at 11:09 pm

After viewing your beautiful images, I am quite excited to visit this location. Seems like a fantastic location for some shopping and lunch with family and friends. I appreciate you providing the Information.

Jessica & Laurence Norah Post author

March 13, 2023 at 7:40 am

Hi Mr. Chudamani,

Thanks, and yes it can be a great place for shopping and lunch one afternoon while visiting Paris. Hope you enjoy visiting the Galeries Lafayette in Paris.

If you have any questions as you plan your trip to Paris, just let us know.

Best, Jessica

PINKPANTHERATIGRIS1993 Post author

January 6, 2023 at 12:38 am

HI! DOES THE DISCOUNT 10 PERCENT IF WE HAVE PARIS VISITE PASS (3 DAYS STILL VALID)? AND IF IT DOES, WHICH STORE DOES IT APPLICABLE? IS IT APPLICABLE TO YSL? THANK YOUU

January 7, 2023 at 3:44 am

So your question is a bit confusing as we don’t mentioned a 10% discount and the Paris Visite Pass that I am aware of is a transportation pass. But I think you may be talking about the Paris TurboPass which does say that it gives you a 10% voucher for shopping at Galeries Lafayette. If that is the pass you are asking about, I would contact TurboPass directly for the terms and conditions of how that works. I would guess with any sort of discount voucher that there are likely exclusions. We have never used that pass or know of any of our readers using it so I can’t say if that is still a valid offer or not, or how it work.

But if it is a different pass you are referring to, I would again, just contact the company directly about the discount, how it works, and if it applies to all purchases or if there are exclusions.

Anyway, sorry I couldn’t give you a more definite answer. If you find out the answer, do feel free to come back and reply and let us know. It may be helpful to other readers hoping to shop at Galeries Lafayette.

Georgia Thompson Post author

August 12, 2022 at 3:48 am

I am very much looking forward to visiting here after seeing you lovely photos – that dome!! Looks like a great place for some shopping and a girlfriend lunch. Maybe also a macaron making class!

My friend in Paris has a dog, do you know if are dogs allowed in the store?

August 12, 2022 at 4:27 am

Hi Georgia,

Yes, it is definitely a lovely location for shopping, lunch, and perhaps a macaron making class!

So dogs are allowed at Galeries Lafayette Paris in some areas of the department store (Coupole and Homme buildings only). But in general, I would not recommend visiting with a dog, especially if you plan to eat there or go to the gourmet store. I have not really seen many shoppers in the store with dogs and it is often crowded so not a great environment for them. Dogs would not be allowed in any of the cooking areas if you decide to do a macaron baking class or other cooking class or workshop for hygenic reasons.

Here are the current official pet rules at Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann:

Coupole and Homme stores: Animals permitted up to 7kg (15 pounds) Maison and Gourmet stores: Animals are not allowed

I believe dogs need to be kept on a lead or held. Of course, legal assistance and guide dogs are permitted in all the stores.

Hope that helps and wishing you a wonderful time in Paris! Jessica

Greta Huber Post author

May 17, 2022 at 8:42 pm

Hi there, do you know if the glass sky walk will still be there in galeries lafayette in August 2022? Is it free to visit? Thanks!

May 18, 2022 at 5:48 am

So as I noted in the article above, the glass walkway, known as Glasswalk, was installed for the 2018 Christmas season at Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann. I am not sure if it is meant to be permanent but it was still up last time we checked and I haven’t heard any plans for it to be removed. So it should be there. But you can always call or email the store in August before your visit if you would like to check before visiting.

And yes, it has always been free to walk on as far as I am aware. We just had to wait in a short line and then time was limited on the walkway by staff to prevent crowding and to allow everyone a couple of minutes on the Glasswalk. It is generally open any time the store is open.

If you are interested in any of the other store activities, such as the fashion show or macaron baking class, you can plan your visit around them. As the Glasswalk isn’t really something you need to schedule around.

Hope that helps and wishing you a great visit to Paris!

Laurence Post author

May 5, 2022 at 7:06 am

Hi Jessica,

I am wondering if these fashion shows are for tourists or for the french locals? Also, how many people can attend? Is it a personal environment or more like a big event?

Thank you very much for sharing your experience with us! It sounds very interesting.

May 6, 2022 at 2:56 am

Hi Laurence,

The fashion shows at Galeries Lafayette are mainly geared to tourists, but anyone can attend. The shows are not huge events but they fill up the room, I would say maybe 100 to 150 people are able to attend each show. You can see the photos for a sense of the seating and size of the catwalk. The show itself lasts about 30 minutes but you will want to be there at least 15 minutes before it begins to check in and get seated.

If you are looking for someone more geared to French speaking visitors or a more intimate group experience, Galeries Lafayette offers cooking and pastry classes that last 2 hours and I think have group sizes of 6 persons. You can select either English or French for those, and those are attended by both French and international tourists.

Hope that helps! Jessica

Seana Turner Post author

May 3, 2022 at 8:32 am

I visited the main location many years ago. It truly is a feast for the eyes and other senses. I love these grand old stores. We have one that is similar, although not as big, in the city where I grew up (Philadelphia). At Christmas they cover one of the walls with a light show, and someone comes and plays the organ live to accompany the music. I think these mini villages are a wonderful place to enjoy a day, especially exploring all these neat opportunities that you point out! I would find the historical tour fascinating! Also, no weather to contend with once you are there:)

May 3, 2022 at 10:11 am

Thanks for taking the time to comment and glad to hear that you enjoyed your visit to Galeries Lafayette in Paris! That store in Philadelphia sounds wonderful, and I am sure I will check it out if I make it back to Philly again.

I love old buildings like this and better yet when there are things that you can do there. These are definitely great places to enjoy on a rainy or cold day.

Ana Post author

April 28, 2022 at 11:16 pm

This looked like such a fun trip! What made you guys decide to go to Galeries Lafayette in Paris? Its one of the places, I really want to go to!

April 29, 2022 at 3:32 am

Glad you enjoyed our article 😉

Paris is a great city with so many wonderful places. Galeries Lafayette is not a must-see visit for everyone traveling to Paris but it is a great place for those who enjoy shopping and Art Nouveau architecture (dome), and it also offers a number of activities (cooking classes, fashion show, etc.).

I hope you get a chance to visit Paris and Galeries Lafayette soon!

Greta Post author

April 28, 2022 at 4:12 am

hello, do you know if skims shapewear is sold at Galeries Lafayette in Paris? thanks

April 28, 2022 at 5:50 am

Yes, they did have the shapewear by SKIMS the last time we were there in the main building at Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann. According to their store map, SKIMS is located in the women’s lingerie section on Floor 2 of the main building (Magasin Coupole).

Laura Post author

April 13, 2022 at 6:32 pm

We were thinking about doing a tour at the Opera Garnier and saw that Galeries Lafayette is very close by! So hoping to combine that visit with a visit here and the fashion show you mention. My niece who is age 14 is currently in a wheelchair and wondering if she would be able to attend? Do you happen to know, couldn’t see any info on their website.

Also are there any quick food options here that would be suitable for kids and adults?

Thanks, Laura

April 14, 2022 at 6:02 am

Sounds like you have a great trip to Paris coming up – and yes the Palais Garnier (Paris Opera) is only about a 4 to 5 minute walk from the Galeries Lafayette. So a good idea to combine the visits if you can. Just note that the fashion show is usually held every Friday so you will need to make sure your trip dates and visit to the opera can fit with that.

And yes, your niece should be able to attend as the organizers did tell me that the fashion show is wheelchair accessible. Most people take the escalators to get from floor to floor in the store, but you can also take the stairs or elevator. So you will just want to head to the elevators once you enter the main store (Coupole/one with women’s fashion) and take them to the 4th floor. When you check in for the fashion show you can let them know about the wheelchair so they can organize a spot for your niece.

Your niece should be able to visit most parts of Galeries Lafayette except the terrace. The terrace is not wheelchair accessible as I believe the only way to reach it is to take stairs for the last 2 floors. I believe that the Heritage tours are also not wheelchair accessible as the tour includes stairs and visiting the terrace.

Yes, there are a few options for casual food at Galeries Lafayette. Probably the quickest and easiest, especially if traveling with kids, is to head to the Lafayette Café. This is essentially just a cafeteria. They have different stations where you can get hot dishes, burgers, salads, pizza, pasta, fruit, desserts, etc. So there is a lot of variety so people can get different foods and it is a casual dining area.

Hope that helps, and wishing you a wonderful trip to Paris! Jessica

Mary Tyler Post author

April 11, 2022 at 7:43 am

Going to Paris soon. It will be aspecial treat for my 8 and 11 year old granddaughters to make Macarons there. After suffering the Louvre with the parents!

April 12, 2022 at 6:56 am

Excited to hear you are planning to visit Paris with your family, sounds like a fun multi-generation trip! Yes, the Louvre can be a bit tiring for younger kids but a hands-on activity like macaron making can be fun for all ages.

You probably already saw this above in the article, but just note that the regular macaron baking class is for those age 12 and older, but there is specifically a family macaron class that you can book that is geared to children age 6 and older. That is generally 90 minutes long and held every Wednesday at Galeries Lafayette.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of replies to my comment (just replies to your comment, no other e-mails, we promise!)

Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter where we share our latest travel news and tips

We only ask for your e-mail so we can verify you are human and if requested notify you of a reply. To do this, we store the data as outlined in our privacy policy . Your e-mail will not be published or used for any other reason other than those outlined above.

Montpelier's Digital Doorway

• Archaeology & Landscape Restoration
• Architecture & Historic Preservation
• Curatorial & Collections
• Education & Visitor Engagement
• Digging Deeper Blog
• Stakeholders

Lafayette’s Farewell Tour: “The Guest of the Nation” Visits Montpelier

“… taking part in the offerings of gratitude to a Champion of Liberty and national Benefactor whom every American Citizen delights to honour.” James Madison, November 10, 1824 1 James Madison to Robert Lewis, November 10, 1824, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 19, 2021, MRD-S 17536, Montpelier Research Database.

That “Champion of Liberty,” as Madison called him, was Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette (1757-1834), also known as the Marquis de Lafayette, or simply General Lafayette. Lafayette first came to America from his native France to support the cause of liberty during the American Revolution, joining George Washington’s staff at age 19. Lafayette endured the brutal winter of 1777-78 at Valley Forge. He led a division of troops in the successful siege of Yorktown in 1781, the last major battle of the Revolutionary War, which forced the surrender of the British General Cornwallis. Returning to France, Lafayette continued to serve the cause of liberty during the French Revolution, famously gifting the key to the Bastille to his mentor Washington.

Four decades later, American pride was at a new height. The United States had won a second war for independence – the War of 1812 – during James Madison’s presidency, and experienced an “Era of Good Feelings” under Madison’s successor James Monroe. Americans revered the Revolutionary generation, even as fewer and fewer of the soldiers and statesmen of that era were still living. When Lafayette accepted President Monroe’s invitation to return as the nation’s guest in 1824, his thirteen-month tour through the (then) 24 states became an outpouring of affection and gratitude for the Frenchman who helped the United States achieve independence. The tour also gave Lafayette a chance to reunite with old friends, including James Madison. Lafayette visited the Madisons at Montpelier on two legs of his journey – in November 1824 and again in August 1825.

This celebratory 1825 engraving (featuring a plethora of exuberant fonts) heralded “The Nation’s Guest. In Commemoration of the Magnanimous and Illustrious LAFAYETTE’S Visit to the United States of North America in the Forty-Ninth Year of Her Independence.” Joseph Perkins after Ary Scheffer , courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

“As Amiable a Man as His Vanity Will Admit”

Madison’s own friendship with Lafayette had begun 40 years earlier, in September 1784. Madison had a chance encounter in Baltimore with Lafayette, who was on his way to negotiate a treaty with the Iroquois at Fort Stanwix, New York and invited Madison to travel with him. As Madison wrote to his father from Philadelphia , “I fell in with the Marquis & had his company thus far. … He presses me much to fall into his plan, and I am not sure that I shall decline it. It will carry me farther than I had proposed, but I shall be rewarded by the pleasure of his company and the further opportunity of gratifying my curiosity.” 2 James Madison to James Madison Sr., September 6, 1784, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 18, 2021, MRD-S 10436, Montpelier Research Database.

Madison and Lafayette’s month-long road trip (from September 3 to October 8) turned out to be a bonding experience. Soon afterwards, Madison wrote a frank assessment of the Marquis’s character to his close friend Thomas Jefferson, using a cypher or code in case the letter was read by anyone else:

“The time I have lately passed with the M. has given me a pretty thorough insight into his character. With great natural frankness of temper he unites much address with very considerable talents, a strong thirst of praise and popularity. In his politics he says his three hobby horses are the alliance between France and the United States, the union of the latter and the manumission of the slaves. The two former are the dearer to him as they are connected with his personal glory. The last does him real honor as it is a proof of his humanity. In a word I take him to be as amiable a man as his vanity will admit and as sincere an American as any Frenchman can be; one whose past services gratitude obliges us to acknowledge, and whose future friendship prudence requires us to cultivate.” 3 James Madison to Thomas Jefferson, October 17, 1784, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 18, 2021, MRD-S 10441, Montpelier Research Database.

Madison saw Lafayette as both talented and glory-seeking, someone who deserved America’s gratitude and someone whose friendship could be politically useful. (When Madison later edited his papers for publication during his retirement, he crossed out “a strong thirst of praise and popularity” and changed “as amiable a man as his vanity will admit” to “as amiable a man as can be imagined” – even altering the coded words in the hope that no one would realize his initial impression of Lafayette was somewhat mixed.) 4 Ralph Ketcham, James Madison: A Biography (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 1971), 154-58.

This 1790 mezzotint engraving of Lafayette captures some of the youthful vanity that Madison perceived when he first met Lafayette in 1784. Mezzotint by Philibert-Louis Debucourt , courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

Liberty and Slavery

It’s significant that Madison saw Lafayette’s commitment to the abolition of slavery as “a proof of his humanity.” At this point in his life, Madison himself was still reconciling his thoughts on natural rights with the institution of slavery. He had sold Billey Gardner from slavery into temporary servitude rather than penalizing him “merely for coveting that liberty which we have paid the price of so much blood, and proclaimed so often to be the right, & and worthy pursuit of, every human being,” as he wrote to his father . 5 James Madison to James Madison Sr., September 8, 1783, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 19, 2021, MRD-S 10510, Montpelier Research Database. Madison wrote in 1785 that one “of my wishes is to depend as little as possible on the labour of slaves,” 6 James Madison to Edmund Randolph, July 26, 1785, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 19, 2021, MRD-S 10586, Montpelier Research Database. intending to try land speculation as an alternate way to earn income. Once Madison inherited the Montpelier plantation from his father in 1801, his outlook seems to have changed. He thought less in terms of ending his personal dependence on enslaved laborers, and instead looked for a future end to slavery through colonization (emancipating enslaved people and resettling them in Africa or the western territories of the United States.)

“My Friend, as My Heart Reckons But Few Men”

Lafayette was enthusiastic about the friendship he had established with Madison during their travels. He wrote effusively to Madison shortly before returning to France in December 1784,

“One of the Most pleasing Circumstances, not only of my Voyage, But also of my Life, Has Been to obtain as an intimate friend the Man who Before this last time, was only to me a valuable and Agreable Acquaintance. Hitherto You Had Been my friend as the World Calls it—But now I Hope you are my friend as my Heart Reckons But few men—and once for all, I wanted to tell you that I know you, esteem you, and love you with all the warmth of my regard and affection.” 7 Marquis de Lafayette Gilbert du Motier to James Madison, December 15, 1784, with Postscript, December 17, 1784, private collection, accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 39173, Montpelier Research Database.

Although it would be 40 years before Madison and Lafayette saw each other again, their friendship continued. The two men corresponded steadily, exchanging at least 65 letters between 1785 and 1824.

The Nation’s Guest Arrives

Lafayette arrived back in America on August 15, 1824, embarking on his return journey to France on September 7, 1825. As he traveled throughout the United States, communities welcomed the general with processions, artillery salutes, speeches, dinners, and balls. Young ladies strewed flowers or presented bouquets. Elderly veterans of the Revolution came out to shake his hand and share their war stories. Crowds waving handkerchiefs turned out in great numbers simply to catch a glimpse of the great man. Lafayette visited Washington’s tomb at Mount Vernon, laid the cornerstone of the Bunker Hill monument, and participated in ceremonies marking the anniversary of the Battle of Yorktown. 8 Memoirs of General Lafayette: with an account of his visit to America, and of his reception by the people of the United States; from his arrival, August 15th, to the celebration at Yorktown, October 19th, 1824 (Boston: E.G. House, 1824), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 39507, Montpelier Research Database.

Lafayette’s secretary, Auguste Levasseur, published an account of their travels , which sheds some light on their time at Montpelier. 9 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database. We can glean further insights from the Madisons’ letters, as well as newspaper accounts of Lafayette’s journey.

An Invitation to Montpelier

As soon as Madison heard that his old friend Lafayette had safely arrived in America in August 1824, he immediately extended an invitation to visit Montpelier, writing on August 21, 1824 ,

“I this instant learn, my dear friend, that you have safely reached the shores, where you will be hailed by every voice of a free people. That of no one, as you will believe, springs more from the heart than mine. May I not hope that the course of your movements will give me an opportunity of proving it, by the warmth of my embrace on my own threshold. Make me happy by a line to that effect when you can snatch a moment for a single one, from the eager gratulations pouring in upon you.” 10 James Madison to Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, August 21, 1824, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 8, 2021, MRD-S 17461, Montpelier Research Database.

If Lafayette responded directly to Madison’s invitation, that letter does not survive. A letter from Lafayette to the United States Senator from Maryland, Samuel Smith, indicates that Lafayette was scheduling trips around his planned attendance at the October 19 Yorktown ceremonies. “The Monticello, and Montpellier visits, and then to the president’s [Monroe’s] County Seat I will be forced to differ [defer] until after the york town anniversary.” 11 Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette to Samuel Smith, September 21, 1824, box Box 10, Samuel Smith Papers, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Virginia, accessed November 8, 2021, MRD-S 39282, Montpelier Research Database.

Embracing Old Friends at Monticello

Lafayette arrived at Monticello on November 4 to visit Thomas Jefferson. James Madison joined them there about sunset that evening, and attended a dinner in Lafayette’s honor at the University of Virginia the next day. 12 James Madison to Thomas W. Gilmer and Horace W. Bramham, November 3, 1824, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 22, 2021, MRD-S 17535, Montpelier Research Database. James reported to his wife Dolley from Monticello ,

“My old friend embraced me with great warmth. He is in fine health & spirits but so much increased in bulk & changed in aspect that I should not have known him.” 13 James Madison to Dolley Payne Todd Madison, November 5, 1824, Gratz Collection, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin, accessed November 9, 2021, MRD-S 22014, Montpelier Research Database.

Lafayette’s appearance had changed significantly since Madison had seen him forty years earlier.  Portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette , ca. 1822, attributed to Ary Scheffer, courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the John Hay Whitney Collection.

James also wrote Dolley what no hostess would want to hear – he still didn’t know exactly when Lafayette would arrive at Montpelier or how many people would be in Lafayette’s entourage!

“The Gen l . does not say yet how many days he stays here. … It is probable he will not be with us till near or quite the middle of next week. He will have with him besides his son & Secy. the 2 Councillors, and such of the Company of Orange meeting & conducting him as may chuse to stop at Montpellier… I may learn more to day, but not in time to write you.” 14 James Madison to Dolley Payne Todd Madison, November 5, 1824, Gratz Collection, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin, accessed November 9, 2021, MRD-S 22014, Montpelier Research Database.

Plans and Preparations

Dolley initiated preparations nonetheless. Ailsey Payne , who was then an 18-year-old enslaved housemaid, later remembered “stirring times” as Ailsey and other domestic workers polished silver, put tablewares in order, and cleaned the house. The ice houses were filled with the meats that enslaved cooks would prepare for an elaborate dinner including mutton, beef, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and shoats. Ailsey particularly recalled that Dolley made sure the maids were well-dressed for the occasion, since their appearance reflected on Dolley. Otherwise, as Ailsey explained, Dolley would have “disqualified herself in her own house.” 15 “Old Ailsey Payne at Montpelier” [newspaper clipping], [October, 1902], DuPont Scrapbook Collection, Montpelier Foundation, Orange, Virginia, accessed November 22, 2021, MRD-S 23920, Montpelier Research Database.

Lafayette’s plans had firmed up by the time he wrote from Monticello to Robert Lewis of Fredericksburg:

“We expect to leave here next Monday to dine in Montpellier and remain with my friend Mr. Madison until Friday when we contemplate to partake of an early dinner with the citizens of Orange County at their Court House, then to proceed as far as we can on the road to Fredericksburg there to arrive Saturday morning…” 16 Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette to Robert Lewis, November 10, 1824, Colonial Records Room, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 8, 2021, MRD-S 23504, Montpelier Research Database.

“Next Monday” meant that Lafayette would arrive at Montpelier on November 15, and stay until Friday, November 19.

The fluid nature of Lafayette’s schedule was sometimes frustrating to local residents who wanted to organize appropriate welcomes. When Madison alerted his neighbor, former governor James Barbour, that Lafayette would be coming the next day, Barbour replied in consternation,

“Yours of this morning is the first intimation I have had of the General’s approach. The shortness of the interval, and our sparse situation present almost insuperable difficulties in making a suitable arrangement to meet him.” 17 James Barbour to James Madison, November 14, 1824, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 22, 2021, MRD-S 17498, Montpelier Research Database.

Barbour proposed meeting Lafayette’s carriage at the county line near Gordonsville. He would bring his carriage and asked Madison to send his own carriage as well. Barbour also asked Madison to relay a message to his nephew, Captain Conway Macon, regarding the plans to meet Lafayette.

Guest of the Nation, Guest of Montpelier

Despite the short notice, Barbour was able to arrange a suitable escort for Lafayette. As the newspaper reported,

“Although his approach was known only a few hours before its occurrence, and the weather was extremely inclement, many of the respectable citizens went out to do him honor. He, his suite, and a most numerous and respectable escort of the citizens of Albemarle, were met at Gordonsville, near the county line, by the Orange Committee of Arrangement, and an escort of mounted Volunteers, under the command of Capt. MACON.” 18 [Lafayette Visits Orange], American and Commercial Daily Advertiser, December 1, 1824, 2, accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 48187, Montpelier Research Database.

Lafayette and his party transferred to the carriages provided by the Committee of Arrangement (presumably including Barbour’s and Madison’s carriages) and traveled on to Montpelier, “where they were affectionately received by Mr. MADISON.” 19 [Lafayette Visits Orange], American and Commercial Daily Advertiser , December 1, 1824, 2, accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 48187, Montpelier Research Database. As Ailsey Payne later remembered, there were “more horses and carriages [than] you could hardly count!” 20 “Old Ailsey Payne at Montpelier” [newspaper clipping], [October, 1902], DuPont Scrapbook Collection, Montpelier Foundation, Orange, Virginia, accessed November 22, 2021, MRD-S 23920, Montpelier Research Database.

Lafayette’s secretary, Auguste Levasseur, recorded his impressions of the Madisons and Montpelier in his journal : “Mr. Madison is now seventy-four years of age; but his body, which has been but little impaired, contains a mind still young, and filled with a kind sensibility, which he showed in its full extent, when he expressed to General Lafayette the pleasure he felt in having him in his house. … Mrs. Madison also greatly con­tributes, by the accomplishments of her mind, and the ele­gance of her manners, to render doubly delightful the unaf­fected hospitality with which strangers are received at Montpellier.” 21 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

Lafayette as represented in the Dining Room at Montpelier. Photo by Jenniffer Powers, courtesy of Montpelier, a National Trust site.

Levasseur continued, “The four days we spent at Mr. Madison’s, were agreea­bly divided between walks about his fine estate, and the still more engaging conversations that we enjoyed in the eve­nings, on the great interests of America, which are known to be so dear to Lafayette.” 22 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

Slavery and Religion

The conversation turned to topics that Madison and his neighbors may have found uncomfortable:

“General Lafayette, who, while he well appreciates the unfortunate position of slave-holders in the United States, and cannot overlook the greater part of the obstacles which oppose an immediate emancipation of the blacks, still never fails to take advantage of an opportunity to defend the right which all men, without exception , have to liberty, introduced the question of slavery among the friends of Mr. Madison.” 23 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

Levausser’s impression was that the company discussed the topic with “frankness” and expressed “noble sentiments … on that deplorable subject.” Levasseur concluded, perhaps naively, “It seems to me that slavery cannot subsist much longer in Virginia: for the principle is condemned by all enlightened men…” 24 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

Levasseur did not record anything that Madison said on the subject of slavery. Madison’s opinions, if he shared them with the company, were probably similar to what he had written to Lafayette several years earlier: “The Negro slavery is as you justly complain a sad blot on our free Country … No satisfactory plan has yet been devised for taking out the stain. If an adequate asylum cd. be found in africa that wd. be the appropriate destination for the unhappy race among us.” 25 James Madison to Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, [ca. October 7, 1821], James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 23, 2021, MRD-S 16992, Montpelier Research Database.

Madison’s ideas for ending slavery hinged on finding a site to relocate emancipated people, either in Africa or the American West, since as he later wrote Lafayette, Madison believed that

“it seems to be indelible that the two races cannot co-exist, both being free & equal.” 26 James Madison to Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, November 1826, Dean Collection of Lafayette, Cornell University Library, Ithaca, New York, accessed November 29, 2021, MRD-S 22171, Montpelier Research Database.

The Madisons’ guests soon turned the discussion of slavery to what Levasseur described as “the no less important question of mental slavery,” meaning the limitations on religious freedom in many European nations. “The friends of Mr. Madison congratulated themselves that at least this species of slavery is unknown in the United States,” he wrote, observing that here “no individual can be compelled to practice any religious worship, nor to frequent any place, nor to support any minister, of any religion whatever … none can be persecuted in any manner on account of religious opinions: but all men have liberty to profess, and sustain by argument , their opinions in matters of religion…” 27 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

One guest made a point of drawing Levasseur aside to inform him of Madison’s role in opposing a 1784 proposal to use state tax funds to pay teachers of Christian religion. The next morning, the guest sent Levasseur a copy of Madison’s Memorial and Remonstrance , which laid out fifteen arguments in favor of the separation of church and state. Levasseur “perused [it] with interest” and found its principles “so simple and so eloquently maintained and defended.” 28 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

A copy of the Memorial and Remonstrance was on display in Montpelier’s dining room during Madison’s retirement. Photo by Jenniffer Powers, courtesy of Montpelier, a National Trust site.

Many years later, Mary Cutts recorded an incident from Lafayette’s visit that does not appear in Levasseur’s account. It was probably told to her by her aunt Dolley Madison.

“General de La Fayette when he visited Montpelier in 1825, said one of the most interesting sights he had witnessed in America was when he visited the log cabin of Granny Milly, 104 years of age, whose daughter and grand daughter, the youngest nearly 70 were all at rest retired from their labors, and living happily together; their patch of ground cultivated for them, their food and raiment supplied by [‘]Mass Jimmy and Miss Dolley.’” 29 Mary Estelle Elizabeth Cutts Memoir II, [1849-1856], Cutts Family Collection of Papers of James and Dolley Madison, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 23, 2021, MRD-S 23538.

Neither Lafayette nor Levasseur wrote about meeting Milly in their letters or accounts of either the 1824 or 1825 visits to Montpelier. Possibly Lafayette met Milly during one of his many “walks about [Madison’s] fine estate.” Lafayette may have found the elderly Milly and her long-lived family “interesting,” but he would not have shared Cutts’s romanticized view of Milly’s family happily retired from work. Perhaps he would have found the visit to Milly’s cabin to be another “opportunity to defend the right which all men, without exception , have to liberty.” 30 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

“A Dinner Prepared with Great Taste and Elegance”

Lafayette’s departure from Montpelier on Friday, November 19, was just as ceremonious as his arrival:

“…attended by Mr. MADISON, the Committee of Arrangement, Capt. MACON’S numerous escort, and many respectable citizens, [Lafayette] proceeded to Orange Court House. Groups of citizens, on foot and on horseback, were seen on the road. As the General approached, he was every where hailed with shouts of applause. On his arrival at the Court House, an extended line of citizens presented itself, along which he proceeded. When he alighted, he was received with acclamation.” 31 [Lafayette Visits Orange], American and Commercial Daily Advertiser , December 1, 1824, 2, accessed November 23, 2021, MRD-S 48187, Montpelier Research Database.

Levasseur noted that while greeting the people in line, “the General received expressions of regret from several old revolutionary soldiers who had been prevented by age or distance, from being present at the celebration at Yorktown; who now consoled themselves with his expressions of friendship and remembrance by which they seemed greatly affected.” 32 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

After addresses and introductions, Madison accompanied Lafayette to a three o’clock dinner for 200 guests, hosted by James Barbour and “prepared with great taste and elegance.” Thirteen ceremonial toasts followed the dinner. The first was to Lafayette himself:

“The Guest of the Nation; no where more welcome than in Virginia: She received his best services; he enjoys her best affections.” 33 [Lafayette Visits Orange], American and Commercial Daily Advertiser , December 1, 1824, 2, accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 48187, Montpelier Research Database.

Lafayette graciously responded with a toast to Orange County.

The ninth toast honored “Our countryman, JAMES MADISON: Pure in private as illustrious in public life; we love the man and venerate the statesman.” Madison too made a gracious reply, adding his own praise of Lafayette:

“…he has endeared himself by his persevering devotion to the great principles of our Revolution, and by his zeal, truly America, in maintaining our rights, our honor, and our interests, as a free and independent people. In his absence I could say much, which I cannot trust my feelings to utter in his presence. But, were he absent, I could not say more than would be due, nor more than I am sure would be echoed by every heart present.” 34 [Lafayette Visits Orange], American and Commercial Daily Advertiser , December 1, 1824, 2, accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 48187, Montpelier Research Database.

Levasseur noted, “After the repast, we separated from Mr. Madison, who, notwithstanding his seventy-four years, mounted his horse with activity, and returned to his peaceful home alone, through the woods.” 35 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

Lafayette’s party was accompanied out of town by Captain Macon’s escort, now swelled with a number of local residents. A short way down the road, they encountered crowd gathered by a path in the woods where a “triumphal arch” had been erected at a site of Revolutionary War significance. As Levasseur explained, “We soon learned that this path which young ladies were scattering with flowers, and which the crowd entered with much interest, was the road opened by Lafayette on the 15th of June 1781, to effect a rapid march from the banks of the Rapidan to Michunk creek, where Cornwallis was greatly surprised to find him in order of battle…” 36 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

A week later, Dolley recorded her impressions of the visit in a letter to her brother-in-law:

“We have lately had a visit from Gen l . LaFayette & family of a few days—the former, you know, was an old friend of M r  M——s I was charmed with his society— & never witnessed so much enthusiasm as his appearance occationed here and at our court house, where hundreds of both sexes collected together, to hail & welcome him— He has promised to spend some time with us again, before he leaves this country.” 37 Dolley Payne Todd Madison to John George Jackson, November 27, 1824, Jackson Collection, Indiana Historical Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, accessed November 22, 2021, MRD-S 34904, Montpelier Research Database.

Lafayette Returns to Montpelier

Just as Lafayette promised, he made one last trip to visit his Virginia friends in the final weeks of his stay in America. Levasseur wrote in his travel journal that in August 1825, “we again left the capital to make a last tour in Virginia. On this occasion we visited Albemarle, Culpepper, Fauquier, Warrenton and Buckland.” Lafayette’s mood seemed different on this final segment of the journey, as Levasseur observed:

“Although in all these towns the progress of Lafayette was marked by popular festivals, he could not avoid feeling pained by the recollection that in a few days he was about to leave, perhaps for ever, a country which contained so many objects of his affection.” 38 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

James Monroe (who had recently been succeeded as president by John Quincy Adams) and James Madison “re-joined us on the road to Monticello, whither the general went to take leave of his old friend Jefferson, whose enfeebled health kept him at present in a state of painful inaction.” Levasseur noted the sadness of Lafayette’s parting from these three statesmen and friends,

“for in this instance, the individuals who bade farewell, had all passed through a long career, and the immensity of the ocean would still add to the difficulties of a reunion.” 39 Auguste Levasseur, Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825: Or, Journal of Travels in the United States (New York, NY: White, Gallaher and White, 1829), accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 23537, Montpelier Research Database.

In focusing his description on the poignant farewell at Monticello, however, Levasseur left out the specific details of Lafayette’s travel itinerary, which included two stops at Montpelier on August 15-18 and August 21-22. These details can be reconstructed from newspaper accounts and letters.

Tracing Lafayette’s August 1825 Route

According to an item reprinted from the Washington newspaper National Intelligencer , Lafayette left the capital city on August 6 to spend a few days with Monroe in northern Virginia. After returning to Washington, Lafayette’s plan was to “proceed, by the way of Fredericksburgh, to visit, and take leave of, the Ex-Presidents Jefferson and Madison.” 40 [The President of the United States, and General Lafayette], Natchez Weekly Democrat (Natchez, Mississippi), September 12, 1825, 7, accessed November 17, 2021, MRD-S 48276, Montpelier Research Database.

A news item from Fredericksburg reported that Lafayette arrived there between midnight and one o’clock Sunday morning, August 14. He attended church services later that morning, and left town on Monday, August 15 “for the purpose of paying farewell visits to Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Madison.” Hugh Tennant Mercer, whose father General Hugh Mercer had died in the American Revolution, was listed as one of the men who accompanied Lafayette from Fredericksburg to Montpelier. 41 “Fredericksburg, (Va.) August 17,” Charleston Daily Courier (Charleston, SC), August 25,1825, accessed November 16, 2021, MRD-S 48272, Montpelier Research Database. Presumably Lafayette’s party arrived at Montpelier later in the day on Monday. Mercer later apologized to Madison “at being obliged to leave so abruptly the easy & refined Hospitality of Montpelier, in my late Visit to you & Mrs Madison, & especially too as the pleasure of that Visit was so highly enhanced to me by the Society of Him, whom every Section of our Country has been emulous in honoring, but whom, alas! we shall, in all probability, never behold again!” 42 Hugh Mercer to James Madison, August 23, 1825, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 16, 2021, MRD-S 17626, Montpelier Research Database.

The days of Lafayette’s visit may have seemed very full to Dolley Madison, who wrote to a relative on Tuesday, August 16,

“Gen l . Fayette … did not arrive with us til the day before yesterday.” 43 Dolley Payne Todd Madison to Francis Smith Preston, August 16, 1825, Preston Family Papers, Virginia Museum of History and Culture, Richmond, Virginia, accessed November 15, 2021, MRD-S 34908, Montpelier Research Database.

The “day before yesterday” was Sunday, suggesting that Dolley thought her company had spent one more day at Montpelier than they actually had! In any case, Lafayette and his party were still at Montpelier when Dolley was writing on Tuesday, August 16. Lafayette’s son, George Washington Lafayette, also wrote a letter datelined “Montpelier, 16 th Aug. 1825,” in which he regretted being unable to visit Richmond friends, “but our time is so very short, that truly it has become absolutely impossible. We are on our way to bid adieu to Mr. Jefferson, and it will require our best exertions to arrive at Washington city by the 25 th of this month.” 44 “Extract of a Letter from Mr. George W. Lafayette,” Gettysburg Compiler (Gettysburg PA), September 7, 1825, 1, accessed November 16, 2021, MRD-S 48274, Montpelier Research Database.

Lafayette likely saw a bust of himself in the Madisons’ art collection while visiting Montpelier. Lafayette’s bust appears to the right of the fireplace. Photo by Jenniffer Powers, courtesy of Montpelier, a National Trust site.

Lafayette left Montpelier for Monticello on Thursday, August 18, where he stayed until Sunday, August 21. (Jefferson’s granddaughter reported on August 26 that “Gen. La Fayette left us on sunday last, having arrived the thursday evening before.” 45 Cornelia J. Randolph to Ellen W. Randolph Coolidge, August 26, 1825, Ellen Wayles Randolph Coolidge Correspondence, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, accessed November 16, 2021, MRD-S 38199, Montpelier Research Database. ) The touching scene described by Levasseur, when Lafayette took his final leave of Jefferson, with Madison and Monroe also present at Monticello, must have taken place during those few days.

After leaving Monticello, Lafayette made one last stop at Montpelier on Sunday, August 21. Monroe was traveling with him. It is unknown how long Lafayette intended to stay, but later that day, Captain Philip Slaughter arrived at Montpelier with an invitation to a dinner in Lafayette’s honor in Culpeper on Monday, August 22. Slaughter recorded in his journal, “Major Gabriel Long and myself were deputed by the committee of arrangements of Culpeper to wait upon General La Fayette at Montpelier, the seat of ex-President Madison, in Orange, and invite him to dine at Culpeper Courthouse on 22d of August, 1825. We started from my house on the 21st, with two carriages, and remained at Montpelier that night. We left there with General La Fayette and suite, at 5½ A. M. …” 46 Quoted in Robert D. Ward, General Lafayette in Virginia in 1824 and ’25: An Account of His Triumphant Progress Through the State (Richmond: West, Johnston & Co., 1881), 111-12, https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t9h423q0q , accessed November 18, 2021.

“Lafayette Took His Final Leave of Us”

When Lafayette and his entourage departed Montpelier at daybreak on August 22, 1825, it was the last time that Madison ever saw him. Madison wrote to Frances Wright (a sometime traveling companion of Lafayette who had not made this part of the journey), “General Lafayette took his final leave of us a few days ago … He carries with him the unanimous blessings of the free nation which has adopted him. If equal honors have not been his portion in that which he had his birth, it is not because he did not deserve them: This hemisphere at least, & posterity in the other, will award what is due to the nobleness of his mind, and the grandeur of his career.” 47 \James Madison to Frances Wright Darusmont, September 1, 1825, James Madison Papers, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 16, 2021, MRD-S 17676, Montpelier Research Database.

As Lafayette had suspected, he would not see Thomas Jefferson again. Jefferson died on July 4, 1826, less than a year after Lafayette’s visit. When Lafayette heard the news, he wrote to Madison, “Our Beloved Jefferson is No More, my dear friend, and While I Mingle My sorrows with Yours, I never more Sadly felt What Has been to me a Constant object of Regret, the painful distance there is Between our Respective places of Abode.” Lafayette concluded his letter with this reflection:

“My dear friend We are few Remaining of those old Revolutionary times. I am by Seas Separated from the Small band; But Until I Go to the departed ones My Heart is With You…” 48 Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette to James Madison, August 28, 1826, Library of Congress, Washington, DC, accessed November 18, 2021, MRD-S 37065, Montpelier Research Database.

Madison reflected the same sentiments in his reply to Lafayette:

“You will never doubt that your happiness is very dear to me; and I feel the sentiment growing stronger as the loss of others dear to us both, shortens the list to which we belong.” 49 James Madison to Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, November 1826, Dean Collection of Lafayette, Cornell University Library, Ithaca, New York, accessed November 29, 2021, MRD-S 22171, Montpelier Research Database.

In the same letter, Madison sent regards from his 95-year-old mother Nelly Madison:

“She forgets many things she says, but shall never forget General Lafayette the great & good friend of her Country.” 50 James Madison to Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, November 1826, Dean Collection of Lafayette, Cornell University Library, Ithaca, New York, accessed November 29, 2021, MRD-S 22171, Montpelier Research Database.

Like many Americans, Nelly Madison would always remember Lafayette with gratitude for helping to win American independence. It was not an abstract ideal for her. Nelly well remembered the American Revolution and how British General Cornwallis had “instilled a great deal of terror” in Virginia (as she told another Montpelier visitor, the Baron de Montlezun, in 1816). 51 Baron de Montlezun-Labarthette, “A Frenchman visits Norfolk, Fredericksburg and Orange County, 1816, Part II: A Frenchman visits President Madison, 1816,” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography (July 1945): 197-214, accessed November 30, 2021, MRD-S 109, Montpelier Research Database. Plaster medallion portrait of Nelly Madison by Pietro Cardelli, 1819. Photo by Rebecca Hagen, courtesy of Montpelier, a National Trust site.

Revolution and Remembrance

As Madison observed, “the list to which we belong” – the list of people with personal recollections of the American Revolution – was growing ever shorter. Jefferson and John Adams died in 1826, the year after Lafayette’s tour. Monroe died in 1831, Lafayette in 1834, and Madison in 1836. In another 50 years after Madison’s death, an elderly Ailsey Payne – along with the once-young ladies who had presented bouquets to Lafayette – would tell stories of the Farewell Tour as if the tour itself was an event in a long-ago history.

Lafayette remained in American memory through the many places – towns, parks, and streets – named in his honor . Fayetteville, North Carolina was named in 1783, even before the Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War. Other places were named or renamed during the years of the Farewell Tour, including Lafayette Square in New Orleans and Lafayette Square in Washington, DC (where Dolley Madison would later live as a widow). 52 Laura Auricchio, “Why Has America Named So Many Places After a French Nobleman?”, What It Means to Be American: A National Conversation Hosted by the Smithsonian and Arizona State University, https://www.whatitmeanstobeamerican.org/encounters/how-lafayette-became-americas-favorite-fighting-frenchman/ , June 22, 2017, accessed November 30, 2021.

The bicentennial of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour (2024-25) offers yet another opportunity to renew appreciation of Lafayette’s contributions to American independence and the cause of human freedom. For that reason, the Lafayette Trail project has set out to document, map, and mark the sites Lafayette visited in 1824 and 1825. The Montpelier Foundation was pleased to receive a Lafayette Trail marker on November 15, 2021, exactly 197 years since James Madison first extended to General Lafayette “the warmth of my embrace on my own threshold” at Montpelier. Look for the marker beside the historic train depot on your next visit to Montpelier!

This Lafayette Trail marker notes the dates of Lafayette’s first and final visits to Montpelier, as well as the topics of discussion that Lafayette’s secretary, Auguste Levasseur, recorded in his journal. Photo by Ryan C. Jones, courtesy of Montpelier, a National Trust site.

Hilarie M. Hicks, MA

Senior research historian.

Hilarie came to Montpelier in 2010 and joined the  Research Department in 2011, where she provides documentary research in support of the Montpelier Foundation’s many activities. A graduate of the College of William and Mary (B.A) and the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies (M.A.), Hilarie has a broad background of experience in research, interpretation, and administration of historic sites. She enjoys following a good paper trail, and has been intrigued to learn more about the man for whom her great-grandfather, Marquis de Lafayette Hicks, was named. (True story!)

We’ll done Hillary! You are such a brilliant asset to Montpelier. I’ve truly enjoyed reading this post. And very excited to see the reference of Dolley In correspondence with my ancestor, Francis Smith Preston. I want to hear more about your great-grandfather and why he was named after Lafayette!

Thank you for the kind words, Katherine! I’m not exactly sure why my great-grandfather was named after Lafayette — possibly because he was born in Fayette County, Ohio, and his father was named Thomas Jefferson Hicks. I seem to come from a family of history lovers!

Join the Conversation! Cancel reply

Discover more from montpelier's digital doorway.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

• Around Paris
• Loire Valley
• Champs Elysées avenue Private walking tour with Licensed Guided
• Le Marais Private Walking Tour with your Licensed Guide
• Minibus day outside Paris in a castle and in an artist's house
• Montmartre Private Walking Tour in the village
• Covered passages of Paris Private Walking Tour
• Jewish Marais HALF DAY Private Walking Tour
• Jewish Paris Full Day Private Walking Tour with Licensed Guide
• Napoleon: a singular Destiny - Private Guided Walking Tour
• Paris FRENCH FOOD Private Walking Tour with TASTINGS
• Paris Left Bank private Walking Tour with Official Guide
• WW2 in Paris: 1940-1944 - A fabulous Private Guided Tour!
• Louvre & Mona Lisa Private Guided Tour during 3 hours
• Orsay museum Priority Acces with your Licensed Guide
• RODIN museum Private Visit with your Official Guide
• Sainte Chapelle & Conciergerie private guided tour
• Full day guided visit with two famous French sculptors
• Louvre for Kids : Treasure Hunt private visit
• Marmottan Monet & Le Corbusier's villa La Roche museums
• Orsay museum treasure Hunt!
• Paris Latin Quarter with Cluny museum and the PANTHEON
• PICASSO museum in Paris hôtel Salé with your private guide
• Paris private licensed guide - full day 7 hours
• Paris private official guide in English - Half Day
• Paris cruise and private minibus sightseeing tour with a driver/guide
• Paris Lafayette's tomb & Vincennes castle private tour
• Paris private guided tour : first sightseeing to do with your driver-guide to discover the city
• Private photographer and driver-guide in Paris
• Paris full day private tour & museum
• Paris KIDS tour (4 yrs ~ 15yrs): full day visit & games adapted to your children
• Paris private complete full day guided tour in a minibus with driver/guide
• Paris sightseeing tour & cruise
• WW2 in Paris : 1940-1944
• Mixed walking & minivan
• Chantilly Castle Half-Day Private Guided Tour
• Chartres Cathedral's incredible Stained-glass windows!
• Fontainebleau castle & Barbizon village
• Giverny & Monet's gardens Half Day Private Trip
• Malmaison Napoléon's wife : Josephine and her castle
• Vaux le Vicomte castle Half Day from Paris
• Versailles Palace Half-Day Private Guided Tour with the SUN KING!
• "A taste of the 19th century around Paris"
• Compiègne and Pierrefonds castles including Rethondes
• Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte castles Full Day Private Guided Tour
• Full Day about CAILLEBOTTE PRIVATE TRIP
• Giverny & Versailles Full Day Private Guided Tour from PARIS
• Giverny and Auvers sur Oise private guided tour from PARIS
• Normandy with Giverny Full Day Private Tour from PARIS
• Paris & suburbs of Paris FULL DAY private guided tour
• Touring day outside Paris in a castle and in an artist's house
• Versailles with the Trianon & Marie Antoinette Hamlet : Full Day Private Guided Tour
• Versailles Private Official Guide Half-Day disposal
• Versailles with Private Official Guide Full Day disposal
• CHAMPAGNE Private Guided Tour with TASTINGS & CELLARS Visits
• LOIRE Valley Castles Private Tour : a fantastic Renaissance trip!
• Mont Saint Michel FULL DAY Private Guided Tour from PARIS
• Normandy D-Day beaches 1944 Private Guided Tour
• Private Transfer & Visit from Paris to Bayeux with a detour en route in Giverny
• WW1 Battlefields Private Guided Tour in Northern FRANCE
• Brittany private excursion during 2 days
• Brittany private excursion during 3 days
• Burgundy private wine tour during 3 days
• Loire valley private excursion during 2 days
• Loire valley private excursion during 3 days
• Normandy private excursion during 2 days
• Normandy private excursion during 3 day
• Train stations
• Cherbourg SHORE Private Excursions with DRIVER-GUIDE
• Le Havre SHORE Private Excursions with DRIVER-GUIDE
• General conditions
• Tour conditions
• Cancellation policy
• General price list

• Sandy Tours

Paris Lafayette's tomb & Vincennes castle private tour

Paris Lafayette's tomb & Vincennes castle visit in the district 12 and east of Paris

Explore The AFL Store and Treat Yourself Today!

• JOIN The American Friends of Lafayette
• JOIN the AFL

August 16, 2024 will see the kick off this monumental Bicentennial celebration. The hundreds of events planned will trace Lafayette’s footstep on the exact dates and in the exact order he followed on his tour of America as the “Guest of the Nation” between 1824 and 1825.

Lafayette’s 1824 and 1825 Farewell Tour of America

Please visit our Events page to discover the Bicentennial Activities in 2024 and 2025. You are invited to join us as a member to receive regular alerts as additional activities and events are revealed!

Take a Tour!

Explore any tour location with this interactive audio tour! You can take the tour remotely by clicking on the white arrow in the green circle above and then clicking on the story sites on the map. Or enjoy the tour on-site by downloading the TravelStorys app for free. The audio, text, and images will launch automatically as you approach each story site.

The American Friends of Lafayette

The American Friends of Lafayette is thrilled to announce the upcoming thirteen-month bicentennial celebration of Major General Lafayette’s triumphant return tour to America!

Education has a cost, so please help us by donating to ensure that Lafayette’s legacy is prominent for generations to come.

Galerie de Lafayette

The Marquis de Lafayette's Triumphant Tour of America

Réunion des musées nationaux/Joseph-Désiré Court/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain

• Important Historical Figures
• U.S. Presidents
• Native American History
• American Revolution
• America Moves Westward
• The Gilded Age
• Crimes & Disasters
• The Most Important Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
• African American History
• African History
• Ancient History and Culture
• Asian History
• European History
• Latin American History
• Medieval & Renaissance History
• Military History
• The 20th Century
• Women's History

The extensive year-long tour of America by the Marquis de Lafayette, a half-century after the Revolutionary War, was one of the greatest public events of the 19th century. From August 1824 to September 1825, Lafayette visited all 24 states of the Union.

Visit of Marquis de Lafayette to All 24 States

Kean Collection/Staff/Getty Images

Called the "National Guest" by newspapers, Lafayette was welcomed in cities and towns by committees of prominent citizens as well as vast crowds of ordinary people. He paid a visit to the tomb of his friend and comrade  George Washington at Mount Vernon. In Massachusetts, he renewed his friendship with John Adams , and in Virginia, he spent a week visiting with Thomas Jefferson .

In many places, elderly veterans of the Revolutionary War turned out to see the man who had fought beside them while helping to secure America's freedom from Britain.

Being able to see Lafayette, or, better yet, to shake his hand, was a potent way of connecting with the generation of Founding Fathers that was quickly passing into history at that point.

For decades, Americans would tell their children and grandchildren they had met Lafayette when he came to their town. The poet Walt Whitman would recall having been held in Lafayette's arms as a child at a library dedication in Brooklyn.

For the United States government, which had officially invited Lafayette, the tour by the aging hero was essentially a public relations campaign to showcase the impressive progress the young nation had made. Lafayette toured canals, mills, factories, and farms. Stories about his tour circulated back to Europe and portrayed America as a thriving and growing nation.

Lafayette's return to America began with his arrival in New York harbor on August 14, 1824. The ship carrying him, his son, and a small entourage landed at Staten Island, where he spent the night at the residence of the nation's vice president Daniel Tompkins.

On the following morning, a flotilla of steamboats decorated with banners and carrying city dignitaries sailed across the harbor from Manhattan to greet Lafayette. He then sailed to the Battery, at the southern tip of Manhattan, where he was welcomed by a massive crowd.

Welcomed in Cities and Villages

Print Collector/Contributor/Getty Images

After spending a week in New York City , Lafayette departed for New England on August 20, 1824. As his coach rolled through the countryside, he was escorted by companies of cavalry riding alongside. At many points along the way, local citizens greeted him by erecting ceremonial arches his entourage passed under.

It took four days to reach Boston, as exuberant celebrations were held at countless stops along the way. To make up for the lost time, traveling extended late into the evenings. A writer accompanying Lafayette noted that local horsemen held torches aloft to light the way.

On August 24, 1824, a large procession escorted Lafayette into Boston. All the church bells in the city rang out in his honor and cannons were fired in a thunderous salute.

Following visits to other sites in New England, he returned to New York City, taking a steamship from Connecticut via the Long Island Sound. 

September 6, 1824, was Lafayette's 67th birthday, which was celebrated at a lavish banquet in New York City. Later that month, he set out by carriage through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, and briefly visited Washington, D.C.

A visit to Mount Vernon soon followed. Lafayette paid his respects at Washington's tomb. He spent a few weeks touring other locations in Virginia, and on November 4, 1824, he arrived at Monticello, where he spent a week as a guest of former president Thomas Jefferson.

On November 23, 1824, Lafayette arrived in Washington, where he was a guest of President James Monroe . On December 10, he addressed the U.S. Congress after being introduced by Speaker of the House Henry Clay .

Lafayette spent the winter in Washington, making plans to tour the southern regions of the country beginning in the spring of 1825.

From New Orleans to Maine in 1825

The National Guard/Flickr/Public Domain

In early March 1825, Lafayette and his entourage set out again. They traveled southward, all the way to New Orleans. Here, he was greeted enthusiastically, especially by the local French community.

After taking a riverboat up the Mississippi, Lafayette sailed up the Ohio River to Pittsburgh. He continued overland to northern New York State and viewed Niagara Falls. From Buffalo, he traveled to Albany, New York, along the route of a new engineering marvel, the recently opened Erie Canal .

From Albany, he traveled again to Boston, where he dedicated the Bunker Hill Monument on June 17, 1825. By July, he was back in New York City, where he celebrated the Fourth of July first in Brooklyn and then in Manhattan.

It was on the morning of July 4, 1825, that Walt Whitman, at the age of six, encountered Lafayette. The aging hero was going to lay the cornerstone of a new library, and neighborhood children had gathered to welcome him.

Decades later, Whitman described the scene in a newspaper article. As people were helping children climb down into the excavation site where the ceremony was to take place, Lafayette himself picked up young Whitman and briefly held him in his arms.

After visiting Philadelphia in the summer of 1825, Lafayette traveled to the site of the Battle of Brandywine , where he had been wounded in the leg in 1777. At the battlefield, he met with Revolutionary War veterans and local dignitaries, impressing everyone with his vivid memories of the fighting a half-century earlier.

An Extraordinary Meeting

_ray marcos/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

Returning to Washington, Lafayette stayed at the White House with the new president,  John Quincy Adams . Along with Adams, he made another trip to Virginia, which began on August 6, 1825, with a remarkable incident. Lafayette's secretary, Auguste Levasseur, wrote about it in a book published in 1829:

At the Potomac bridge we stopped to pay the toll, and the gate-keeper, after counting the company and horses, received the money from the president, and allowed us to pass on; but we had gone a very short distance when we heard someone bawling after us, 'Mr. President! Mr. President! You have given me eleven-pence too little!'

Presently the gate-keeper arrived out of breath, holding out the change he had received, and explaining the mistake made. The president heard him attentively, re-examined the money, and agreed he was right, and ought to have another eleven-pence.

Just as the president was taking out his purse, the gate-keeper recognized General Lafayette in the carriage, and wished to return his toll, declaring that all gates and bridges were free to the nation's guest. Mr. Adams told him that on this occasion General Lafayette traveled altogether privately, and not as the nation's guest, but simply as a friend of the president, and, therefore, was entitled to no exemption. With this reasoning, our gate-keeper was satisfied and received the money.

Thus, during his course of his voyages in the United States, the general was but once subjected to the common rule of paying, and it was exactly upon the day in which he traveled with the chief magistrate; a circumstance which, probably in every other country, would have conferred the privilege of passing free.

In Virginia, they met up with former president Monroe and traveled to Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello. There, they were joined by former president  James Madison , and a truly remarkable meeting took place: General Lafayette, President Adams, and three former presidents spent a day together.

As the group separated, Lafayette's secretary noted the former American presidents and Lafayette sensed they would never meet again:

I shall not attempt to depict the sadness which prevailed at this cruel separation, which had none of the alleviation which is usually left by youth, for in this instance, the individuals who bade farewell had all passed through a long career, and the immensity of the ocean would still add to the difficulties of a reunion.

On September 6, 1825, Lafayette's 68th birthday, a banquet was held at the White House . The following day, Lafayette departed for France aboard a newly built frigate of the U.S. Navy. The ship, the Brandywine, had been named in honor of Lafayette's battlefield valor during the Revolutionary War.

As Lafayette sailed down the Potomac River, citizens gathered on the banks of the river to wave farewell. In early October, Lafayette arrived safely back in France.

Americans of the era took great pride in Lafayette's visit. It served to illuminate how much the nation had grown and prospered since the darkest days of the American Revolution. And for decades to come, those who had welcomed Lafayette in the mid-1820s spoke movingly of the experience.

• American Revolution: Marquis de Lafayette
• American History Timeline: 1820-1829
• Albert Gallatin's Report on Roads, Canals, Harbors, and Rivers
• American Revolution: Battle of Yorktown
• Thomas Paine, Political Activist and Voice of the American Revolution
• Biography of Samuel F.B. Morse, Inventor of the Telegraph
• The White House: Interior and Exterior Pictures
• Gibbons v. Ogden
• American Revolution: Baron Friedrich von Steuben
• The Schuyler Sisters and Their Role in the American Revolution
• Walt Whitman and the Civil War
• The Role of France in the American Revolutionary War
• The 1812 Surrender of Fort Detroit
• American Revolution: Yorktown & Victory
• A History of the Women's March on Versailles
• Poland's Count Casimir Pulaski and His Role in the American Revolution

LAFAYETTE’S TOUR

Inscription.

When America declared its independence on July 4, 1776, the thirteen colonies were pulled into a conflict with one of the world’s most formidable powers, Great Britain. The colonies’ actions against Great Britain inspired a young French aristocrat and military officer, Marquis de Lafayette, to depart his native France to fight in the American Revolution. Lafayette served as a commander with the Continental Army throughout the war and helped secure French support for the American cause. This support played an integral part in securing American victory during the war.

Celebrated as a hero in the U.S. and France, Lafayette eventually returned to his home country. In 1824 Marquis de Lafayette was invited to visit the United States for the first time in 41 years. As an American hero and one of the only surviving commanders from the Revolution, Lafayette’s visit to the U.S. was highly anticipated and met with a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement. Lafayette’s Tour extended from 1824 to 1825. During this time he visited Washington D.C., as well as major cities and small communities across 24 states.

On April 18, 1825 General Lafayette was welcomed to Natchez, Mississippi, his only stop in the state. Once there, he was the guest of honor at a reception at the Steamboat Hotel. Following dinner, he attended a ball at Travellers Hall, which was later detailed in the April 23, 1825 edition of the Mississippi State Gazette:

The company separated at an early hour, and in the evening, the venerable La Fayette attended a ball very tastefully managed, at the large room in Travellers Hall.-The display was very imposing- the walls were ornamented with a profusion of evergreens, intermingled with natural flowers; and being brilliantly illuminated, gave the best effect to the graceful forms and fair faces, assembled upon this joyful occasion.

Soon after the festivities, General Lafayette departed for St. Louis, Missouri by way of a steamboat aptly named the Natchez .