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Sightseeing

  Paris, Sightseeing

Sightseeing Overview: The sightseer can choose their own Paris. The nostalgic should wander around the mansions of the Marais district, past the Musée Carnavalet, 23 rue de Sévigné, 3rd; Hôtel de Sully, 62 rue St‐Antoine, 4th, and Place des Vosges, home to the Maison de Victor Hugo. Monet’s Water Lillies can be glimpsed at the Musée de l’Orangerie when it re‐opens in the summer of 2004 and changing exhibitions of modern art at the Galerie National du Jeu de Paume, both in the Jardin des Tuileries.

Those interested in modern design should opt for the Centre Georges Pompidou, place Beaubourg, 4th; Jean Nouvel’s Institut du Monde Arabe, 1 rue des Fossés‐St‐Bernard, 5th; or the Grande Arche de la Défense with its high‐speed glass lift offering a spectacular view of Paris. The Grande Arche, which lies along the same geographical axis as Napoleon’s Arc de Triomphe and the Champs‐Elysées, was built a century and a half later. This incongruity – the modern city juxtaposed with the old – is all part of the charm of Paris. Serious sightseers may wish to plan their day, others may prefer simply to wander.

Paris is overrun with museums, ranging from the vast collections of the Louvre to the small and quirky – such as the Musée des Arts Forains, 53 avenue des‐Terroires‐de‐France, 12th, a shrine to fairground art. Those who have not been to Paris for a few years will be surprised at the number of new additions. The Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme (Museum of Jewish Art and History) is one example, in a lovely townhouse in the Marais, Hôtel de St‐Aignan, 71 rue du Temple, 3rd. Also now well established are the Musée de la Musique, Cité de la Musique, 221 avenue Jean‐Jaurès, 19th, and the Musée de la Mode et du Textile (Fashion and Textile Museum), Palais du Louvre, 107 rue de Rivoli, 1st. The Musée de la Publicité (Museum of Advertising) opened in 1999, also at the Palais du Louvre, 107 rue de Rivoli, 1st.

Tourist Information: L’Office de Tourisme et des Congrès de Paris
(Central Tourist Office (Convention & Visitors Bureau))
127 avenue des Champs‐Elysées, 8th
Tel: (08) 9268 3112. Fax: (01) 4952 5300.
E‐mail: info@paris‐touristoffice.com

Opening hours: Daily 0900‐2000 (Sun 1100‐1800 in winter).

Further tourist offices are located at the Gare de Lyon, 20 boulevard Diderot, 12th (Mon‐Sat 0800‐2000), and the Eiffel Tower (daily 1100‐1800 May to September).

Passes
The Carte Musées et Monuments pass allows free unlimited access to more than 70 museums and monuments in the Paris region. The pass is for sale (&Euro;23 for one day, &Euro;44 for three days, &Euro;62 for five days) from the Central Tourist Office, participating museums and monuments, the main métro stations and FNAC stores. The pass allows visitors to bypass queues but does not provide free admission to special or temporary exhibitions. For more information, visit www.museums‐of‐paris.com