Palais de Chaillot and its tourist attractions in Paris

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 cannot forget about the Trocadero gardens located here with its incredible fountains that have featured in many different films and this is an ideal spot for a picnic on a nice day.

Paris was to be the destination of the World Fair in 1876, and for it a new building was to be constructed for the occasion, which was decided to be located and built on the hill known as Chaillot.

The building was made to hold a concert hall, along with two wings and two towers which were connected, called the Palais du Trocadero, named after the Battle of Trocadero. The design of the buildings was a very unusual architectural design for its time of creation.

The gardens of the original Palais du Trocadero were also created, and two statues placed within it, one of a rhinoceros and the other being of an elephant. Although now, they have since been moved and are now held at the Musee d’Orsay.

Skip forward to 1937, to where the World Fair was again to take place in Paris, and the original building was found to be very unpopular among people and thus the city decided that the Palais du Trocadero needed demolishing and a new building should take its place, which would serve as a great backdrop to the most well known landmark in Paris, the Eiffel Tower.

The new building was designed to be on a similar theme, yet more modern to keep up to speed with the modern world and other architecture, with both of the wings being separated unlike before. The Palais de Chaillot, the new name, was to use the existing foundations of the original palace that was taken down.

The two wings which resemble a large arc from either side of the building, also have two bronze statues, of Apollo and Hercules. In the middle between the arcs is a large esplanade, which allows people to gain a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower. The aquarium also got renovated as well as one of the wings becoming home to the Theatre National de Chaillot.

The theatre is larger than other such theatres and opera houses within Paris, yet it was also designed without any boxes or overhangs and only a balcony, having been done so as it was thought to be more adaptable this way.

This theatre is mainly orientated around dance and many different styles and excellent choreography from various different production companies that come together to suit anyones taste. Including dances from hip hop, ballet, even Flamenco and more meaning there are always different things on the agenda every month of the year.

The Jardins du Trocadero Gardens were also redesigned at the same time for the 1937 exhibition. Not taking long before they were well known as a famous focal point towards the Eiffel Tower with its extraordinary fountains, especially the long basin called the Fountain of Warsaw, which has featured in many films such as Rush Hour with Jackie Chan.

The fountains of Warsaw are extremely impressive, especially in an evening display, with 20 water cannons, 56 water sprays and 12 vertical fountains and one large one which can all be lit up it that offer a remarkable display for anyone to watch.

One wing of the Palais de Chaillot is now the Musee National de la Marine, which is a naval museum, where you can see the original rowing boat of Napoleon Bonaparte I and other temporary exhibitions which include sailing, navigation, water and more. There is also another museum here, called the Musee de l’Homme, which is the ethnology museum of man.

The other wing is home to the Cite de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine that shows French architecture and included the original Musee des Monuments Francais, which is the museum of French monuments for all to be able to discover something completely different.

This museum of architecture and heritage of France showcases many different styles from medieval times right up to the 20th century and the Cite de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine is the largest centre of architecture of its kind in the world.

But on top of all of this, there is still the aquarium located underneath, called the Aquarium de Paris Cineaqua, and this is an excellent place for all the family to go and visit, which is more than just a conventional aquarium.

In fact, the Paris aquarium, more commonly known as Cineaqua, holds over 10,000 fish and invertebrates that additionally include twenty five sharks of four different species, which are on display to see in 43 different tanks, including that of the largest tank in the world which holds an incredible 3 million litres of water!

So for an unforgettable time while going on Holiday in Paris, make sure to visit the Palais de Chaillot, or The Trocadero Gardens, as these cover many interests for all members of a family, young or old.