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Showing posts with the label holiday in paris

Some unusual facts and what tourist attractions to discover on the River Seine in Paris

From the first glance the River Seine in Paris may just look like a plain river which runs through Paris, but it happens to be much more than just that, having turned into a major tourist attraction and a landmark with many fantastic bridges, two islands within it and much more. The River Seine has always been a major and prominent river even before the City came to life. Dating right back to when the first Parisii tribes settled their fishing villages close to the river as well as when the roman Empire took over the river for the reason it had become a highly valued commercial waterway. Yet surprisingly the river is only around 24 meters above sea level and in places only 8 meters deep, making it a slow flowing river which is also easily navigated, and even to this day provides Paris with water. The river divides the city into two; known as the typical left and the right. The settlers first stayed around the Right Bank but it wasn't until the Roman Empire times that Paris had

Ideas and tourist attractions to visit for a memorable holiday in Paris

Taking a holiday in Paris is both popular and amazing but not surprisingly, with over 30 million tourists yearly and with a full array of culture, entertainment, history and all of the spectacular monuments in Paris, the city also being known as The City of Lights, there is something to suit everyone's interest from all around the world. For this reason Paris is a great place to experience a special occasion form anything such as a birthday right through to an engagement or a romantic getaway. And even better, if you do not have the time to plan there are companies which offer specially made packages for you, even ranging to having a wedding in Paris. But even with those, the city can also be great for all ages, meaning it can be perfect for a family holiday in Paris , with varying hotels in Paris, and even campsites which can have many numerous activities on them also within the Ile de France region meaning it can be suitable for children of any age. Also there are very many t

OpenTour Bus Tours in Paris for seeing the many monuments and tourist attractions

OpenTour is a firm which operates tour buses in Paris with different routes around the capital city but also run bus tours in other locations such as Marseille and Nice, within the Provence-Alpes Cote d’Azur region. If you only have a small amount of time if you go for a holiday in Paris then one of the easiest and most convenient tours you can take is the OpenTour, allowing you to visit many places, which you may not see or discover otherwise. The tour buses are large double decker buses with open tops to allow you to take advantage of the great views. The buses are also very easy to spot due to their bright yellow and green colour scheme which operate daily throughout the whole year around Paris. The idea behind these bus tours in Paris is that you can buy a pass, jump into a bus and jump off as you wish, to see monuments, tourist attractions, museums and more that it stops at, and then when you wish jump back on another bus allowing you to visit many different places at your own

Palais de la Decouverte science museum at the Grand Palais in Paris

The Palais de la Decouverte is a science museum found within the Grand Palais in the heart of Paris which has a very different, yet unique, way of showing and allowing people to discover science to help everyone understand it. The history of the Palais de la Decouverte is a somewhat unlikely beginning, with the French physicist, Jean Perrin, who won a Nobel prize for his work on the atom, thought up the idea of a unique museum. And although his envisions of the museum was only meant to be a temporary exhibition for the World Fair in 1937, the amazing success of his experiments being performed in front of the public as well as letting visitors take part, it was decided to be changed into a permanent science museum, so many more could enjoy the science and learn. Nowadays the museum in Paris stays with the same ideas and approach that Perrin wanted to achieve with his idea, to allow many people to access and gain an understanding of any type of science, even those without much prior k

The Espace Dali is the only museum in France dedicated to the artist Salvador Dali

The Espace Dali museum is a museum dedicated to showing and featuring art works and sculptures of the well known surrealist artist Salvador Dali, and the only art exhibition dedicated to the artist in France. The artist himself, Salvador Dali had a very controversial personality, although he was someone who was also extraordinary. He was born in Catalonia Spain, yet spent time in both Paris and the United States before returning to his home town of Figueres. The museum is on a reasonably small scale, but not to be over looked with a variety of unusual lighting, black walls and other things, which create an unusual atmosphere and give a great view into the works and life of the surrealist artist. With all various types of art there is bound to be something to capture the attention of anyone who goes there, from the bizarre to the fantastic works which include and cover topics from religion, science and more, the museum can show most, allowing you to see some of the works from the fam

The impressive sculptures at the Musee Bourdelle museum in Paris dedicated to Antoine Bourdelle

The Musee Bourdelle is a museum in Paris dedicated to featuring works from the artist and sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, which is to be found within the studio and apartment where he worked and lived from 1885 in the Montparnasse area. When you enter the museum one of the first rooms you would most likely come across is the Great Hall which was added extension in 1961 to commemorate a century after his birth. It was made to hold some monumental plaster works, such as one named the Monument to the General Alvear and another called the Dying Centaur, and there is also a bronze copy of this which can be found on display in the courtyard garden. Another area you can visit is the front garden with a gallery and terrace and it holds one of Antoine Bourdelle's more signature pieces, called Heracles the Archer. Further along in the Musee Bourdelle you can find a room which forms part of the house where the sculptor lived from 1885, and even if he did move to a different apartment in 1918

The unique collection of art at the Musee Jacquemart-Andre Museum in Paris

The Musee Jacquemart-Andre is within a palace mansion which was built during the 19th century on the street Boulevard Haussmann for Edouard Andre, which holds and showcases many pieces of art he and his wife, Nelie Jacquemart, collected through their life. Edouard Andre was a banker and heir to a protestant banking family fortune, and yet spent his money on collecting works of art. After marrying Nelie Jacquemart who happened to be a French portrait artist, they both collected numerous works, which led to a vast amount of art from all over the world. The Musee Jacquemart-Andre museum is much smaller than other well known places such as Chateau de Versailles or the Chantilly castle, but on that note it is also more personal. Having been a place to hold parties for the high society of the day, allowing them to admire many of the works which were collected in the mansion. Once Nelie Jacquemart passed away she left the estate and collections to the Institut de France, so that the house

Musee Grevin Waxwork Museum in Paris started over 130 years ago

The Musee Grevin is a waxwork museum which opened in 1882, and it can be an amazing place to visit famous people which are now in their wax form, some dating from many years ago. At the museum there are various different sections within this museum in Paris , some of which include some of the more renowned wax pieces including that of Elvis Presley, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Michael Jackson and much more, which are all surrounded by amazing decor around, which in itself is amazing, being put in place well over one hundred years ago. One section is dedicated to history of France from the middle ages through to the 19th century, which goes through the Renaissance period and the Second empire, which highlights numerous people throughout history, including Joan of Arc and King Louis XIV with his court at Chateau de Versailles. The museum also offers to highlight numerous celebrities in what could be classed as a "natural habitat". Many of them being seen in their dressi

The small museum in Paris dedicated to the artist Eugene Delecroix portrays his work and life

The Musee Eugene Delacroix Museum in Paris The Musee Eugene Delacroix is a museum in Paris which is dedicated to the renowned painter Eugene Delacroix, showcasing his work, ideas and more, which is to be found within the heart of the Saint Germain des Pres area of Paris and within the apartment and studio where he lived and worked. The history of the Musee Eugene Delacroix in itself is very fascinating, the original studio which the 19th century painter worked in was used only after the man became seriously ill and found the trek from his home to where he was working at the time too far to contend with. He found a place on Rue de Furstenberg which he found both calming and bright, and where he stayed for the rest of his life. However, when he did die in August 1863, as he had no direct heir, his wish in his will was that his works were to be sold at the Hotel Drouot auction house in Paris along with most of his furniture. In fact there are many museums which hold his paintings such

The most famous avenue in the world, the Champs Elysees in Paris

The Champs Elysees has a full name of the Avenue des Champs Elysees, which the name translates to Elysian Fields in French, that is meant to be a place of the blessed and a resting place of Gods in Greek mythology. The Champs Elysees is perhaps one of the most famous avenues within the world and in France is called La plus belle avenue du monde, which translated means the most beautiful avenue in the world and with its magnificence it's no wonder, but this famous tree lined avenue actually didn't begin out in this manner. In fact, the name stems from the very fact that this whole area was originally fields and market gardens with farmers selling their goods to the local Paris markets . It was Marie de Medici, who was the wife of King Henry IV, that wanted to clear a number of these fields and extend the garden of the Palais des Tuileries at the former Palais du Louvre , which is now the Louvre Museum, by creating an avenue, and it was before long full of trees that were plan

Cite des Sciences science museum in Paris and the Geode cinema are the largest in Europe

The Cite des Sciences is an all round popular museum, being the largest science museum in all of Europe and the fifth most visited museum in Paris , joining other popular museums such as The Louvre , it makes it an amazing museum to visit which is suitable for all ages and types of interests. There are some permanent exhibitions at the museum which allow you to be interactive with the museum such as within the Techno Gallery, where you can play the latest games, test prototypes, discover robots and much more. Another exciting area is the Images exhibition, where you can include yourself within a TV advert, manipulate pictures and more. Other exhibitions include the light exhibition, outer space, satellite, along with enabling you to be able to discover optical illusions, test new sound devices and much more to stay entertained. Yet even young children are also catered for with a designated area just for them with interactive displays and organised activities available daily, yet te

Sacre Coeur Basilica, the second highest point in Paris

The Sacre Coeur Basilica The Sacre Coeur Basilica, or known as the full name of Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmarte is noticeable from nearly everywhere in Paris, standing on top of a hill within the Montmartre area which is 129 metres above sea level. Montmartre, which translated means hill of martyres, which in turn leads back to the martyrdom of Saint Denis, who happened to the be the first bishop of Paris all the way back in the 3rd century has since then had many saints visit this hill, including that of Saint Germain and Joan of Arc.  No matter which way you are entering Paris, whether it be by road on the Peripherique ring road around Paris, one of the train stations including via the Eurostar, or even a flight this monument is one of the few you will be able to see almost instantly.  One reason for that is that the monument stands at the second highest point within Paris, the only other being the most well known tourist attraction in Paris, the Eiffel tower which holds the

The Musee d’Orsay Museum that starts where The Louvre museum finishes

The Musee d’Orsay Museum In Paris The Musee d'Orsay in Paris was only opened at the end of 1986 and developed from an original railway station, it now holds many fascinating and intriguing works inside. The museum was initially made up through three other museums, being the Louvre Museum , the Musee de Jea de Paume, which is centred around Impressionism and the Musee d’Art Moderne, which transferred to the Pompidou Centre, now only showing works of art from 1870 onwards. The idea was to bring together various different collections that would showcase complete and varied forms of art from 1848 to 1914. But even if the various artworks and history of the Musee d'Orsay can be thought provoking, many donations and bequests have also been given to the museum to help it showcase even more, including works from the Musee d’Art Moderne de la Ville at the Palais de Tokyo. When the Musee d’Orsay did open, including various long term loans, there were over 1000 pieces of a