Tuileries. English tours from the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. Free. Open daily Apr-May 7am-9pm; June-Aug 7am-11pm; Sept 7am-9pm; Oct-Mar 7:30am-7:30pm. English tours from the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel. Amusement park open July to mid-Aug.
ÉGLISE SAINT-EUSTACHE
2 rue du Jour
CHURCH
01 42 36 31 05 www.saint-eustache.org
There’s a reason why Richelieu, Molière, Louis XIV, and Mme. de Pompadour achieved greatness in their lives: they were all baptized and/or received communion in the truly awe-inspiring Église de St-Eustache. Construction of the Gothic structure began in 1532 and dragged on for over a century due to lack of funding. The situation was so dire that its head priest sent a letter to the Les Halles community (which was at that point almost entirely Catholic) soliciting money for the project. Construction was essentially completed in 1633, and the church opened in 1637. In 1754, the unfinished Gothic facade was demolished and replaced with the fantastic Romanesque one that stands here today; in this sense, the Church’s dysfunctional building process ended up working in its favor. The chapels contain paintings by Rubens as well as by the British artist Raymond Mason’s seemingly misplaced relief, “Departure of the Fruits and Vegetables from the Heart of Paris,” commemorating the closing of the market at Les Halles in February 1969. Today, St-Eustache stands up to almost any other church in terms of its physical beauty. Not to mention that it collects some serious points because it isn’t as heavily touristed as the Basilique Sacre-Coeur, or, obviously, Notre Dame.
Les Halles. Audio tours are available in English; the suggested donation is €3. A piece of identification is required to use one of the guides. Open M-F 9:30am-7pm, Sa 10am-7pm, Su 9am-7pm. Mass Sa 6pm; Su 9:30, 11am, 6pm
COMÉDIE FRANÇAISE, SALLE RICHELIEU
pl. Colette, southwest corner of Palais-Royal
THEATER
08 25 10 16 80 www.comedie-francaise.fr
In 1680 Louis XIV ordered that Paris’s two most prominent acting troupes, that of the Hôtel Guénégaud and that of the Hôtel de Bourgogne, merge into the Comédie Française. They were lodged originally at the former acting troupe’s original location. After the Revolution, in 1799, the government provided for the troupe to move into its legendary location in Palais-Royal’s Salle Richelieu. Molière, the company’s founder, collapsed on stage here while performing in “Le Malade Imaginaire,” and died several hours later. The chair onto which he collapsed is still on display, along with several busts of famous actors crafted by equally famous sculptors. Visconti’s Fontaine de Molière is only a few steps from where Molière died at no. 40. Today, the Comédie Française also has locations at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier and the Studio-Théâtre.
Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre. Visits not available; you have to get tickets to one of the shows to see the Salle Richelieu. Spectacles €6-47. Cheapest tickets are available minutes before the show, so try going on a weeknight. Spectacle start times vary.
The Marais
There’s more to see in the Marais than strutting fashionistas and strolling rabbis. A unique mix of historic and new, the area boasts an impressive list of quirky and worthwhile sights. The eastern section of the arrondissement harbors a labyrinth of old, quaint streets, a smattering churches, and some of Paris’s most beautiful hôtels particuliers, or mansions (particularly around the place des Vosges). The Centre Pompidou, the undisputed main attraction of the Marais, breaks up the beige monotony in the western part of the arrondissement. Though the Pompidou, quite like a spoiled child, tends to attract the most attention, there are a number of other museums that are less touristy and just as entertaining. The underrated Musée Carnavalet visually portrays the history of Paris, while the Musée de la Chasse tells the story of the animals that died here. Even if you aren’t the museum-going type, Vieille du Temple and rue des Rosiers are great streets to explore.
CENTRE POMPIDOU
pl. Georges-Pompidou, rue Beaubourg
MUSEUM
01 44 78 12 33 www.centrepompidou.fr
Erected in Beaubourg, a former slum quartier whose high rate of tuberculosis earned it classification as an îlot insalubre (unhealthy block) in the 1930s, the Pompidou was and still is considered alternately an architectural breakthrough and a montrosity. Pioneered in the ’70s by architects Richard Rogers, Gianfranco Franchini, and Renzo Piano at the commission of President Pompidou, the design features a network of yellow electrical tubes, green water pipes, and blue ventilation ducts along the exterior of the building. The range of functions that the Centre serves are as varied as its colors—a sort of cultural theme park of an ultra-modern exhibition, performance, and research space, it most famously hosts the Musée National d’Art Moderne. The Salle Garance houses an adventurous film series, and the Bibliothèque Publique d’Information (entrance on rue de Renard) is a free, non-circulating library with wireless, which is almost always packed with students. Located in a separate building is the Institut de la Recherche et de la Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM), an institute and laboratory for the development of new technologies. The spectacular view from the top of the escalators, which can be reached only by purchasing a museum ticket or by dining at the rooftop restaurant, Georges, is well worth the lengthy ascent. From there, look out across at the Parisian skyline and observe the cobblestone square out front, filled with artists, musicians, punks, and passersby.
The Musée National d’Art Moderne is the Centre Pompidou’s main attraction. While its collection spans the 20th century, the art from the last 50 years is particularly brilliant. It features everything from Philip Guston’s uncomfortably adorable hooded figures to Eva Hesse’s uncomfortably anthropomorphic sculptures. A large part of its contemporary display is now devoted to work by women artists in a much-needed exhbition called elles@centrepompidou. On the museum’s second level, early 20th-century heavyweights like Duchamp and Picasso hold court. Most of the works were contributed by the artists themselves or by their estates; Joan Miró and Wassily Kandinsky’s wife are among the museum’s founders.
Rambuteau or Hôtel de Ville. RER Châtelet-Les Halles. Library and Forum free. Permanent collection and exhibits €12, under 26 €9, under 18 and EU citizens under 25 free. First Su of month free for all visitors. Visitors’ guides available in bookshop. Centre open M 11am-10pm, W-Su 11am-10pm. Museum open M 11am-9pm, W 11am-9pm, Th 11am-11pm, F-Su 11am-9pm. Last ticket sales 1hr. before close. Library open M noon-10pm,W-F noon-10pm, Sa-Su 11am-10pm.
IGOR STRAVINSKY FOUNTAIN
pl. Igor Stravinsky
FOUNTAIN
This novel installation features irreverent and multichromatic mobile sculptures by Niki de St-Phalle and Jean Tinguely. The whimsical elephants, lips, mermaids, and bowler hats are inspired by Stravinsky’s works, and have been known to squirt water at unsuspecting bystanders. While the fountain’s colorful quirkiness is in keeping with the Centre Pompidou, it stands in contrast to the nearby historic rue Brisemiche and Église de St-Merri.
Hôtel de Ville. Adjacent to the Centre Pompidou on rue de Renard.
HÔTEL DE VILLE
Information office, 29 rue de Rivoli
GOVERNMENT BUILDING
01 42 76 43 43; 01 42 76 50 49
As the constant stream of tourists and their flashing cameras will attest, the Hôtel de Ville is the most extravagant and picture-worthy non-palace edifice in Paris. The present structure is the second incarnation of the original edifice, which was built in medieval times and, during the 14th-15th centuries, served as a meeting hall for merchants who controlled traffic on the Seine. In 1533, King François I appointed Domenica da Cortona, known as Boccador, to expand and renovate the structure into a city hall worthy of the metropolis; the result was an elaborate mansion built in the Renaissance style of the Loire Valley châteaux. On May 24, 1871, the Communards, per usual, doused the building with gasoline and set it on fire. The blaze lasted a full eight days and spared nothing but the building’s frame. Undaunted, t
he Third Republic built a virtually identical structure on the ruins, with a few significant changes. For one, the Republicans integrated statues of their own heroes into the facade: historian Jules Michelet graces the right side of the building, while author Eugène Sue surveys the rue de Rivoli. They also installed crystal chandeliers, gilded every interior surface, and created a Hall of Mirrors that rivals the original at Versailles. When Manet, Monet, Renoir, and Cézanne offered their services, they were all turned down in favor of the didactic artists whose work decorates the Salon des Lettres, the Salon des Arts, the Salon des Sciences, and the Salon Laurens. Originally called pl. de Grève, pl. Hôtel de Ville is additionally famous for its vital contribution to the French language. Poised on a marshy embankment (or grève) of the Seine, the medieval square served as a meeting ground for angry workers, giving France the useful and ever necessary phrase en grève (on strike). In 1610, Henri IV’s assassin was quartered alive here by four horses bolting in opposite directions.
Today, pl. de Hôtel de Ville almost never sleeps: strikers continue to gather here, and the square occasionally hosts concerts, special TV broadcasts, and light shows. Every major French sporting event—Rolland Garros, the Tour de France, and any game the Bleus ever play—is projected onto a jumbo screen in the place. The information office holds exhibits on Paris in the lobby off the rue de Lobau.
Hôtel de Ville. Special exhibit entry on rue de Lobau. Open M-Sa 9am-7pm when there is an exhibit, 9am-6pm otherwise. Group tours available with advance reservations; call for available dates.
Latin Quarter and St-Germain
Sights, sights, sights, and more sights. There’s more to see in the fifth and sixth than there is time to see it in. With that being said, there are a few things that you can’t miss. The Museums of the Middle Ages (Musée de Cluny) and the National Delacroix Museum are two of the finest selections in Paris. The Jardin de Luxembourg is magnificent, and, alongside the Tuileries, one of the finest chill spots Paris has to offer. If you’re the artsy type, you can’t miss the slew of galleries in the Odéon/Mabillon area.
PANTHÉON
pl. du Panthéon
HISTORICAL MONUMENT, CRYPT
01 44 32 18 04 pantheon.monuments-nationaux.fr
Among Paris’s most majestic and grandiose structures, the multi-faceted Panthéon is the former stomping ground and final resting place of many great Frenchmen and women of days past. In the 1760s, Louis XV recovered from a serious illness, and, having vowed to transform the basilica of Ste-Geneviève to something bigger if he survived, followed up on his promise. Though the building was originally designed to be the enlarged version of the Abbey of Ste-Geneviève, it was decided during the early stages of the French Revolution to use the massive structure as a secular mausoleum. Some of France’s greatest citizens are buried in the Panthéon’s crypt, including Marie and Pierre Curie, politician Jean Jaurès, Braille inventor Louis Braille, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Émile Zola, and Victor Hugo. Now that’s a list. There’s something here for everybody; if you ever took a high school French class, you’ll enjoy paying homage to Antoine de St-Exupéry, writer of “Le Petit Prince.” Alexandre Dumas became the crypt’s most recent addition, following his November 2002 interment. Compte de Mirabeau, a great Revolutionary orator, received the first nomination for a chunk of real estate at the Panthéon. Although interred there, the government expelled his ashes one year later when the public discovered his counter-revolutionary correspondence with Louis XVI. Beyond the “Ooh, look who’s buried here,” appeal of the crypt, the Panthéon’s other main attraction is a famous science experiment any respectable nerd will have heard of: Foucault’s Pendulum. The pendulum’s plane of oscillation stays fixed as the Earth rotates around it, confirming the Earth’s rotation. While you might be struck by the pendulum’s oscillation, don’t step in its path. The Earth’s not gonna stop for you.
Cardinal Lemoine. Dome visits Apr-Oct; available in English. €7.50, ages 18-25 €4.80, under 18 and 1st Su of every month free. Open daily Apr-Sept 10am-6:30pm; Oct-Mar 10am-6pm. Last entry 45min. before close.
LE JARDIN DU LUXEMBOURG
Main entrance on bld. St-Michel
GARDEN
“There is nothing more charming, which invites one more enticingly to idleness, reverie, and young love, than a soft spring morning or a beautiful summer dusk at the Jardin du Luxembourg,” wrote Léon Daudet in a fit of sentimentality in 1928. The gardens were once a residential area in Roman Paris, the site of a medieval monastery, and later the home of 17th-century French royalty, when Marie de Médici hired architect Jean-François-Thérèse for the task of landscaping the garden’s roughly 55 acres of prime Latin Quarter real estate in 1612. Revolutionaries liberated the gardens in the late 18th century and transformed them into a lush public park.
Today, Latin Quarter Parisians flock to Le Jardin de Luxembourg to sunbathe, stroll, flirt, drink, inhale cigarettes, and read by the rose gardens and central pool. The acres are patchworked by lawns of Wimbledon-esque precision, symmetrical pathways, and sculptures; taking in the garden can be a daunting task. Visitors saunter through the park’s sandy paths, passing sculptures of France’s queens, poets, and heroes. Nerds and chess phenoms challenge the local band of aged chessmasters to a game under shady chestnut trees. Undoubtedly the best, and most sought-after, spot in the garden is the Fontaine des Médicis, just east of the Palais, a vine-covered grotto complete with a murky fish pond and Baroque fountain sculptures. You might have to wait a few minutes, or hours, to get one of the coveted chairs bordering the Fontaine. The Palais du Luxembourg, located within the park and built in 1615 for Marie de Medicis, is now home to the French Senate and thus closed to the public. During WWII, the palace was used by the Nazis as headquarters for the Luftwaffe.
Odéon or RER: Luxembourg. Guided tours in French Apr-Oct 1st W of each month 9:30am. Tours start at pl. André Honorat, behind the observatory. Open daily.
MUSÉE NATIONAL DU MOYEN AGE
6 pl. Paul Painlevé
MUSEUM
01 53 73 78 00 www.musee-moyenage.fr
Located on a site originally occupied by first-to-third-century Gallo-Roman baths and the 15th-century Hotel of the Abbots of Cluny, the Musée National du Moyen Age sits on one of the few prime pieces of historical real estate in Paris. In 1843, the state converted the hôtel that stands here today into a medieval museum; post-WWII excavations unearthed the baths. The museum showcases an unusually wide variety of art in its collection and attracts lots of Italian and Japanese tourist groups. While the baths host some Medieval and Roman sculpture, the hôtel features a magnificent tapestry exhibit, an expansive ivory collection (the second biggest in Paris, next to the Louvre’s), and a number of examples of Gothic sculpture. Plenty of artwork is devoted to everyday life in medieval times.
The museum’s collection includes art from Paris’s most important medieval religious structures: Ste-Chapelle, Notre Dame, and St-Denis. Panels of brilliant stained glass from Ste-Chapelle are found on the ground floor. The Galerie des Rois contains sculptures from Notre Dame—including a series of marble heads of the kings of Judah, severed during the Revolution. The museum’s medieval jewelry collection carries daggers; it looks like jewelry has only acquired a recreational purpose in recent times. A series of allegorical tapestries, titled “La Dame à la Licorne” (The Lady at the Unicorn), are among the most remarkable and most famous pieces in the museum. Claiming a room all their own, the woven masterpieces depict the five senses. If they look familiar to you, it may because you’ve seen them before—they deck the halls of the Gryffindor common room in the Harry Potter films. The complete cycle comprises the centerpiece of the museum’s collection of 15th- and 16th-century Belgian weaving.
The grounds are divided into several sections, including the Forest of the Unicorn, which contains uncultivated wild plants, Le Jardin Céleste (The Heavenly Garden) dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Le Jardin d’Amour (The Garden of Love) which features plants used for
medicinal and aromatic purposes, and Le Tapis de Mille Fleurs (Carpet of a Thousand Flowers) inspired by the mille fleurs tapestries. The museum also sponsors chamber music concerts during the summer.
Cluny-La Sorbonne. Audio tour included. €8.50, ages 18-25 €6.50, 1st Su of the month free (audio tour €1). Open M 9:15am-5:45pm, and W-Su 9:15am-5:45pm. Last entry 30min before close.
MUSÉE DELACROIX
6 rue de Furstemberg
MUSEUM
01 44 41 86 50 www.musee-delacroix.fr
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