 | |
| Getting Started | |
World Guide  | |
| Airport Guides | |
| TRAVELLER TOOLS | ||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
The World | |
Europe | |
Paris | |
Key Attractions |
|
Paris,
Key Attractions The Eiffel Tower literally towers over the Champ de Mars in the smart seventh arrondissement. The top (third) floor offers a sweeping panorama of Paris. From directly underneath there is a fascinating view of the delicate ironwork of Gustave Eiffel, who was commissioned to build the tower for the Exposition Universelle in 1889, the centenary of the French Revolution. Champ de Mars, 7th Tel: (01) 4411 2323 (recorded information). Fax: (01) 4411 2322. Transport: Métro Bir‐Hakeim; RER Champ de Mars‐Tour Eiffel. Opening hours: Daily 0930‐2300 (Sep‐mid Jun); daily 0900‐0000 (mid‐Jun‐Aug). Admission: By lift: &Euro;3.70 (1st storey); &Euro;6.90 (2nd storey); &Euro;9.90 (3rd storey). By stairs: &Euro;3 (1st and 2nd storeys only). Concessions available. Cathédrale de Notre‐Dame The stocky Notre‐Dame Cathedral, on the Ile‐de‐la‐Cité, could not be more different from the filigree Eiffel Tower. Bishop Maurice de Sully began construction in 1163 to outshine the new abbey at St‐Denis; work was completed in 1345. The result is a Gothic masterpiece, with three stunning rose windows. Visitors should be prepared to climb the 387 spiral steps to the top of the 75m (246ft) north tower. The views over the River Seine and the city centre are well worth the effort. There is also a Treasury with various liturgical objects on display. 6 Place du Parvis‐Notre‐Dame, 4th Tel: (01) 4234 5610 or 5310 0702 (information on tower). Fax: (01) 4051 7098. E‐mail: info@cathedraledeparis.com Transport: Métro Cité; RER St‐Michel‐Notre‐Dame. Opening hours: Cathedral: daily 0745‐1845, except during services (Sundays at 0830, 1000, 1130 and 1230, weekdays at 0800, 0900, 1200 and 1815). Treasury: Mon‐Sat 0930‐1800, Sun 1330‐1730. Towers (entrance at north tower): daily 0930‐1930 (summer); daily 1000‐1700 (winter). Admission: Free (Cathedral); &Euro;2.50 (Treasury); &Euro;5.50 (Towers); concessions available. Sacré‐Coeur A long, wide series of steps lead to the snowy‐white‐domed Sacré‐Coeur that dominates Montmartre. A mishmash of styles, the Catholic church was built between 1870 and 1919 to atone for the ‘sins’ of the Commune. The interior is bright with neo‐Byzantine mosaics and the domed tower offers a spectacular view over Paris. The crypt contains an interesting collection of religious relics and a slide show on the construction of the Basilica. Parvis du Sacré‐Coeur, 18th Tel: (01) 5341 8900. Fax: (01) 5341 8910. Transport: Métro Abbesses or Anvers. Opening hours: Daily 0600‐2230 (Basilica); daily 1000‐1745 (crypt and dome). Admission: Free (Basilica); &Euro;5 (dome and crypt); concessions available. Musée National du Louvre The Louvre first opened to the public in 1793 following the Revolution, a showcase of the art treasures of the kings of France. The museum is organised into three wings on four floors: Richelieu (along rue de Rivoli), Sully (around cour Carrée) and Denon (along the River Seine). The vast permanent collection includes Greek, Etruscan, Roman, Egyptian and Oriental antiquities, French, Spanish, Italian and northern European sculpture and 19th‐century objets d’art. The painting collection is the strongest, with French, Italian, Dutch, German, Flemish and Spanish masterpieces from the mid‐13th to the mid‐19th centuries. Most famed French works include David’s Coronation of Napoléon, Ingres’ The Turkish Bath, Géricault’s depiction of disaster, The Raft of the Medusa and Delacroix’s ode to revolution, Liberty Leading the People. The Mona Lisa, in a bulletproof case, will be given its own room by 2004. Until then, it is on display in room 13 on the first floor of the Denon wing. Excavations have exposed traces of the medieval Louvre, which are on display together with the history of the Louvre under the Cour Carrée in the entresol level in the Sully wing. Cour Napoléon, 1st Tel: (01) 4020 5050 or 4020 5151 (recorded information). Fax: (01) 4020 5442. E‐mail: info@louvre.fr Transport: Métro Palais Royal‐Musée du Louvre. Opening hours: Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun 0900‐1800, Mon and Wed 0900‐2145 (parts of the museum only). Opening hours for temporary exhibitions vary. Admission: &Euro;7.50 (until 1500); &Euro;5 (after 1500 and Sun) (permanent exhibitions). Free for those under 18 years old and for everyone on first Sun of month. Admission to temporary exhibitions varies. Advance tickets can be bought by telephone (tel: (01) 4691 5757), from branches of FNAC and on the Internet. Tickets allow same‐day re‐admission. Musée Rodin Auguste Rodin (1840‐1917) lived and worked in this 18th‐century hôtel particulier. Now the Rodin Museum, his sculptures populate the interior and the gardens. Indoors, The Kiss portrays eternal passion frozen in white marble, while The Hand of God gives life to creamy white, half‐formed figures. Works of Rodin’s mistress and pupil, Camille Claudel and paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and Rodin himself, are also on display. The gardens are graced by the monumental bronze The Thinker, whose godly physique contrasts sharply with the decrepitude of the writhing figures of The Gates of Hell and the controversial final portrait of Balzac, once described as ‘a block that disgraces its author and French Art’. 77 rue de Varenne, 7th Tel: (01) 4418 6110. Fax: (01) 4418 6130. Transport: Métro Varenne. Opening hours: Tues‐Sun 0930‐1745, garden until 1845 (Apr‐Sep); Tues‐Sun 0930‐1645, garden until 1700 (Oct‐Mar). Admission: &Euro;5; &Euro;3 for 18s‐25s; free for visitors under 18 years and for everyone on first Sun of month; &Euro;1 garden only. Musée d’Orsay The strength of this large museum, housed in a former train station by the River Seine, lies in its collection of Impressionist and Post‐Impressionist art. The collection, covering the decisive 1848‐1914 period, is arranged chronologically, beginning on the ground floor, jumping to the third, then descending to the middle level. Among the most famous works are Manet’s Déjeuner sur l’Herbe, rejected from the Salon of 1863, five of Monet’s paintings of Rouen Cathedral and the recently acquired realist work, L’Origine du Monde by Gustave Courbet, whose graphic depiction of the female sex continues to shock. Entrances are at 1 rue de la Légion d’Honneur and 1 rue de Bellechasse, 7th Tel: (01) 4049 4814 or 4549 1111 (recorded information). Transport: Métro Solférino; RER Musée d’Orsay. Opening hours: Tues‐Sat 1000‐1800, Sun 0900‐1800 (Oct‐May); Tues‐Sun 0900‐1800 (Jun‐Sep); Thurs until 2115. Admission: &Euro;7; &Euro;5 for 18‐25s; free for visitors under 18 years and for everyone on first Sun of month. Musée National Picasso Paris‐based Pablo Picasso (1881‐1973) owned most of this collection, the largest worldwide, housed in a 17th‐century mansion in the Marais. All phases of his art are represented, with preparatory sketches and paintings covering the Blue Period, Rose Period, Cubism, Classicism, Surrealism and sculptures ranging from a huge plaster head to a small cat. Memorable works include the Blue Period self‐portrait Paolo as Harlequin, the surreal Nude in an Armchair and poignant paintings of Marie‐Thérèse. Photographs are displayed alongside the works they inspired and African masks with Picasso’s ‘primitive’ wood carvings. There is also a glimpse of the artist’s personal taste in paintings, with his Matisse and Cézanne paintings displayed. Hôtel Salé, 5 rue de Thorigny, 3rd Tel: (01) 4271 2521. Fax: (01) 4271 1299. Transport: Métro Chemin Vert or St‐Paul. Opening hours: Wed‐Mon 0930‐1800 (summer); Wed‐Mon 0930‐1730 (winter); Thurs until 2000. Admission: &Euro;5.50 (concessions available); free for visitors under 18 years and for everyone on first Sun of month. Extra charge for temporary exhibitions. Centre Georges Pompidou Considered outrageous in 1977, the Pompidou Centre, designed by Piano and Rogers, has become part of the Parisian landscape, primary coloured tubes and all. Although not yet twenty‐five years old, the building has already been revamped and extended to cope with the huge numbers visiting its expanding collection of contemporary art and its multimedia library. It re‐opened on the first day of the new millennium, the main focus being the 20th‐century collection of the Musée National d'Art Moderne (MNAM). Place Georges Pompidou, 4th Tel: (01) 4478 1233. E‐mail: info@cnac‐gp.fr Transport: Métro Hôtel de Ville or Rambuteau; RER Châtelet‐Les Halles. Opening hours: Wed‐Mon 1100‐2200 (until 2300 Thurs for some exhibits). Admission: &Euro;5.50; &Euro;10 (combined ticket with MNAM). Concessions available; free for visitors under 18 years old and for everyone on first Sun of month. Temporary exhibitions vary. |