Musée
du Louvre
9 Rue du Rivoli
Tel.: 01 40 20 51 51.
Direct access from Palais Royale metro station through the underground complex
of shops and attractions
linking the Louvre to the Jardin des Tuileries.
9-6 Daily. (Closed Tuesday) Wednesday to 9:45pm.
Admission charged.
This enormous building was constructed around 1200 to serve as a fortress while
the King was away on crusades in the holy land. It was rebuilt in the mid-16th
century for use as a royal palace, and began its career as a public museum
in 1793 during the French Revolution. As part of President François
Mitterand's futuristic grands projets in the 1980s, the Louvre was revamped
and enlarged with the addition also of a 67ft. glass pyramid entrance. The
museum is divided into seven departments ranging from Egyptian, Greek and Roman
and Oriental sections through collections of paintings and sculpture, prints
and drawings. Many visitors are unable to summon the energy it takes to walk
through the miles of rooms and galleries, and head directly for the most famous
pieces: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory. There is so much of immense
value to see in the Louvre, that it is best to obtain a copy of the museum
guide in advance and plan for several visits to specific areas over the course
of one's time in Paris. More info
Centre
National D'Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou
Place Beaubourg
Tel.: 01 44 78 12 33
Wed.-Fri. and Mon. Noon-10pm. Sat., Sun. 10-10.
The Centre Georges Pompidou, displays and promotes modern and contemporary
art. It is the most visited sight in Paris. Built between 1972 and 1977, the
building features an ultra modern design in which the structural elements provide
the building's outer face. The structure has recently begun to age, prompting
face-lifts and closures of many parts of the center. Woven into this restoration
are several galleries in which to shop for works of art. There is also a free,
three-tiered library with over 2000 periodicals, including English-language
newspapers and magazines from around the world. A square just to the west attracts
street musicians and colorful characters.
Notre
Dame Cathedral
6 Place du Paris de Notre Dame
tel: 01 42 34 56 10
Sun.-Fri. 8-7 Sat. 8-12:30 and 2-7
Towers daily 9:30-6:30 April-Sept. (9:30-5 rest of year)
RER St. Michel Metro St. Michel
Cathedral: No admission fee. Tower: Admission is charged.
The city's cathedral ranks as one of the greatest achievements of Gothic architecture.
Notre Dame (the Cathedral of Our Lady) was begun in 1163 and completed around
1350. It stands on the Ile de la Cité, the oldest part of Paris. Notre
Dame is the nucleus around which the capital city developed. The outside is
as spectacular as the interior. The Cathedral is built to hold up to 9000 worshipers,
but it is always packed with visitors during the times between church services.
It is best to arrive early and allow enough time to walk around outside and
inside in a leisurely way. The interior is dominated by enormous rose windows
and a 7800-pipe organ that was recently restored. From the base of the north
tower, physically fit visitors can climb to the top of the west façade
and look above the cathedral's gargoyles, and out over the city of Paris. Under
the square in front of the cathedral an archaeological crypt displays the remains
of structures from the Gallo-Roman and later periods. www/.pitt.edu/"medart/menufrance/chartres/charmain.html
Sainte
Chapelle
4 Boulevard du Palais
tel: 01 53 73 78 50
9:30-6 (winter until 5pm)
Admission is charged.
Access through the Palais de Justice
Metro: St. Michel
Lying inside the Palais de Justice (law courts), Sainte Chapelle was consecrated
in 1248 and built to house what was reputedly Jesus' crown of thorns and other
relics purchased by King Louis IX earlier in the 13th century. The vaulted
roof was designed to be supported by thin pillars separated by long, narrow
stained glass windows . A few buttresses reinforce the structure which appears
to be all of stained glass with no walls. The expanse of 13th-century stained
glass (the oldest in Paris), is best viewed from the law courts' main gilded
18th century gate. Over 1000 scenes from the Old and New Testaments are depicted
on the windows and give the impression of reading the Bible in pictures as
one walks around the chapel.
Palais
de Justice
4 Boulevard du Palais
9:30-4:30 (6 pm in summer)
This
part of the old royal palace contains the courts of law
and is under tight security. Following screening, visitors
are free to walk along the long hallways and stop in quietly
to observe the proceedings of cases that are in session.
The matters being heard will, of course, be conducted in
French. Civil cases are heard in the morning, while criminal
trials begin in the afternoon after lunch.
Musée d'Orsay
1 Rue de Bellechasse
tel: 01 40 49 48 14
Closed Mon. Open Tues-Sun. 10-6 (Thurs. 10-9:45)
Admission charged.
Metro: Solférino
Spectacularly housed in a former railway station built in 1900, the Musée
d'Orsay was reopened in its present form in 1986. Inside is a wealth of artistic
treasures produced between 1848 and 1914. Most of the paintings and sculptures
of the era of the Impressionists and post impressionists are found on the ground
floor and the skylight lit upper level. The middle level has some magnificent
rooms showcasing the Art Nouveau movement. For up to date programs of events:
www.musee-orsay.fr
Musée
Rodin
77 Rue de Varenne
tel.: 01 44 18 16 10
9:30-5daily. Closed Mondays.
Admission charged.
Metro: Varenne
This
outstanding collection of bronze and marble sculptures
by Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel, is displayed in the
Hotel Biron where Rodin lived from 1907-1917. Some of the
works in bronze and marble are in the house, others are
distributed around the shady sculpture garden in the back.
The lovely setting is perfect for a sunny afternoon stroll.
On the first floor of the house are casts used for Rodin's
most celebrated works - the statues of Balzac and Victor
Hugo.
Eiffel Tower
Champ de Mars
Tel: 01 44 11 23 23
9:30am-11pm daily. (until midnight in summer)
Admission charged.
Métro: Trocadéro or Bir-Hakeim
RER: Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel
The tower was completed by 300 workers in just over two years from January
1887-March 1889. It contains over 12,000 metallic parts and two and a half
million rivets! When it was completed, it was the tallest building in the world.
The occasion of its creation was the centenary of the French Revolution. Named
after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, it stands 320m (1050ft) high.
Initially intended as a temporary structure to be displayed at the 1889 Exposition
Universelle, it was slated for demolition in 1909. However, during the Exposition
nearly 2 million visitors paid to see it, and by the end of the first year
3/4 of the building costs had been recovered. By 1909 it was playing a new
role as a radio telephone tower.
In preparation for its 100th anniversary in 1989 the tower was repainted and
illuminated by more powerful lights. On a clear day the viewing platforms offer
visitors willing and able to wait in line for the elevators, a spectacular
glimpse of the city and surrounding area. Just southeast of the tower is a
grassy expanse that was once the site of the world's first balloon flights
and is now used by teens as a skateboarding arena www.tour-eiffel.fr
Avenue
des Champs-Élysées
A popular promenade for the well to do residents
and visitors of a bygone era, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées
has long symbolized the style and love of life of Paris.
Even though it is now lined with fast food establishments,
car showrooms, and cinemas, the magic remains. It provides
a stirring sight by day or in its night time illumination,
to look down its broad expanse to the stately Arc d'Triomphe.
The one mile long, 235 foot wide street makes an ideal place
for evening walks and some window shopping.
Cimetière
du Père Lachaise
Main entrance at Boulevard de Ménilmontant
Metro: Pére Laachaise
This is Paris's largest and most visited cemetery. Within the manicured, evergreen
enclosure are the tombs of over one million people including the composer Chopin;
the writers Molière, Apollinaire, Oscar Wilde, Balzac, Marcel Proust
and Gertrude Stein; the artists David, Delacroix, Pissarro, Seurat and Modigliani;
the actors Sarah Bernhardt, Simone Signoret and Yves Montand; the singer Édith
Piaf; and the dancer Isadora Duncan. The most visited tomb is that of The Doors
lead singer, Jim Morrison, who died in Paris in 1971. A site plan is available
at the main entrance to help locate the graves.
The cemetery was once the site of a fierce battle between Communard insurgents
and government troops. The rebels were eventually rounded up against a wall
and shot, and were buried where they fell in a mass grave.
Place
des Vosges
Musée Victor Hugo
6 Places de Vosges
tel.: 01 42 72 10 16
Daily 10-5:40. Closed Monday.
Admission charged.
Metro: St. Paul
In 1605, King Henri IV decided to turn the Marais district into Paris' most
exclusive residential area. Flanked by the Pavilion du Roi (King's Pavillion)
and the Pavilion de la Reine (Queen's pavillion), the area was named Place
Royale. His son, Louis XIII completed the project. None of the royal family
ever actually lived there.
The remainder of the square is configured with 36 symmetrical houses each with
a ground-floor arcade, steep slate roof, large dormer windows and vine covered
walls. The first of the houses were built of brick, the rest were built rapidly
and given timber frames and faced with plaster. The plaster was later painted
to resemble brick. Duels, fought with strictly observed formality, were once
staged in the elegant park in the middle which contains a statue of Louis XIII.
From 1832-48 Victor Hugo lived at a house at No 6, which has now been turned
into a museum. Cardinal Richelieu lived at No. 21. In 1800 the square was renamed
Place des Vosges. Today, the arcades at street level are occupied by expensive
galleries, shops, and cafes.
Les
Catacombes
1 Place Denfert-Rocherau
tel.: 01 43 22 47 63
2-4 pm weekdays (closed Monday) also open 9-11am Sat., Sun.
Admission charged.
Metro: Denfert-Rocherau
In 1785, a solution was found to the overcrowded conditions in the city cemeteries.
Beneath the city lay extensive remains of galleries that were associated with
three ancient Roman stone quarries. The quarries, all in excellent condition,
were cleaned and consecrated. They became cemeteries and are open for guided
tours. The bones of the deceased are stacked neatly along the galleries on
stone shelves. The tunnels, which were used by the Résistance during
WWII as a headquarters, are south of the Seine.
La
Défense
Tel.: 01 49 07 27 27
10-7 Daily (Grande Arche)
Admission fee for tour of the Grande Arche
Metro or RER: Grande Arche de la Défense
A short metro ride west of the center city, this entirely modern business district
is surrounded by a ring road carrying through traffic, with underground linking
roads leading to specific areas at various levels. A broad pedestrian avenue
called the esplanade General de Gaulle, rises in steps from the Seine and gives
access to several blocks of office buildings, apartment buildings, a huge shopping
complex, IMAX theater and the CNIT international business center.
Development
of this area began in the 1950's with the intent of completely
separating vehicular and pedestrian traffic. This was accomplished
along with the creation of a model center in which business
and commerce co existing with upscale residential properties.
is faced with glass and white marble. A fast moving glass
elevator takes visitors 35 feet to the top for a great
view across Paris to the Arc d'Triomphe and the obelisk
in the Place de Concorde.
Disneyland
Paris
Marne-la-Valle
Tel: 01 60 30 60 30
Open all year, but hours vary with the season
Admission charged. One two or three day passports available.
RER; Chessy - end of the line. Disneyland Paris is part of a huge resort that
is one-fifth the size of Paris! There are six hotels, an area of wooded campsites,
restaurants, shops, golf and tennis, and night entertainment. The theme park
offers five main areas: Main Street USA featuring exhibits and rides recalling
America of the early 1900's; Frontierland, a reenactment of the frontier days
in the US; Adventureland which has a pirate and buried treasure theme; and
Fantasyland with rides and exhibits based on Disney film characters; and Discoveryland
which focuses on space exploration, rockets, and beyond earth planetary adventures.
Versailles
Place d' Armes
01 30 84 74 00
RER Versailles-Rive gauche
Daily (except Monday)
Admission free. Events every Sunday from May-October: telephone for details.
The numerous fountains are turned on at 3:30p m on certain days.
Combined fountains and fireworks displays some Saturday nights in summer.
In 1661, Louis XIV, the Sun King, commissioned the building of a castle for
himself on the site of a chateau built for his father in 1631. The project
became the palace at Versailles. It took 50 years to design, build and landscape
the property. The King and his court of 3000 people moved there in 1682, and
it became the political center of France for the next 107 years. In 1789, the
French Revolution caused changes to be made. The furniture was sold and the
chateau fell into disrepair. In 1837, Louis-Phillippe converted it into a museum
of French history. The castle was restored after World War I with the financial
help of John D. Rockefeller. Versailles has slowly regained its original elegance.
The elegant rooms and apartments are decorated with fine works of art and many
original furnishings of Louis XV and other royal occupants. The Opéra
Royal opened in 1770 for the wedding of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI.
The gardens were designed geometrically with the canal and the various ponds,
flower beds and sculptures all blending in a harmonious pattern. The tour of
the palace, the Trianons (lesser palaces) and the grounds could easily take
a full day. Be sure to bring a camera as you will want to remember the wonders
of this enchanting place.
Pariscope
11 bis rue Scribe
01 42 66 62 06
Fax 01 42 66 62 16
Summer: 9-9
Winter : 9-6
Admission charged.
Metro: Opéra
This
award winning multimedia production shows the development
of major cities and of Paris in particular. The 45 minute
presentation uses 25 projectors and offers viewers headphones
with a choice of translations in 11 languages. It is shown
every hour on the hour.
Canal
Saint Martin
The Saint Martin canal, running through the northeastern districts of the Right
Bank, is one of Paris's hidden delights. The 3mi waterway, parts of which are
higher than the surrounding land, was built in 1806 to link the Seine with
the much longer Canal de l'Ourcq. Its shaded towpaths specked with sunlight
are a wonderful place for a romantic stroll or bike ride past locks, metal
bridges and Parisian neighborhoods. It meets the River just south of the Bastille.
Sacre
Coeur
34 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre
01 53 41 89 00
Summer: 9-7
Winter 9-6
Metro: Abbesses
Admission to church is free. Admission to dome: small charge.
Montmartre is the zone (village) occupying the highest hill in Paris, and Sacre
Coeur is its dominant feature. There has been a prayer circle in place since
the church was completed in 1914, so that there has never been a moment during
those years when someone wasn't in the church praying, day and night.
Opéra
Bastille
Place de la Bastille
Metro: Bastille
Tel: 01 40 01 19 70
Guided tours
Admission charged for tour
The
original use for the fortress known as the Bastille when
it was built around 1370 was as a residence for Charles
V. It was part of the fortifications just beyond the City
Center on the Right Bank. During the reign of Louis XIII
it became the state prison where both criminals and political
dissidents were held. Some of the famous people once incarcerated
there were the Man in the Iron Mask, the French finance
minister, Fouquet and the philosopher, Voltaire. On July
14, 1789 there were a total of only 7 prisoners in the
whole building, only one of whom was even vaguely connected
with politics. The storming of the Bastille by the revolutionary
forces was mainly symbolic of the fight of the common people
of France for freedom from tyranny and for equality with
their rulers. The Bastille was destroyed, and the seven
prisoners released. Its fall sparked the spirit of freedom
throughout the country. This event is celebrated annually
on the square.
In 1989 the square was given a whole new lease on life with the opening of
the Opéra Bastille, Paris's second opera house. The date of opening
was chosen to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. The
new addition brightened the whole square and has resulted in renovations throughout
the bustling area around it. Art galleries, shops, craftsmen, and fashionable
nightclubs are now found in the area.
Arc
de Triomphe
Place Charles de Gaulle
Tel.: 01 43 80 31 31.
Platform and Museum open 10-5 daily.
The
largest triumphal arch ever built in the tradition of Roman
architecture was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte in
1806 as a tribute to his Grand Army. Construction stopped
abruptly with the fall of Napoleon, but resumed eventually.
The Arc was completed in 1836. In 1920 the unknown soldier
was buried under it, and every evening at 6:30pm the flame
is rekindled in memory of the war dead. A special service
of remembrance is held each year on November 11. The museum
houses an exhibition explaining the construction of the
arch. There is a video in French and English. At the base
of the arch are the names of hundreds of generals. The
arch is illuminated at night, as are many of the Paris
attractions. One of the most popular tours of Paris is
called "Paris Illuminations" and involves a magical
bus ride around the entire city at night
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