Tips 1 - 10 of 19 Paris Things to Do
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The first church that most people think of visiting is the Notre Dame but what they don't know is that there is a more beautiful church nearby, surrounded by the Palais of Justice on the Ile de la Citý.
IMHO, Saint Chapelle deserves more mention as it is the most beautiful church in Paris. Built by Louis IX in the 1240's to house relics from the Holy Land, this fragile monument has more stained glass than supporting beams put together.
This chapel has 2 tiers and in this picture, you're looking at the upper chapel with the radiant rose windows and delicate star-flecked ceiling.
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Phone: 01 53 73 78 50
Address: 4, Boulevard du Palais, 75001
Directions: Sainte-Chapelle is a few minutes walk from Notre Dame.
Metro : Citi, Staint-Michel, or Chatelet.
RER: Chatelet -Les-Halles, Saint-Michel
Website: http://www.pbase.com/francist/chap&page=all
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Try not to miss the lower chapel of Saint Chapelle as it is just as astounding . All you'll see are tiers and tiers of colourful arches, columns and stainglass depictions of saints and biblical stories.
In this picture, you see me standing in front of two black columns which were built to bear the weight of a heavy shrine located in the upper chapel. And if you look carefully at the colourful columns, you'll see golden fleur de lys on a blue background and golden castilian castles on a red background.They symbolize the builder, King Louis and his mother, Blanche de Castille.
Click here to see more pictures that I took in Saint Chapelle
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Phone: 01 53 73 78 50
Address: Boulevard du Palais
Directions: Sainte-Chapelle is inside the Palais of Justice on Ile de le Cité-- a few minute walk from Notre Dame. Métro : Cité, Staint-Michel, or Châtelet. RER: Chatelet -Les-Halles, Saint-Michel
Website: http://www.pbase.com/francist/chap&page=all
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At first your first glance, the soaring celings and halls of La Conciergerie looks pretty serene, right? But behind the facade lies an eerie history . During the French Revolution, more than 2, 700 people spent their last moments here after they were sentenced to death...
Among its more famous prisoners were the queen Marie Antoinette, Charlotte Corday ( an innocent looking chick with a killer instinct)Danton, and the poet Chenier. Marie Antoinette's cell is now a chapel , and it includes her crucifix, and two portraits of her from life.
Other than eerie past, there is not much else to see in this empty building unless you really dig architecture and history...
Architectural/Historical Tip: This fortress-like building on the Ile-de-la-Cité makes up much of the Palais de Justice complex. It was built by Philippe the Fair (1284-1314) and was once the residence of the King's steward, hence the name Conciergerie. Come to this place to oogle at the beautiful archiectural features, in particular the Salle des Gardes - the room of the guards with elegant vaulting - the colonnaded Salle des Gens d'Armes - 69m long and 27m wide now sometimes used for concerts - and the Cuisines with its four large fireplaces, each large enough to roast an entire ox.
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Address: 1, quai de l'Horloge , 75001 Paris
Directions: Metro: Cité RER:Saint Michel-Notre Dame, Châtelet-Les Halles Bus: 38
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After you've done your last bit of shopping and reached the end of the Champs Elysees, the grand l'Arc de Triomphe (The Arch of Triumph) will greet you in a truimphant glow of yellow light.The first sight of this giant monument will be startling. Understandably so , since it is the largest arch in the world, anyway!
Of course, don't be daft and try to brave the mad traffic surrounding the arch. If you need to know, it is surrounded by 12 great avenues converging in a star shape so that there'll be a crazy carousel of French driving there. Brave it and the next gate that you'll see is the one by St Peter's. Haha!
Tip: In my opinion, the Arc de Triomphe offers a fantastic perspective of Paris and the star shaped convergence of all the roads.
%On hindsight: This is probably just my opinion, but I noted that this giant thing boasts the victories of the little emperor ( Napoleon ) and apparently ignores his exile, imprisonment and early death..
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Address: Place Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile
Directions: Metro Line 1, 2, RER A : Charles-de-Gaulle Etoile
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This is the one museum that you must visit on a Monday where most museums are closed. Yup, the Musee Jacquemart-Andre, which was once the residence of a Parisian is open daily all year round! It is a wonderful little treasure trove as it houses a wonderful collection of fine art and objects and a delightful little place to have your afternoon tea.
Historically speaking, this handsome residence in Boulevard Haussmann was built in 1869 by a rich and popular chap named Edouard Andre, an officer in the Imperial Guards . They must have paid officers quite handsomely in those days as his paycheck allowed him to collect precious works of art and objects and marry a well-known Parisian painter named Nellie Jacquemart. After they got married, the couple sourced for even more fine tapestries, rugs, furniture, manuscripts, paintings and sculpture to fill the lovely house. Following the couple's death, the collection was bequeathed to the Institut de France with the proviso that this museum be created.
Well, thanks to their generousity, we can oogle at the fine works of art today. If you happen to be there, do look for the paintings by Boticelli, Rembrandt and the twisted marble staircase in the winter garden. The staircase is a spiral marvel made of heavy marble, wrought iron and elegant gilding. Definitely a must see, esp since it was built of out revenge by someone who lost out to Garnier in the bid to build the ostentatious opera.
Price of Ticket:
Full rate (including Audioguide): 8 euros
Concessions (students, unwaged, children 7-17): 6 euros
Family (2 adults & 2 childrens): 25 euros
Childrens (under 7, third child (any age)): free.
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Directions: Metro : line 9 Saint-Philippe-du-Roule
RER A : Charles-de-Gaulle.
Bus : 22, 43, 52, 28, 80, 84, 83, 93, 54.
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Thanks to the Andrew L. Webber's famous Musical, I've heard of a famous opera house in france that was built upon an enormous lake and haunted by an unhappy and ugly sod who loved stalking a singer called Christine. Well, this opera house was for real and it is as grand as described by Gaston Leroux (author of the Phantom) .
It's called Opera Garnier and was built in 1860. When I first saw it, my jaw dropped to the ground with a thud. The facade was majestic to say the least and richly ornamented with gold figures. But it wasn't the phantom that enticed me to enter the opera.
I wanted to see the painted frescos on the ceiling that was painted by the Russian painter, Marc Chagall in 1964. And who is Chagall? Well, he's the dude who did the romantic painting that was prized by Julia Roberts' character in Nottinghill. And I wasn't disappointed. The ceiling paintings were astounding and somehow, it went well with the pompous staircase, the grand chandeliers and facade of the grand interior.
On hindsight: Folks mentioned that this opera was an inspiration to the the opera built in Hanoi. But frankly, I don't see any semblance.
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Address: Place de l'Op?ra
Directions: How to get there Metro line 3,7 or 8 : Opera RER A : Auber
Website: http://www.opera-de-paris.fr/
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Hubby and I visited the Notre Dame in HoChiminh (Vietnam) earlier in the year and thought that it would have a faint resemblance to the original one in Paris.
Boy, were we wrong! The orginal is ten times bigger and the details of the exterior facade, the interior crypt and the rose glass windows just blew our minds away . Whatever it was, it was definitely a good inspiration for the small one in Vietnam.
Click to see the Notre Dame in Ho Chi Minh.
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Address: Place du parvis de Notre Dame , 75004 Paris
Directions: RER: Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint Michel-Notre Dame BUS: 21, 24, 27, 38, 47, 85, 96
Website: http://www.cathedraledeparis.com/
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The next time you're in the cavenous sanctuary of Notre Dame, look carefully at her side walls. If you're observant enough, you'll notice brown stains at about the knee level.
Well, just in case you lick your fingers after touching those stains, I'll like to tell you a little story. Right at the end of the 18th century, during the Revolution, it was vogue to hate the cathedral. Many of the treasures of the grand dame were either destroyed or plundered and the church grounds were used for events other than worship. At first, it was given to a couple of Cults but eventually, it was used as a warehouse for livestock. Does that ring a bell now?
Yes, the brown stains you're looking at are 18th century poo stains! The muck got so thick and plentiful at one point in time, it went up to the knee level. Fortunately, all the goo was cleaned up after a certain emperor wanted to crown himself there...
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Address: Place du parvis de Notre Dame , 75004 Paris
Directions: Metro: Cité RER:Châtelet-Les Halles, Saint Michel-Notre Dame Bus: 21, 24, 27, 38, 47, 85, 96
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The giant bell at the Notre Dames rings six times on Sunday and four times on weekdays and once on Saturday.
Why? Well, morning prayers are held on Saturdays at 9:30 a.m, afternoon prayers between 5:45 - 6:10 p.m. on every weekday and various times on Sunday.
I caught the Sunday afternoon mass just as it was starting at 5.30pm and it turned out to be a surreal affair complete with wispy smoke from incense, beautiful music from the blue-coated choir members and coloured lights falling from the rose windows. In case you're wondering, the bell is rung electronically and not by a sod with a hunchback...
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Address: 6, place du Parvis Notre Dame, Ile de la Cité
Directions: Métro: Cité or St-Michel
RER: Châtelet-Les-Halles or St-Michel. Buses: 21, 24, 27, 38, 47, 85, 96
Website: http://www.cathedraledeparis.com/
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"Each face, each stone of this venerable monument is not only a page of
the history of the country, but also of the history of knowledge and art....
Time is the architect, the people are the builder."
— Victor Hugo, Notre-Dame de Paris
Even if you do not know who the hell Victor Hugo is, you would have heard the tale about the Hunchback in Notre Dame? Well, that tale is not just fluff written by Disney, it was a well-intentioned yarn written by Hugo during the 19th century to raise awareness and romanticise about the Cathedral which had fallen into a state of disrepair. At this time, many of the cathedral's treasures had been pillaged, her beautiful stained glass broken and her walls still covered with poo stains..
Well, Hugo's tale worked and repairs started. Of course, up till this day, there are poor sods who believe that the electronic bells are rung by a weight-challenged hunchback..
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Address: 6, place du Parvis Notre Dame, Ile de la Cité
Directions: Métro: Cité or St-Michel. RER: Châtelet-Les-Halles or St-Michel. Buses: 21, 24, 27, 38, 47, 85, 96
Website: http://www.cathedraledeparis.com/
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 Comments for bpacker about Paris | | | | |
bpacker Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:22 UTC
Still supporting Lance;p He's now into marathons just as I am! | Scotty1023 Sun Aug 17, 2008 22:28 UTC
Absolutely wonderful tip!!! This is the kind of experience that new travelers need. Thank you so much for the tip. Well written and very clear. THANKS! | vinc_bilb Mon Feb 18, 2008 08:31 UTC
Hi Glen, Interesting to feel how my country is perceived by foreign tourists. Thanks for your page, full of sensitivity and humor. I hope hubby's knee is now OK :) PS: Sorry, but Lance Armstrong is no more so popular, based on doping high suspicion. | parismumsie Sun Jan 20, 2008 02:46 UTC
What a beautiful photograph from La Tour at night! |
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