Visiting Paris France

There's lots to see in Paris. We first visited in 1996 and have been back a few times. I've posted some pictures and information of some of the popular sites. Click on the places listed for more information and photos.

Arc de Triomphe

Eiffel Tower

Fontaine de Mers

Le Louvre

Notre Dame Cathedral

Obelisk from Luxor Egypt

Palace of Versailles  (actually in Versailles, not far from Paris)

Pont des Arts (Bridge famous for its "love locks")

Roman Paris (Arena, Baths, and artifacts)

Sacré-Couer Basilica/ Montmartre

Seine River  - worth a cruise

Seine River Paris France

If you have time, I recommend a cruise along the Seine River in Paris, France. Several companies offer short river boat tours. There's also riverboat shuttle service with stops near famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower.


More views of La Seine.

Images by Geoffrey W. Sutton at suttong.com

The Seine is a major river in France, stretching approximately 777 kilometers (483 miles) from its source near Dijon to its mouth at the English Channel between Le Havre and Honfleur. It flows through several important cities, including Paris, Troyes, and Rouen.

 

The Seine is renowned for its picturesque views, especially as it winds through Paris, where it is crossed by 37 bridges, including the famous Pont Alexandre III and Pont Neuf. The river is navigable by ocean-going vessels up to Rouen and is a popular route for sightseeing tours in Paris.

Related Posts

Visiting Paris France

Eiffel Tower

Pont des Art, Paris

Notre Dame, Paris

Roman Architecture in Paris

An outdoor arena offers evidence of Roman France, or Gaul as it used to be known. The Roman City was called Lutetia. The old main Roman road is not Rue Saint-Jacques.



There's no charge to walk about this area preserved in a residential neighborhood. A little imagination reminds us of times when people watched others engage in deadly combat. Now it's a play area and worth a quick look (Arènes de Lutèce ). It was rediscovered in 1860 by Victor Hugo.








In addition, there's a crypt by Notre Dame, which contains a view of Roman Baths and artifacts. This find is fairly recent (1960s) and was opened in 1980. And it dates to some 2,000 years ago.
















To find the crypt, go to the front of Notre Dame de Paris cathedral. Here's a link to the website http://www.crypte.paris.fr/en/crypt.

Note: As of early 2020, the crypt is closed to the public because of the cathedral fire. I did not see an indication of when it would re-open.

Palace of Versailles France

Gardens at Versailles, March 2012

The palace is open everyday except Mondays at 9:00 am. See the website for details. A free mobile app is available.

The palace is located at Place d'armes, 78000 Versailles France.

There is an entrance fee for adults. See the website for details.

Everyone wants a photo of the Hall of Mirrors.

It's hard to capture the opulence, but here are a few examples of the art inside. By the way, the place is huge so if you want to see a lot, you may need more than a day.

The closest train station is Versailles Château Rive Gauche. The website says it's a 10 minute walk between the palace and the station. Other stations are less than a 20 minute walk.

A view of the gardens from our first visit in October 1996.

Le Louvre Paris France

Le Louvre is a must see museum in Paris. The grand palace, which houses the museum, dates from the 1100s. The palace was the royal residence until 1870. Inside are vast collections of works from ancient civilizations as well as art from the Middle Ages until 1848. See the website for much more detail: louvre.fr

There are special exhibitions and events, which are on the website. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays as of the date of this post. It is open other days at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 6 or 9:45 p.m. on other days.

There is an entrance fee. Details can be found at the website. It is one of the places included in the Paris Pass.

It is located at 75058 Paris. The close metro is Palais-Royal Musee du Louvre lines 1 and 7

The nearby Tuileries Gardens are open at 7 or 7:30 a.m. depending on the time of year.

Of course, no visit is complete without seeing the Mona Lisa, which can be hard to see when busy.












And there's so much more to see-- a few examples of pictures.















I didn't see enough- I hope to return.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica Paris France

Sacre Couer Paris/ G Sutton 2012

Sacré-Cœur (Sacred heart of Jesus) is a Basilica on Montmartre (Mount of Martyrs) in Paris, France. The hill was an ancient place of worship for Druids and then for the Romans and their gods. Christians also built religious places on this hill.

The current church was built in the 1800s. The official website describes the style as Romano-Byzantine.

In addition to visiting the basilica, the mount offers a variety of eateries, interesting shops along the nearby streets, and great views of the city.

My photos were taken 9 March 2012.

Paris from Montmartre/2012/ G Sutton

Paris view from Montmartre/ 2012/ G Sutton

Fontaine des Mers Place de la Concorde Paris France

Fontaine des Mers/Paris/ G sutton 2012

There are two fountains beside the Luxor Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde, Paris, France. The fountains were completed in 1840 when Louis-Philippe was king.

Obelisk from Luxor in Paris France

Obelisk/ Paris/ G Sutton 2012

The Obelisk is an Ancient Egyptian obelisk taken from the Luxor Temple and currently located at the Place de la Concorde, Paris, France.

Notes

It stands 75 feet high and is made of yellow granite.
 The hieroglyphs say good things about Ramses II
 It is more than 3,000 years old.
 There is another one like it still at the Luxor Temple in Egypt.
 It was placed at its current location 25 October 1836.
 Muhammad Ali Pasha, Ruler of Ottoman Egypt exchanged it for a French clock.
 The fountains on the side date from the time the obelisk was placed on the pedestal.

Arc de Triomphe Paris France

Arc de Triomphe 1996

Arc de Triomphe 2012

The Arc de Triomphe was opened by King Louis-Philippe in 1836. Jean-Francois Chalgrin, inspired by Rome's Arch of Titus, was the architect behind this 50 m high (45 m long, 22 m wide) structure.

The Arc de Triomphe is located at Place Charles-de-Gaulle and close to subway lines 1,2 and 6. It is open most days at 10:00 a.m.. Closing times vary by season.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées  is a wide avenue running between the Place de la Concorde and the Place Charles d Gaulle.

See the website:  There's also an app, but I have not used it.

Eiffel Tower Paris France

The lines were long and only one elevator was operating the evening we visited the Eiffel Tower so we decided to climb the steps. The view is magnificent. It's well worth the visit to this iconic structure.

Inside the Eiffel Tower

The tower is made of wrought-iron and located at Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole, in Paris. It is named for the engineer, Gustave Eiffel.

Brief facts:
   984 feet high and 1,063 feet to the tip.
   It was built in 1889 for the 100th year anniversary celebration of the French Revolution
   It took 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days to build it.
   The website claims it is the most visited monument in the world.
   About 7 million visitors come every year.

Tower website https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/the-monument

You can learn more and book tickets at the website.

Also, see the Tour Eiffel on Facebook

Obligatory photos





French name: la tour eiffel

Church of Saint-Pierre Caen Normandy France

The Church of Saint-Pierre is a Catholic church on the Place Saint-Pierre in the center of Caen in Normandy, which is in northern France.

The church was founded in the 900s. The current church was built between the 1200s to the 1500s.


Google map reference https://goo.gl/maps/fMNzWexZzh33Zi5s5


Recently, the church was open at 8 a.m. weekdays.

Check the website for more information: https://sites.google.com/site/saintpierrecaen/home

Utah Beach Normandy France

American troops landed on Utah Beach 6 June 1944 (D-Day and H-Hour, 06:30). The American contribution to the liberation of France is recognized in monuments at this site.

I visited the site 8 March 2012. It is an impressive reminder of the importance of the United States to the liberation of Europe. The allied unit was the 4th U.S. Infantry Division.

Here's a map to see where the U.S. and other allies landed on that significant day in world history. Utah is the furthest landing point of Operation Overlord, the Normandy Invasion on 6 June 1944. The area is about 3 miles across.

At the end of the day, 23,500 American soliders and 1,700 vehicles landed. And 197 Americans died. They progressed about 4 miles to be within a mile of Sainte-Mère-Église.


Read more about D-Day and World War II at this site.

https://suttontravels.blogspot.com/2019/05/d-day-allies-invade-nazi-europe.html

Le Grand Bunker Mur De L’Atlantique Musee World War II

I visited the Grand Bunker museum on a cold and rainy 8 March 2012. The concrete bunker museum offers visitors a view of the German Shooting Command and Management Station at Ouistreham, Normandy, France near Sword Beach. The 17-metre (52 feet) high construction has five levels and was part of Nazi Germany’s Atlantic Wall defense against the expected allied invasion of France.

The bunker was built in 1943-1944. The bunker was disabled by a direct hit from British battle cruiser, H.M.S. Frobisher on D-Day, 6 June 1944. It is located near the site of the Sword Beach landings. Troops led by Lt. Bob Orrell eventually captured the bunker on 9 June and took 52-53 (sites vary in number) prisoners.

The rooms in the museum have been restored to their functions at the time of D-Day. The museum opened in 1987. At the upper level, we get a full view of the beaches where Operation Overlord took place.

At the lower levels, we glimpse life for the German soldiers as they await the inevitable allied invasion.

Vehicles and war machines are on the grounds.

Rating: 4 of 5. It is a very good portrayal of a unique aspect of WWII. On the web you will see most ratings are 4 or 5 out of 5. The only significant negative is the glare, which interferes with viewing the contents of items behind glass (a common problem of many museums).

Location: Avenue du 6 Juin, 14150 Ouistreham, France.

Admission: There is a modest charge to enter the museum. Check the website for current prices.

Hours: The museum is open most days of the year, but there are some closures so check the website for details. Opening times vary from 9:00 or 10:00 am and close at 6:00 or 7:00 pm, depending on the time of year.

Parking: Free parking is available.

Tel: +33 231 971 869

Website: http://museegrandbunker.com/en/

For Related Posts See the list of D-Day and World War II

 https://suttontravels.blogspot.com/2019/05/d-day-allies-invade-nazi-europe.html