Martyn Davis's Blog (22)

Driving through France can be a fantastic experience which you can never forget, and as always the rules and regulations between countries can differ, which is where we've composed a small list to help keep on the right side of the law and to help keep you safe!

Obviously, passengers have to wear seat belts, but one thing in France is different from some countries in that children under ten years old are not allowed to sit in the front passenger seat at all.

Another is, even if…

La Conciergerie was the first royal palace that was built in Paris, and is found on the Ile de la Cite island, which was originally called Palais de la Cite, which eventually became a prison.

The name Conciergerie was from the official who was appointed from the king to oversee various prison records and policing. But that's not all, the history of the La Conciergerie is intriguing from when it was a palace through to the French Revolution and the prison it became.

Today now it…

The Pompidou Centre, or the official name of Centre Georges Pompidou, or the other name of Beaubourg due to where it is constructed, or if you prefer its nickname of "the inside out building" due to how the building techniques which were used to provide much space, has much to offer for all of the family.

Although the history of the Pompidou Centre shares some light onto why it is here. With the initiative of French President Georges Pompidou who longed for a free public library to…

The Lido is a cabaret venue in Paris which provides entertainment dinner shows, an ice rink, pool, amazing scenes, the famous Bluebell Girls, water features and much more to enjoy any type of evening.

One of the revues hosted at The Lido is the Revue Bonhour which is more than just the ordinary show, allowing you to see many different scenes and emotions sure to keep you entertained during an evening.

And from one extreme to the other…

The Musee Bourdelle is a museum in Paris dedicated to featuring works from the artist and sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, which is to be found within the studio and apartment where he worked and lived from 1885 in the Montparnasse area.

When you enter the museum one of the first rooms you would most likely come across is the Great Hall which was added extension in 1961 to commemorate a century after his birth. It was made to hold some monumental plaster works, such as one named the…

The Musee Jacquemart-Andre is within a palace mansion which was built during the 19th century on the street Boulevard Haussmann for Edouard Andre, which holds and showcases many pieces of art he and his wife, Nelie Jacquemart, collected through their life.

Edouard Andre was a banker and heir to a protestant banking family fortune, and yet spent his money on collecting works of art. After marrying Nelie Jacquemart who happened to be a French portrait artist, they both collected…

The Musee Eugene Delacroix Museum in Paris

The Musee Eugene Delacroix is a museum in Paris which is dedicated to the renowned painter Eugene Delacroix, showcasing his work, ideas and more, which is to be found within the heart of the Saint Germain des Pres area of Paris and within the apartment and studio where he lived and worked.

The history of the Musee Eugene Delacroix in itself is very fascinating,…

The Musee Grevin is a waxwork museum which opened in 1882, and it can be an amazing place to visit famous people which are now in their wax form, some dating from many years ago.

At the museum there are various different sections within this museum in Paris, some of which include some of the more renowned wax pieces including that of Elvis Presley, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Michael Jackson and much more, which…

The Musee Eugene Delacroix Museum in Paris

The Musee Eugene Delacroix is a museum in Paris which is dedicated to the renowned painter Eugene Delacroix, showcasing his work, ideas and more, which is to be found within the heart of the Saint Germain des Pres area of Paris and within the apartment and studio where he lived and worked.

The history of the Musee Eugene Delacroix in itself is very fascinating,…

The Champs Elysees has a full name of the Avenue des Champs Elysees, which the name translates to Elysian Fields in French, that is meant to be a place of the blessed and a resting place of Gods in Greek mythology.

The Champs Elysees is perhaps one of the most famous avenues within the world and in France is called La plus belle avenue du monde, which translated means the most beautiful avenue in the world and with its magnificence it's no wonder, but this famous tree lined avenue…

The Cite des Sciences is an all round popular museum, being the largest science museum in all of Europe and the fifth most visited museum in Paris, joining other popular museums such as The Louvre, it makes it an amazing museum to visit which is suitable for all ages and types of interests.

There are some permanent exhibitions at the museum which allow you to be interactive with the museum such as within the Techno Gallery, where you can play the latest games, test prototypes,…

The Cite de la Musique is a cultural centre at the Parc de la Villette, which is specifically for music and research as well as two concert halls, which host over 400 concerts each year. Not forgetting the Salle Pleyel concert hall which is managed by them and the Musee de la Musique museum as well as a media library.

The…

Back in 507AD King Clovis converted to Christianity and decided to build a basilica on the very site where The Pantheon stands today and Saint Genevieve, who was the patron saint of Paris that protected the city from the barbarians, was buried in this basilica in 512AD.

This meant that the basilica and further churches were dedicated to Saint Genevieve and in 1744 after King Louis XV had been seriously ill, he…

The Sacre Coeur Basilica

The Sacre Coeur Basilica, or known as the full name of Basilique du Sacre-Coeur de Montmarte is noticeable from nearly everywhere in Paris, standing on top of a hill within the Montmartre area which is 129 metres above sea level.

Montmartre, which translated means hill of martyres, which in turn leads back to the martyrdom of Saint Denis, who happened to the be the first bishop of Paris all the way back in the 3rd century has since then had many saints…

It was back in the 1200s when King Louis IX decided that he wanted a chapel constructed for his own private worship and also somewhere he could keep his religious relics.

The site chosen was on the Ile de la Cite, which is an island located in the River Seine and it was close to the Notre Dame Cathedral and also to La Conciergerie, which is the oldest remaining part of the first palace for the Kings of France.

Construction started in 1246 and being a masterpiece of flamboyant…

Place de la Bastille, or otherwise known as Bastille square is well known for the fortress which once stood in its place, the storming of Bastille and various other occurrences and moments throughout the years.

One of the now lasting monuments is the Colonne de Juillet , or the July Column when translated, which commemorated the overthrow of King Charles X is located at this square in Paris, as well as being home to a new opera house in Paris, known as Opera National de Paris Opera…

The Musee d’Orsay Museum In Paris

The Musee d'Orsay in Paris was only opened at the end of 1986 and developed from an original railway station, it now holds many fascinating and intriguing works inside.

The museum was initially made up through three other museums, being the Louvre Museum, the Musee de Jea de Paume, which is centred around Impressionism and the Musee d’Art Moderne, which transferred to the…

With so much to see and do at the Palais de Chaillot, this is an ideal place to spend a day when you are on holiday in Paris, as there are three different museums located inside, one of which is the largest architectural museum in the world.  But there is also a theatre showing a wide variety of different performances, the Paris aquarium called Cineaqua with its impressive variety of fish and invertebrates, and the esplanade that provides fabulous views across to the Eiffel Tower.  Yet you…

With over thirty million people visiting the capital city of France each year, it is no surprise that there are many completely different tourist attractions in Paristhat you can visit while you are on holiday in France. And these vary from the great views at the Eiffel Tower, to the unique Cite de Sciences that will be able to keep everybody enthralled, not forgetting the tour buses in…

Incredibly, there are around thirteen million people from round the world that visit the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris each year, whether or not it is as a holidaymaker on holiday in Paris or people on a pilgrimage.

The Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral was one among the very first Gothic Cathedrals and is classified as one of the foremost spectacular and finest samples of gothic…