Two Museums in a City of Contrast : the Louvres and Centre Pompidou

Paris is a city that offers a large variety of museums. We have selected two very different ones that might interest you and suit all artistic tastes.

The LOUVRE is the largest museum in Paris ( 160 106 m²) and it's one of the most famous in the world.

It is located  between the right-bank of the Seine and the Rivoli Street in the 1^st arrondissement.

At first, the Louvre was a castle built by the king Philippe Auguste in 1190 and at the Renaissance, the Palace of the Louvre was unified with the palace of Tuileries, built by Catherine de Medecis. The museum used to be the residence of François Ier, then of Louis XIV. The first historic sign was a statue of Louis XV. Other buildings were added and modified later on.

In our opinion, the Louvre is probably the best place in Paris to enrich your artistic culture because of the extreme variety of its works. This museum is interesting for its architecture and for the masterpieces that are kept there. The French and Italian paintings for instance are worth to be seen and suit all tastes.

The Louvre enables you to have fun with friends and/or family, particulary thanks to the shops, where you can buy some gifts inspired by themasterpieces. Why not take refuge during a cold afternoon between innumerable and funny works ? The entrance is free every first Sunday of the month and it’s also free all year long when you’re under 18 !

The CENTRE GEORGE POMPIDOU also nicknamed Beaubourg by Parisians is located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, next to the City Hall. It is such an excentric and modern museum in terms of appearence that it created quite a scandal when it was built in the middle of the very classical « marais » architecture !

This was the result of the idea of President Georges Pompidou to create a new museum of Modern Arts in the French capital city.

The museum is more than a museum : it is a cultural centre equiped with cinemas, a large library, a cutting edge music experimental centre called IRCAM, etc…

There are sometimes some curious pieces exhibited. Once, we even saw an old dilapidated car next to a little sofa! But we still recommand this place which is very lively and rather amusing !

       Emeline & Gwendoline.

Paris: From Myth to Reality...

Everybody thinks that Paris is a wonderful place, but we are going to show you some aspects of the city that people hardly ever imagine...

 Paris may be known as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but there are  lots of downsides here too. Only a few districts have a good reputation,  and most others have a bad one. The subway stinks: it's dirty and crowdy inside and Parisians are always in a hurry and don’t want to help you when you need it... Parisians are not polite: they don’t apologize when they push someone and when you ask your way they often give you the wrong direction! When they have a dog, they don’t even clean their droppings, they just ignore the fact that their dog has had a poo and they run away. There’s too much pollution, noise, pigeon droppings and dog dirts!!!

But more than mere derogatory impressions, Paris is such a source of disillusion that it led to a real psychoanalytical illness.

The "Paris Syndrome" is a psychological disorder encountered by some people visiting Paris. It was first identified by a Japanese professor who discovered that when Japanese tourists arrive in Paris, they have the idea that Paris is the most beautiful city in the World, in fact, it is partly true, but from myth to reality, there is a BIG difference. When they arrive at the airport, they have to take the RER B, they have to go through the northern suburbs of Paris which are known for being poor and sometimes dangerous areas. Then they have to take the subway, and there’s no coach with a handsome Parisian who is going to take you out for dinner with beautiful words and wonderful roses. When they are in the subway, they just don’t know where to go and when they want to ask their way, the Parisians don’t listen to them and go back to their sudoku!

When you know you’re going to visit Paris, don’t be excited because when you’ll be there, you might  be disappointed, maybe it’s not as beautiful as you thought it would be in the first place.

Jessica, Bani and Nelly

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE STYLE?

Teenage fashion in Paris

Paris, fashion capital, where the best designers bring their creative genius in the most prestigious brands … The whole world envies the French elegance.  Here is an overview of the style of  French young  people. Many different clothing styles meet in the capital, we’ll walk from one district to another so that you can discover them. On the one hand you can find the group of “Vintage Fashion”, and on the other hand the group  of “Street Fashion”.

Vintage Fashion

Vintage fashion began in the 1990s and grew by mixing antique clothing and  fashionistas. At an auction dedicated to Paul Poiret in 2005, prices ranged up to more than 100 000 euros for a coat.

Young people dressed in ‘vintage fashion’ buy their clothes at thrift shops mainly. In thrift stores, there are designer clothes from old collections, then sold cheaper than in the official shops. In Paris, these shops are mainly found in the Marais ( The Marais is a historic district of Paris situated in a part of the Third and Fourth Arrondissement of Paris, on the right bank of the Seine ).

Street Fashion

Street fashion began in the 2000s with the success of the American sports figure: tracksuits, t-shirts, caps and soft boots and a come back to the elements of fashion from the 1980's. Young people dressed in “street fashion” buy sports clothing brands in large chain stores such as H&M or Zara. In Paris, these shops are found in malls or in famous shopping streets (For example : Châtelet-Les Halles in the First Arrondissement or Rue de Rennes next to the famous station Montparnasse).

Our favourite style We like both styles and we choose in terms of moments of the week. For example, on Saturday we prefer wearing 'Vintage Fashion' to be more elegant whereas during the week we prefer 'Street Fashion' clothes because it's more comfortable. And you, what is your favourite style?


Sarah, Justine, Alix & Antoinette

TRAVELLING IN PARIS

Parisian Public Transports

The metropolitan is the fastest and the cheapest transport in Paris.The story of the Metropolitan began in 1897 when Eduard Empain and his company the CMP started building the first metropolitan line. It was inaugurated on July 19th 1900. Its name was Line 1. It goes from Vincennes to Porte Maillot. Since 2001 the RATP has been running more than 16 lines (211 kilometers) and 366 stations.

Today, the RATP operates a multi-mode public transportation infrastructure : buses, regional trains, trams and Métro services. Noctilien is the network of night buses in the Île-de-France region. There are projects under way to create new light rail lines.
The RATP logo represents, in a stylized version, the Seine's meandering through the Île-de-France region or the face of someone looking up.

The RER is like the metro but the French use it mainly to cover long distances.
Buses are slower than the metro but they are nicer. It’s useful to cover short distances.

The Metro map
To travel by metro you have to buy tickets or a pass called “Navigo”.
The price of a metro ticket costs 1, 70€ about £1.42 but it is cheaper if you buy a pad for 12€.
You can also take the “Navigo” pass if you intend to stay in Paris for a long time.

The RER map
To travel by RER you have to buy tickets or use a “Navigo” pass too.
Other transports are easy to take like the tramway or the boat.

Economy and tourism in Paris today

Paris and its region, which has been called l’Ile-de-France since 1976, represented 11 million inhabitants in 2002, that is to say 19% of the population of France in 2.2% of the land.

2,125 million inhabitants lived in Paris in 2001. It has been directed by a Mayor since 1977.  Paris is a very important pole for the French economy : 80.7% of people working in Paris are employed in the service sector and 19% in manufacturing.

In 2000, 36.4 million tourists visited the region –a third of them were French (source ORTIF).  In 2000, 75 million foreign tourists came to France and 24.6 million came to Paris, placing it in the first rank of tourist destinations in the world. 19% were British, 10 % were Americans, 8% were Japanese, Italians and Greeks and the other nationalities represented 39% of the tourists.

Be careful while using your car in Paris! Parisian drivers are easily nervous when something happens in the traffic. And remember to never tell anything on the way a Parisian driver drives, you would regret it!


Omer, Olivier, Théo & Romain

EATING OUT IN PARIS

LE JULES VERNE

On the second floor of the Eiffel Tower, we can have some good time in a French restaurant. The name was chosen to pay tribute to a great French writer : Jules Verne.

Jules Verne was born in Nantes, in 1828. He wrote some novels all along his life , mainly science-fiction or adventure novels. He died in 1905, in Amiens. He was 77.

The chef-owner of this restaurant is Alain Ducasse. He has got 3 Michelin stars for his two restaurants in France, the "Louis XV" and the "Alain Ducasse" and for the "Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester" in London.

Its cooking is very modern, just like today's Paris. We can find the greatest traditional French dishes, and Alain Ducasse's modern recipes. The food is tasty and sophisticated and it's a mixture of traditional local products and modernity.

For example, here is a sample of a menu :

Roasted Dublin Bay prawns, cepe mushrooms and artichoke.

Marinated scallops, cream of cauliflower soup, and gold caviar.

Pan-seared turbot, lightly creamed leeks,black fig sauce.

Truffled saddle of hare, shoulder stuffed with foie gras.

Tower bolt, dark chocolate praliné, hazenult ice cream.

Delicate iced mousse of raspherry and coconut, lime/vanilla sorbet.

Opening hours :

Monday to Sunday

Lunch : 12.15pm to 1.30pm

Dinner : 7pm to 9.30pm

Click here to read an article about the Eiffel Tower!

EATING ON A BATEAU MOUCHE...

A unique experience

After the Second World War, Jean Bruel wanted to found a new form of restaurant.

In 1949, he created a group of boat-restaurants, and suggested to eat on water .

These boats were called bateaux mouches

He based his business in Paris, on its famous river Seine.

The boats

Jean Bruel owns 14 boats and all of them have modern equipment and two decks.  The first deck is an indoor deck. There you can eat and admire an incomparable view of Paris.  

The company offers different prices and activities :
- You can pay for a boat ride only, it's cheaper and free for young children. The visit takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes. For an adult, it costs 10€ and for a child it's only 5€.

- You can choose to have dinner. The menu is between 50€ and 135€
- It is also possible to ask for other services such as a birthday or a dinner show or a romantic dinner...  

I have an exellent memory of a visit of Paris on a boat with my class and my teachers. There you can enjoy a great view of Paris . I really hope to eat on a boat-restaurant one day, because many friends told me that the dinner was delicious and they had a lot of fun.

Dylan, Théodore & Nicolas

DISCOVERING THE EIFFEL TOWER

History of the Eiffel tower

The Eiffel tower was imagined by Gustave Eiffel in 1887 and it was inaugurated on March 31st 1889. It was built for the Universal Exhibition which had to celebrate the centenary of the French Revolution. In the newspapers a big concourse was launched. On the place of the Champ de Mars, people who participated had to do an iron tower, and the Eiffel tower was chosen among the 107 others.

Mr. Eiffel & Cie was the contractor, the engineers were Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier and the architect was Stephen Sauvestre.

It is composed of 18,038 metal castings and 2,500, 000 rivets. The Eiffel Tower is 324m high and it weighs 10 000 tons. There are 1665 steps to go up to the second floor and we must take the elevator to go up to the last floor. Since 1889, about 250 million visitors have visited this monument.

Activities on the Eiffel Tower!

This monument is located in a vibrant neighbourhood. In the Eiffel Tower there are lots of activities to do. You can eat, play and learn.

You can eat in three different restaurants:
- Le Jules Verne (on the second floor) is a very expensive and classy restaurant. You can read an article about this exceptional restaurant here : Le Jules Verne
- 58 Tour Eiffel (on the first floor) : it’s not really cheap but it is not expensive either.
- Les buffets de la Tour Eiffel (on the first and second floors) : it’s not very good food but you can eat fast and it’s cheap.

You can play and learn with games for children too.  Children are given a little book with many little games. That’s good when you have to wait for the big lifts which take you to the top of the Tower.

This winter there is an ice rink on the first floor. It is free for the visitors of the Eiffel Tower and it is open from December 15^th to February 9^th.

The Eiffel Tower is open every day from 9:30am to 11pm but you can go to the Champs de Mars and only have a look at it. Every hour at night there are illuminations. That is so beautiful!

An interview of William, our English language assistant! 
Is the Eiffel Tower his favourite monument in Paris...?

To know more about William's favourite place in Paris click here !

Amélie, Anaëlle, Anne & Bérangère

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING IN PARIS

If you want to spend a magical and unforgettable Christmas in the most beautiful city of France, Paris is the best choice. You will find a selection of shows, places to visit, delicacies, and our most luxurious shops for presents and lots of things to discover.
Paris celebrates Christmas in lights : shop windows, illuminations and Christmas shops... The “Galleries La Fayette” are famous for decorating their shop windows with puppets and robots every year.

 

                    
The Christmas shops, on the Champs Elysées, at the Arche de la Défense, in the Gare de l’Est or Montparnasse offer you long walks  for presents, for sipping some mulled wine or warming up with a good  chocolate pancake.           

The big wheel of the Concorde Place will offer you the best view on the most beautiful illuminations of the capital! You must try it! Christmas food is usually very traditional : turkey, seafood platters... and don’t forget desserts!
Noel is the day when the whole family can gather around a big feast.

Capucine, Rebecca, Laura & Sandra