Have an unforgettable trip
Have an unforgettable trip
Most people did see the terrible fire that raged here on April 15, 2019. Fortunately, the 850-year-old cathedral – the foundation stone was laid in 1163 – was largely spared and only the roof and the spire went up in flames. Napoleon was crowned emperor here, Quasimodo rang the bells. For the time being, the interior is unfortunately inaccessible, but a visit to the outside remains worthwhile thanks to the proliferation of statues of angels, saints and monsters …
Biking in Paris dangerous ? Not at all! With its 12000 “vélibs” and over 600 miles – and counting – of bike lanes, Paris is quickly becoming the perfect biking city. Instead of traveling from monument to monument through dark metro tunnels, you can visit cosy and village like neighbourhoods like Saint-Germain-des-Près and the Marais, or the trendy “East” around the Canal Saint-Martin. In fact there are plenty of quiet streets everywhere! Biking might well be the best way to discover the city.
At first Napoleon wanted a gigantic stone elephant on this spot but he finally opted for a triumphal arch in Roman style. Unfortunately he never saw the result, he died fifteen years before it was completed in 1836. Majestically situated at the end of the Champs-Elysees, on a rather chaotic roundabout, it’s one of the finest monuments – including the Unknown Soldier’s Tomb and the view of the city while standing on top of the Arch.
A traduire en Anglais : Hier vind je misschien wel de mooiste glas-in-loodramen ter wereld. Gebouwd in recordtempo (tussen 1242 en 1248) door de Heilige Koning Lodewijk IX, deed het tegelijkertijd dienst als reliekkast voor de doornenkroon van Christus – overgekocht van de Byzantijnse keizer – en privékapel voor de koning zelf, rechtstreeks verbonden met zijn paleis via een gang. Tijdgenoten hadden het gevoel het Hemelse Jeruzalem binnen te stappen en het is nog altijd een overdonderende ervaring…
Your train station is built like a museum, ”wrote one critic in 1900, hitting the nail on the head. But if you go up the escalators noawadays and look out over the gigantic space from the platform, you can almost see the steam clouds from the trains winding up… The art collected here is breathtaking. This museum has not only the largest collection of Impressionist paintings in the world, but so much more. Such as works by Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, sculptures by Rodin, furniture, photos …
When it was built in 1889 by the engineer Gustave Eiffel as the tallest tower in the world, local residents feared it would fall … Many architects and artists thought it was so ugly that they signed a petition calling for it to be demolished. Fortunately, they did not get their way, because the iron tower became one of the most famous monuments ever and the symbol of the city of Paris. The view is spectacular.
Paris was the capital of the world in the 19th century and the Opera the place to be seen. This marvellous building, covered with marble and gold, was built by the young, unknown architect Charles Garnier, commissioned by Napoleon III, and still serves as an Opera and Ballet today. Admire the monumental staircase, climbed by ladies in their fanciest gowns and jewels, the gigantic foyer and the fairy-tale like stage with the ceiling painting by Chagall…
The museum of all superlatives … Imagine fifteen kilometers of rooms and corridors, 300,000 works of art (including some of the most famous paintings and sculptures in the world), 10,000 years of art history … The building itself is worth a visit, with its old castle walls, gilded royal galleries, lavish 19th century reception areas and – of course – the glass pyramid. This museum is one of a kind, not to be missed