Top 10 Paris (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

196 Pages·2008·35.13 MB·English

TOP10
PARIS
MIKE GERRARD & DONNA DAILEY
EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
TT--PPaar_r0_0010-T1itl-eTPiatlgeeP.inadgd e 1.indd 1
Left Glass Pyramid, Musée du Louvre Right Crypt vaults, Sacré-Coeur
Contents
Paris Top 10
Musée du Louvre 8
Produced by Book Creation Services Ltd, London
Reproduced by Colourscan, Singapore
Musée d’Orsay 12
Printed and bound in China by
Leo Paper Products Ltd
Eiffel Towe r 16
First American Edition, 2002
08 09 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Notre-Dame 18
Published in the United States by
DK Publishing, Inc., Sacré-Coeur 22
375 Hudson Street, New York,
New York 10014 Arc de Triomphe 24
Copyright 2002, 2008 © Dorling Kindersley
Limited, London Centre Georges
Reprinted with revisions 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, Pompido u 26
2007, 2008
Al rights reserved under International and Panthéon 28
Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of
this publication may be reproduced, stored in a Sainte-Chapelle 30
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, Hôtel des Invalides 32
recording or otherwise, without prior written
permission of the copyright owner. Published in Museums 34
Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited.
Art Gallerie s 36
ISSN 1479-344X
ISBN: 978-0-75663-255-7
Parks & Gardens 38
Within each Top 10 list in this book, no hierarch y of
quality or popularity is implied. Al 10 are, in the Places of Worshi p 40
editor’s opinion, of roughly equal merit.
Floors are referred to throughout in Historic Buildings 42
accordance with French usage; i.e. the “first floor”
is the floor above ground level. Moments in History 44
The information in this DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide is checked annually.
Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of
going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices,
gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change. The publishers
cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for
any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this
book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and su ggestions of
our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides,
Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London, Great Britain WC2R 0RL.
Cover: All photographs specially commissioned except: Front – Corbis: Paul Steel main; Robert Holmes bl;
DK Images: cl. Back – DK Images: Max Alexander tc; Michael Crockett tl; Steven Wooster tr. Spine – DK
Images: Max Alexander.
2
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Contents
Left Rose window , Notre-Dame Right Stone carvin gs, Arc de Triomph e
Novels set in Paris 46 Tuileries & Opéra
Riverfront Sights 48 Quarters 94
Walks 50 Champs-Elysées Quarter 102
Cafés & Bars 52 Invalides & Eiffel Tower
Quarters 110
Shops & Market s 54
St-Germain-des-Prés, Latin
Festivals & Events 56
& Luxembour g Quarters 118
Entertainment 58
Jardin des Plantes
Paris for Children 60 Quarter 128
Jazz Clubs 62 Chaillot Quarter 134
Places to Eat 64 Montmartre & Pigalle 140
Greater Paris 150
Around Town
Ile de la Cité & Streetsmart
Ile St-Louis 68 Practical Information 160
Beaubourg & Les Halle s 74 Places to Sta y 172
Marais & The Bastill e 84 General Inde x 180
Left Bois de Boulo gne Right Montmartr e
3
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Co te ts
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PARIS
TOP 10
Paris Highlights
6–7
Musée du Louvre
8–11
Musée d’Orsay
12–15
Eiffel Tower
16–17
Notre-Dame
18–21
Sacré-Coeur
22–23
Arc de Triomphe
24–25
Centre Georges
Pompidou
26–27
The Panthéon
28–29
Sainte-Chapelle
30–31
Hôtel des Invalides
32–33
Top Ten of Everything
34–65
PARIS TOP 10
Paris Highlights
From Notre-Dame to the Eiffe l Tower, Paris ho lds some of the wor ld’s most
famous si ghts and these ten attractions should be top of the list for any first-
time visitor. With the exce p
have been landmarks of t
remain awe-inspiring sig h
Musée du
!Louvre
The world’s largest
museum unsurpris-
ingly also conta ins
one of the world’s
most important
collections of art
and antiquities. To
complete the super-

latives, the buildin g
was once France’s
largest royal palace
(see pp8–11).

Musée d’Orsay
@This remarkable conver
turned a former railwa y sta
one of the world’s leading a
(above) and is, for man y, re
alone to visit Paris (see pp 1
Notre-Dame
Eiffel Tower $This great Gothic
£Some six million cathedral, founded on the
visitors a year ascend to site o f a Roman tem ple,
the top of this most was completed in 1334
famous Paris landmark and is a re pository of
for the spectacular views. French art and history.
It was erected for the It also represents the
Universal Exhibition of geographical heart o f
1889 (see pp16–17 ). France (see pp18–21 ).
6
18/10/06 7:57:19 AM
p
S aé-c Creuo r
%The terrace in
front of this
monumental white-
domed basilica in
e Triomphe
eon’s triumphal
brating battle
stands proudly at
the Champs-
nd, along w ith the
er, is one of the
st enduring images
4–5).

ntre Georges
mpidou
o the Paris Museum
ern Art, the design
Pompidou Centre
it a distinctive exhi-
n itself. The Centre
s extensive research
s (see pp26–7).

LN
ainte-Chapelle
alled “a gateway
aven”, this splendid
eval church (left)
built to house the
relics collected by St
Louis on his many
Crusades
(see pp30–
31).
Hôtel des Invalides
Panthéon )The glowing golden
*The great and the good dome of the Hôtel des
of France are buried in the Invalides church (right ) is
Panthéon (above), including unmistakable across
Voltaire and Victor Hu go the rooftops of Paris
(see pp28–9). (see pp32–3 ).
For guided tours in Paris See p165 7
Paris Top 10
Musée du Louvre
One of the world’s most impressive museums, the Louvre
contains more than 350,000 priceless objects. Built as a fortress
by King Philippe-Auguste in 1190, Charles V (1364–80) was the
first king to make it his home. In the 16th centur y
François I replaced it with a Renaissance-sty le
palace and founded the royal art collection with 7
12 paintings looted from Ita ly. Revo lutionaries
opened the collection to the public in 1793. Short ly
after, Napoleon renovated the Louvre as a museum.
Top 10 Exhibits
1 Venus de Milo
2 Mona Lisa
3 Glass Pyramid
4 Marly Horses
5 The Raft of the Medusa
6 The Winged Victory of 5
Samothrace 2
7 The Lacemaker
8 Slaves
9 Medieval Moats
0 Perrault’s Colonnade
Venus de Milo
!The positioning of
this statue
3
(unless 8
moved Glass
for renovation), £Pyramid
dramatically The unmistakable
lit at the pyramid, designed by
end of a I.M. Pei, became the
hallway, Louvre’s new entrance in
enhances its 1989. Stainless steel
beauty. It tubes form the 21-m-high
dates from (69-ft) frame (below).
the end of the
2nd century
BC and was
discovered on
the Greek
island of Milos
in 1820.
Mona
@Lisa Marly Horses
Arguably the most famous $Coustou’s rearing
painting in the wor ld, horses being restrained
Leonardo’s portrait of the by horse-tamers were
woman with the enigmatic sculpted in 1745 for Louis
smile (see p11) was encased XIV’s Château de Marly.
in glass a fter a kni fe attack. Replicas stand near the
Visit early or late in the day. Place de la Concorde.
8 For more Paris museums See pp34–5
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Paris Top 10