Cheap Flights » France

Paris – Musée D’Orsay

Traveller — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:14:18 +0000

Paris : No visit to Paris is complete without a trip to the Musée d’Orsay. It is a well-known museum with a wonderful collection of outstanding paintings, art works and sculptures. In

Paris, it is considered as one of the most important museums in the city.

Musée d’Orsay was in fact a railway station converted to a museum. The architect, Victor Laloux, designed the building for the railway station and it was completed in 1900 to coincide with the Exposition Universelle 1900. During its opening, painter Edouard Détaille commented that the station would make a better museum. Around 1950, the building was stopped being used as a railway station because its platforms were found too short for modern trains. It was supposed to be lined for demolition to make way for some other development to take place. However, President Giscard d’Estaing had it turned into a museum. The building was redesigned by Italian architect Gae Aulenti, who retained much of the original architecture, and the museum was opened in 1986.

At the upper level of Musée d’Orsay, you can still get a feel of the original railway station floor layout. The current central sculpture aisle is where the previous train platforms were located. At the ceiling, the huge curved roof, which is made of glass and iron, looked incredibly impressive. The museum features painting, sculpture and decorative works between the period, 1848 and 1914. The galleries are full of paintings by Monet, Manet, Renoir, Pissarro, Degas, Cézanne and Van Gogh. Sculpture works on display include those created by Rudé, Cavalier and Guilaume. There is also a fine collection of Art Nouveau decorative arts, including furniture by Guimard and Van der Velde. A wood-panelled salon by Alexandre Charpentier is also featured. The museum is particularly well-known for its fine collection of French impressionist paintings.

At Musée d’Orsay, the exhibits are displayed at three levels. On the ground floor, there are works from the mid to late 19^th century. The middle level displays Art Nouveau decorative art as well as paintings and sculptures from the second half of the 19^th century to the early 20^th century. The collection of Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist art is being displayed at the upper level. The museum has a large and beautiful restaurant which serves superb brasserie food. At the top floor, there is a small café where visitors can have their food and enjoy good views of Paris.

Musée d’Orsay is indeed a great museum to visit. If you are keen to see wonderful works by great artists and sculptors, you should visit this museum. It offers you great insights into the world of art.

Versailles Travel

Traveller — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:17:01 +0000

Versailles in Paris is one of the most popular attractions in France. It is a beautiful place with remarkable architecture, beautiful interiors and stunning landscaped gardens. Not surprising, many tourists around the world want to embark on a Versailles tour to see for themselves the beauty and grandeur of the famous

Versailles palace.

The château de Versailles symbolised the great power of the French monarchy. It was built in 1624 as a hunting lodge for Louis XIII. Later, it was developed by Louis XIV and became the largest palace in

Europe. For the development of this project, Louis XIV had engaged architects Louis Le Vau and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, painter Charles Le Brun and landscaper André Le Nôtre. By 1774, after alterations by Louis XV and XVI, it became a grand and huge place, housing more than 10,000 courtiers and servants.

The Versailles palace possesses a stunning combination of wonderful paintings, special mirrors, exclusive fabrics and fantastic interiors. The main highlights of the château are the King’s State Bedroom, Queen’s Bedroom, Hall of Mirrors and Chapelle Royale. The main apartments are located on the first floor of the château. The first floor of the Chapelle Royale was reserved for use by the royal family whilst the ground floor by the court. The interior of the Chapelle Royalle are beautifully decorated. Great state occasions used to be held in the Hall of Mirrors, which is a magnificent multi-mirrored room, with a length of about 73m.

Apart from the château, there are the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, Hameau de la Reine (Queen’s Hamlet) and the vast gardens. The Grand Trianon at Versailles was built by Louis XIV in 1687. It is a small place for him to escape from the formal duties of the château and enjoy the company of his mistress, Madame de Maintenon. This building is made of stone and pink marble. The Petit Trianon, another building, was built in 1762 as a retreat for Louis XV. The Hameau de la Reine (Queen’s Hamlet) was built at the request of Queen Marie-Antoinette, who wanted a refuge from the daily tasks of the chateau. It was a farm with orchards and fields which used to produce food for the royal table.

The vast gardens in Versailles span an area of approximately 8 sq km. The gardens are formed by structured patterns and consist of pathways, shrubberies, flowerbeds, pools and fountains. Furthermore, there are many beautiful statues which form part of the attractions of the gardens. These sculptures are being covered up during the winter months.

If you wish to explore thoroughly the historical and architectural heritage of the Versailles palace, you will need to spend more than a day in Versailles. On Saturdays and Sundays, during the period from April to September, you will be able to see the fountains dance according to music. An extra is fee charged to enter the gardens during this period. The

Versailles palace is usually very crowded on Sundays.

Versailles is indeed a remarkable place with grand interiors, beautiful paintings and lovely gardens. You can find many fascinating highlights here. A

Versailles tour is necessary to fully appreciate its beauty and grandeur. Without doubt, you will enjoy the wonderful insights this place offers. A
Versailles travel destination will certainly give you a wonderful holiday trip!

Rose Mary

Paris The Eiffel Tower

Traveller — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:30:48 +0000

The Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) is the top attraction of Paris in France. More than 6 million people visit this famous attraction every year. It has become a symbol of Paris. Eiffel Tower pictures are found in postcards, travel guides, travel brochures, etc of Paris. Its popularity can be compared to renowned icons such as the Pyramids and the Statue of Liberty.

Here is some information about the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel). It was built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a World’s Fair marking the centennial celebration of the French Revolution. This striking structure was designed by engineer Gustave Eiffel and named after him. The total height of the tower is about 321 metres. It took two years to build and was the world’s tallest building until 1930, when the Chrysler Building in New York was constructed. This tall structure is held together with 2.5 million rivets and the estimated total weight of the structure is about 10,100 tonnes. The strong tower has not swayed more than 7.5 cm even in conditions of very strong winds. During hot days, the iron structure can expand to as much as 15cm. The tower is painted every seven years and approximately 40 tonnes of paint is used each time.

At the top of the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel), there is a weather station and navigation point, as well as an observation platform. The space at the platform can accommodate about 800 people at a time. The first and second levels are accessible by stairways and lifts, while the third level summit is only accessible by lift. The first level is 57m high and there is a small museum, Cineiffel, which shows an audio-presentation of the tower’s history. The second level is 115m high and can be reached by walking up the stairs from the first level. The total number of steps to walk from the ground level to the observation platform at the top is 710 steps. There are three large lifts that operate between the ground and second level and four small lifts between the second and top level. An Eiffel Bust, created by Antoine Bourdelle, is placed beneath the tower.

Two Eiffel Tower restaurants are located here. They are the Altitude 95 on the first level and Jules Verne on the second level. Jules Verne Restaurant serves superb food and is considered as one of the best restaurants of Paris. Visitors have the privilege of enjoying spectacular views while taking their meals. You can choose to have your meal in an Eiffel Tower restaurant before proceeding to the top. At the top of the tower, the panoramic views are really stunning. During clear days, visitors can see the distant sights as far as 72 km!

At night, the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) is lighted up by thousands of flashbulbs, making the monument dazzling with lights and shining like diamond-studded jewellery. The flashbulbs start firing every hour, each time for about five minutes. It will be wonderful to take striking Eiffel Tower pictures while it is lighted up.

The Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) is truly a great masterpiece of engineering. Many tourists are fascinated by this wonderful creation. It is indeed worth visiting it and discover for yourself the wonder of this global icon.

Things to Do in Paris…Have A Paris Vacation!

Traveller — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 03:25:24 +0000

It’s Summer, and I am looking for a new place to travel. After much thinking, how about taking a Paris trip cam to my mind. As I pondered over it, Eiffel tower, Arc de Triomphe, Mona Lisa etc… started to flood in my mind. Why not, “I said, since I have heard a lot abut this wonderful place, might as well make a trip there to experience first hand what Paris is like”. Okay, finally, I made up my mind to have a Paris vacation. Off I went…..Wait a minute, do you know what is Paris located anyway? To appreciate where Paris is located on earth, please visit the Map of Paris and get yourself oriented.Since it is Summer, how is the weather in Paris like?

So what do you think about the weather in Paris? Even in Summer, you don’t get very high temperature. I was able to walk comfortably with light clothing.

As you might have noticed, the average temperature does no go to sub-zero degrees and this is what I like the best of all. I suppose you could take the above information as reference to help you to decide when is the best time to take a Paris trip or Paris tour.

Where is the Eiffel Tower? Come on this, is why I am here! Tell me more about the Eiffel tower. Notably, the Eiffel Tower is one of the world’s most famous and recognizable monuments. The Eiffel Tower stood on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River. How tall is the Eiffel tower? The height of Eiffel tower is 325 m (1,063 ft – including the 24m (79ft) antenna). You can also take a Eiffel Tower tour for a better understanding of this remarkable monument. The Eiffel Tower alone attracted 6.7 million visitors in 2006, according to Wikipedia. Finally, I saw this 10,000 tonnes structure before my own eye. Amazing, what an engineering effort. However, I did not have a change to go up and enjoy a breathtaking view of the city. I took a few pictures of the Eiffel Tower and I am done with it…..

Where is Mona Lisa? I know where, it is located at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Apart from this fascinating painting by Leonardo da Vinci, the Louvre Museum in Paris is the world’s most famous art museum and is one of the oldest museums in Europe. Since my main aim is to appreciate this master piece, I headed straight to where it is hung. Yes, finally, right in front of my eyes is the most take about master piece. Indeed, it is a awesome piece with the fine colors and details of the drawings. As usually, I took a few shot for remembrance. With my limited knowledge of arts, I started to explore the Louvre Museum and slowly enjoy the rest of the great master piece. It is rather educational, inspiring and totally enchanted by all the great works. So, do take your time and enjoy while you are at the Louvre Museum.

So is the architecture spectacular in Paris? You bet it! Visit the Notre Dame Cathedral and it will answer your question. The Notre Dame Cathedral, with its gothic architecture is one of the most singular and beautiful cathedrals of Europe. Believe it or not, its spectacular towers, spire, stained glass and statuary are sure to take your breath away.

Another not to be missed spectacular architecture is the Palais Garnier, or commonly as the Paris Opera. This is another grand landmark of Paris and is regarded as one of the architectural masterpieces of its time. Can I miss a masterpiece? No way, since I am already there.

Another monument not to be missed is the Arc de Triomphe. This is also another Paris’ most visited attractions. You can climb up to the top of the arc and get the best views of Paris.

Do not limit yourself to the above attractions only, please also visit, Sacre-Coeur, Arc du Carrousel, Arenes de Lutece, Bibliotheque Nationale de France, Centre Pompidou, Champs-Elysees, La Defense, fontaine des Innocents, Forum des Halles, Grand Palais, Hotel de Ville, Les Invalides, Jardin des Plantes, Jardin des Tuileries, Jardin du Luxembourg, Medeleine, Moulin Rouge, Musee d’Orsay. Palais Bourbon, Palais Royal, Pantheon, Parc Andre Citroen, Parc des Buttes Chaumont, Parc Monceau, Petit Palais, Place de la Bastille, Place de la Concorde, Place des Vosges, Place du Chatelet, Place Vendome, Pont Alexandre III, Pont Neuf, Rodin Museum, Sainte-Chapelle, Tour Maine Montparnasse.

Just imagine, with so many museums and monuments in Paris to visit, getting the Paris Pass, which includes entry to many of these attractions is a good choice Click on the banners below now and see what the Paris Pass can offer you for your Paris city sightseeing! Remember to come back here after find out about the Paris Pass.

OK, you are back. Click on the video and find out more information about Paris. Please remember to come back to this website after seeing the video.

What is the time in Paris Now!

Paris

Needless to say, it is best to book your hotel in Paris well in advance especially if you plan to visit the City of Paris in Summer (July & August) to avoid disappointment. More importantly, booking early will also ensure that you get your desire hotel and hopefully, at a cheaper rate. As you probably know, hotels rates vary with seasons, the bottom line is, to check the rates based on your actual staying dates. Furthermore, you can do it easily and conveniently by searching in the Internet or come back to this website for more details. Click on the Banner and check out for more hotels in Paris.

Paris City, one of the world’s most sophisticated & romantic cities. Can you afford to miss it!

Reference:
Video is taken from YouTube
The maps and satellite pictures are taken from Google Maps.

http://maps.google.com/