Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a 19th century iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris that has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The Eiffel Tower, which is the tallest building in Paris, is the single most visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. Named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel, the tower was built as the entrance arch for the 1889 World's Fair. The tower is massive; it stands 324 m (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-story building. It was the tallest structure in the world from its completion until 1930, when it was eclipsed by the Chrysler Building in New York City. Not including broadcast antennas, it is the second-tallest structure in France, behind the Millau Viaduct, just completed in 2004. And while the Eiffel Tower is a steel structure, and weighs approximately 10,000 tonnes, it actually has a relatively low density, weighing less than would a cylinder of air occupying the same dimensions as the tower. The tower has three levels for visitors. Tickets can be purchased to ascend either on stairs or lifts to the first and second levels. The walk to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. The third and highest level is only accessible by lift. Both the first and second levels feature restaurants. The tower has become the most prominent symbol of both Paris and France. The tower is a featured part of the backdrop in literally scores of movies that take place in Paris. Its iconic status is so established that it even serves as a symbol for the entire nation of France, such as when it was used as the logo for the French bid to host the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Address: Champ de Mars 7; Telephone: (01) 4411 2323 (recorded information); Website: www.tour-eiffel.fr; Transport: RER Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel station; Métro Bir-Hakeim, Trocadéro, Ecole Militaire; bus 42, 69, 72, 82, 87; Opening time: Daily 9.30am to midnight (16 June to 2 September); closing at 11pm (1 January to 15 June and 3 September to 31 December); Admission: By elevator – 1st floor €4.20; 2nd floor €7.70; 3rd floor €11 (adults). By stairs - €3.80 (only up to 2nd floor). Concessions available
Notre-Dame
Notre Dame de Paris is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the "cathedra", or official chair, of the Archbishop of Paris, André Cardinal Vingt-Trois. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in the world. It was restored and saved from destruction by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. The name Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French, and is frequently used in the names of Catholic church buildings in Francophone countries.
Address: 6 Place du Parvis de Notre-Dame; Telephone: (01) 4234 5610; E-mail: info@cathedraleDeParis.com; Website: www.cathedraledeparis.com; Transport: Cité métro; RER Châtelet-Les Halles or Saint-Mic stations; or bus 21, 24, 27, 38, 47, 85 or 96; Opening time: Daily between 7.45am and 6.45pm, except during Sunday services which commence at 8.30am, 10am, 11.30am, 12.45pm and 6.30pm. The towers open daily 10am to 6pm, except on Mondays. The Crypt opens between 10am and 6pm (closed on Mondays). The museum is open on Wednesday and weekends 2.30pm to 6pm; Admission: Admission to the cathedral is free. Towers €5.40, crypt €3.40, museum €2.30
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre or officially the Grand Louvre is the largest national museum of France, the most visited museum in the world, and a historic monument. It is a central landmark of Paris, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement. Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres
The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are still visible. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1672, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of antique sculpture.[3] In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years.[4] During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum, to display the nation's masterpieces.
Address: Cour Napoléon, 1. Reception area is under the giant glass pyramid; Telephone: (01) 4020 5317 (information desk); 4020 5151 (recorded information); 4020 5050 (ticket sales); E-mail: info@louvre.fr; Website: www.louvre.fr; Transport: Métro Palais Royal or Musée du Louvre; bus 21, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81 or 95; Opening time: 9am to 6pm (until 9.45pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, except on public holidays); closed Tuesdays. Opening hours for temporary exhibitions vary; Admission: Permanent exhibitions €8.50 (until 6pm); €6 (after 6pm); free for under 18s and on first Sunday of every month. Temporary exhibitions €8.50. Admission package €13 (before 6pm); €11 (after 6pm). Tickets allow same-day re-admission
Pompidou Centre
Centre Georges Pompidou is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles, rue Montorgueil and the Marais. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture. It houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information, a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne, and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. Because of its location, the Centre is known locally as Beaubourg. It is named after Georges Pompidou, who was President of France from 1969 to 1974, and was officially opened on 31 January 1977 by the then-French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. The Centre Pompidou has had over 150 million visitors since 1977.
Address: Place Georges Pompidou, entrance by the plaza in Rue Saint-Martin; Telephone: (01) 4478 1233; E-mail: info@cnac-gp.fr; Website: www.centrepompidou.fr; Transport: Métro Rambuteau, Châtelet, Hôtel de Ville; RER (train) Châtelet or Les Halles; bus 21, 29, 38, 47, 58, 69, 70, 72, 74, 75, 76, 81, 85, 96; Opening time: The centre is open daily except Tuesdays from 11am to 10pm. MNAM: Wednesday to Monday 11am to 9pm; Admission: One-day Centre pass: €10. Exhibitions: €9. MNAM: €7, free for those under 18 and for all on the first Sunday of the month. Temporary exhibitions vary
Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine, housed in the former railway station, the Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts edifice built between 1898 and 1900. It holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography, and is probably best known for its extensive collection of impressionist masterpieces by such painters such as Monet, Degas, Renoir, and Cezanne. Many of these works were held at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume prior to the museum's opening in 1986.
Address: Entrances on Rue de la Légion d'Honneur and Rue de Bellechasse; Telephone: (01) 4049 4814, or 4549 1111 (recorded information); Website:
www.musee-orsay.fr; Transport: RER Musée d'Orsay; Métro Solférino; bus 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84 or 94; Opening time: Tuesday to Sunday 9.30am to 6pm, with late closing on Thursdays at 9.45pm; closed Mondays; Admission: €7.50; Sundays and from 6.15pm (8pm on Thursdays) €5.50; under 18s are free. Free on first Sunday of each month.
Musée Rodin
The Musée Rodin in Paris, France, is a museum that was opened in 1919 in the Hôtel Biron and surrounding grounds. It displays works by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Rodin used the Hôtel Biron as his residence from 1908, and subsequently donated his entire collection of sculptures (along with paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Pierre-Auguste Renoir that he had acquired) to the French State on the condition that they turn the building into a museum dedicated to his works.
Address: 77 Rue de Varenne; Telephone: (01) 4418 6110; E-mail: penseur@musee-rodin.fr; Website: www.musee-rodin.fr; Transport: Métro Varenne, Invalides or Saint-François-Xavier; RER to Invalides station; bus 69, 82, 87 or 92; Opening time: 9.30am to 5.45pm (garden till 6.45pm) from April to September; 9.30am to 4.45pm (garden till 5pm) from October to May. Closed Mondays; Admission: €6; €4 for 18 to 25s; Garden only is €1. There is no charge on the first Sunday of every month. Prices increase by €1 during the main exhibition
Musée National Picasso
The Musée Picasso is an art gallery located in the Hôtel Salé in rue de Thorigny, in the Marais district of Paris. The hôtel particulier that houses the collection was built between 1656 and 1659 for Pierre Aubert, seigneur de Fontenay, a tax farmer who became rich collecting the gabelle or salt tax (the name of the building means "salted"). The architect was Jean Boullier from Bourges, also known as Boullier de Bourges; sculpture was carried out by the brothers Gaspard and Balthazard Marsy and by Martin Desjardins.[1] It is considered to be one of the finest historic houses in the Marais. The mansion has changed hands several times through both sales and inheritances. The occupants have included the Embassy of the Republic of Venice (1671), then François de Neufville, duc de Villeroi; it was expropriated by the State during the Revolution; in 1815 it became a school, in which Balzac studied; it also housed the municipal Ecole des Métiers d'Art. It was acquired by the City of Paris in 1964, and was granted historical monument status in 1968. The mansion was restored by Bernard Vitry and Bernard Fonquernie of the Monuments Historiques between 1974-1980.
Address: Hôtel Salé, 5 Rue de Thorigny; Telephone: (01) 4271 2521; Transport: Métro Chemin Vert, St-Paul or Saint-Sébastien Froissart; bus 29, 96, 69, 75; Opening time: 9.30am to 6pm (April to September); 9.30am to 5.30pm (October to March). Closed Tuesdays; Admission: €6.50; €4.50 for 18 to 25s; free for under 18s