Paris
Paris
+ Exploring Paris
Sights
* Pont Alexandre III
* Arc de Triomphe
* Art Moderne de La Ville de Paris, Musée d'
* Arts Asiatiques-guimet, Musée National des/Panthéon Bouddhique
* Arts Décoratifs, Musée des
* Arts et Métiers-techniques, Musée des National
* Assemblée Nationale Palais-Bourbon
* Baccarat, Musée
* Balzac, Maison de
* Bastille
* Bibliothèque Nationale De France
* Carnavalet, Musée
* Cernuschi, Musée
* Chaillot, Palais de
* Cité, Ile de la
* Cognacq-Jay, Musée
* La Conciergerie
* Concorde, Place de la
* Eugène Delacroix, Musée National
* Faubourg St-Germain
* Faubourg St-Honoré
* Galliéra, Musée
* Gobelins, Manufacture Nationale des
* Grand Palais
* Grands Boulevards
* Les Halles
* Hôtel De Ville
* Institut De France
* Institut du Monde Arabe
* Jacquemart-André, Musée
* Jeu de Paume
* Madeleine, Eglise de la
* Maillol, Musée
* Le Marais
* Marmottan-monet, Musée
* Monnaie de Paris, Musée de la
* Montmartre
* Montparnasse
* Moyen-Age, Musée National du
* Musique, Musée de la
* Nissim de Camondo, Musée
* Opéra Garnier
* Orangerie, Musée National de l'
* Palais-Royal
* Panthéon
* Parfum, Musée du
* Pavillon de l'Arsenal
* Père-Lachaise, Cimetière du
* Picasso, Musée
* Plantes, Jardin des
* Quartier Latin
* Rodin, Musée
* Sacré-Coeur, Basilique du
* St-Germain-des-Prés
* Saint-Louis, Ile
* St-Sulpice, Église
* Sainte-Chapelle
* Tuileries, Jardin des
* Vendôme, Place
* Vosges, Place des
Vicinity
+ Vicinity
Walk/Drive
Food&Drink
In The Know
Did You Know?
( Highly Recommended )
The place de la Bastille is forever associated with the French Revolution, since it was here that it all began. The dreaded fortress was stormed by the people of Paris on 14 July 1789 and later razed to the ground; its outline can be seen on the paving stones covering the entire square. In the centre stands a 50m-high column erected in memory of the victims of the 1830 and 1848 Revolutions, who were buried beneath the base and whose names are carved on the shaft. The column is surmounted by the gilt winged figure of the Spirit of Liberty by Dumont.
The new Paris opera house, one of President Mitterrand's 'Grands projets', was inaugurated for the bicentenary of the 1789 Revolution. It was the subject of bitter controversy from the start as running costs proved too high for an establishment intended as a popular opera house. Designed by the Canadian architect Carlos Ott, the Opéra National de Paris-Bastille is a harmonious building with a curved façade in several shades of grey that glitters in the sun and gently glows at night. The acoustics of the main auditorium, which can accommodate 2,700 spectators, are superb and the stage is one of the most sophisticated in the world.
Just south of the opera house, a disused railway viaduct has been converted into a series of workshops and showrooms illustrating a number of traditional crafts known as the Viaduc des Arts; the Ateliers du Cuivre et de l'Argent (copper and silver workshops) are particularly interesting and there is a small museum.
Opéra National de Paris-Bastille
Address: Place de la Bastille, 75012 ParisPhone: Recorded information: 01 40 01 19 70
Hours: Listen to the recorded information; closed Sun
Restaurant: Bar
Bus: 20, 29, 65, 69, 76, 86, 87, 91
Metro: Bastille
Accessible: Good
Admission: Moderate
Practical: Guided tours, shops
Viaduc des Arts
Address: 9-129 avenue Daumesnil, 75012 ParisHours: Variable; most workshops open Sun
Restaurant: Near by (Inexpensive)
Metro: Bastille, Ledru-Rollin, Reuilly-Diderot
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