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France
and Paris in particular is virtually wall-to-wall must-see sights and
things to do - you can never become bored here, especially if you have
an enquiring mind.
Paris sights and things to do
Paris is a passion, youthful energy and a stimulating and cultural
life. Paris is above all the capital of good living: the best of French
cuisine, and enticing choice of gastronomic specialities, the glamourous
world of haute couture and accentric fashion and a sparkling night life.
While in Paris look out for its oldest tree planted in 1601 -
you'll find it in the Square Viviani on the left bank bank opposite
Notre-Dame. The oldest bridge is the Pont Neuf completed in 1578
and it's oldest church is St Germain-des-Prés dating back
to the 11th century.
Parks in Paris (great for children too)
- Parc
de la Villette - Science museum, children's museum, IMAX
theatre and 5 thematic gardens
- Jardin
et Palais de Luxembourg - The Luxembourg palace and gardens
with puppet shows and model boats
- Bois de
Vincennes - Charming zoo, Chateau, racecourse, boating lake,
museum, floral park and adventure playground
- Jardin
des Tuileries - Adjacent to the Louvre - Pony rides, boules,
toy boats, cafés, children's trampolines and a giant ferris
whele at Christmas and Easter
Surrounding Paris
- Château
de Versailles - The most illustrious château in France
- Disneyland
Paris - The french home of that famous American mouse - see
also Affordable
Disney for special deals
- Parc
Asterix - Take this opportunity to get out of Paris and enter
the world of Asterix. The many rides will delight children and
adults alike: Russian mountains, water games, Druid forest,
transdemonium.... Shows, sensations and restaurants await you.
- Château
de Fontainebleau - Wealth and a variety of interior decors of
the royal apartments from François 1st to Napoleon III
- France
Miniature - A huge 3D map of France on 5 hectares with 166
miniature and historic monuments on a scale of 1:30
Outside Paris
- Puy du Fou
- A historical theme park in the Vendée region. The
park brings in some 1.2 million visitors every year, making it the
second most popular attraction in France after Euro Disney. The main
event is in the evening - the Cinescene boasts the largest stage in
the world, thousands of actors, hundreds of horses and about 400
fireworks per performance. One of the most spectacular shows in the
world!
- Marineland
Antibes - Dazzling : killer whales, dolphins and sea lions
invite visitors every day to discover their talents in unique
awe-inspiring performances full of surprises!
- Chartres
Cathedral - The finest Gothic cathedral in Europe - A world
heritage site
- Château
de Chenonceau - the most visited Château after the Château
de Versailles!
- Château
de Chambord - Renaissance architecture that defies
superlatives, a Royal Residence from 1519 to 1547
- Château
de Villandry - One of the last great castles to be built in
the Loire valley - don't forget the superb gardens
- Château
d'Amboise - A royal castle originally built in the 11th
century - Leonardo da Vinci lived in Amboise in the
Clos-Lucé
mansion from 1516 till his death in 1519 the Royal castle and Clos
Lucé are interconnected by a 500 metre passagway.
- Parc
mini-châteaux - Just south of Amboise - 44 of the most
prestigious castles and manor houses in the Loire Valley
- Château
de Saumur - A fairytale castle if ever there was one -
incorporating all the best features of the other Loire valley
Castles.
- Le Cadre Noir de
Saumur- the world famous Franch cavalry school in rue de
l'Abbaye, Saumur. One of the grandest in Europe and equivalent to
the school in Vienna.
- Troo village
and troglodytes - The amazing 1000 year old troglodyte caves
and village of Troo in a hillside - still inhabited today.
- Château
d'Azay-le-Rideau - built in a French Rennaissance style.
- Château
Le Plessis-Bourré - Started in 1468 and never altered,
it is a masterpiece between fortress and country residence.
- Abbaye
Royale de Fontevraud - built in the 12th century and of the
largest and best preserved medieval abbeys of France - the final
resting place of Richard the Lionheart
- Abbaye
du Mont-Saint-Michel - Rising from a hazy expanse of sand and
waves, Mont Saint Michel appears like Man’s defiance of the
elements and of time.
- Bayeux
Tapestry - The world famous 70 metres long Bayeux tapestry
depicting the exploits of William the Conqueror, in the Calvados.
- Château
de Langeais - Built by Louis XI between 1465 et 1469
- The
cave of Lascaux - The most famous prehistoric cave paintings
- Futuroscope
- Theme park based upon multimedia, cinematographic and audio-visual
techniques of the future
- Viaduct
de Millau - Highest, longest in the world, the Viaduct de
Millau is 'one of the most impressive civil engineering feats of our
time'.
- The
Camargue - (bilingual web site) - Wild horses and bulls in the
wild Rhone delta - a must do side trip
- Grand
Canyon du Verdon, - the biggest canyon in Europe with white
water sports, rock climbing etc...
Other French towns and villages
- Saumur - in
Maine et Loire, the centre of Chateau country.
- Angers
- The town, the 13th Century Castle and the amazing Apocalypse
tapestry which is 100 metres long by 6 metres high
- Nîmes -
in the languedoc with its famous Roman amphitheatre.
- Carcassonne
- a famous medieval walled city and a world heritage site in the
south west.
- Vienne
- a Roman and Medieval city
- Annecy
- a picturesque little town build on both sides of the Canal du
Thiou and on the edge of :Lake Annecy
- Nice -
the capital of the Cote d'Azur
- Aix
en Provence - the town to visit in Provence.
- Orange
- the town with a Roman amphitheatre and a XII century cathedral in
Provence.
- Avignon
- the seat of the Popes in medieval times
- Dijon
- the famous town in Burgundy
- Saint-Paul
de Vence - in between Nice and Cannes where both Picasso and
Chagall painted
All text is Copyright © 2007, by
French speakers in South Africa /
Francophones en Afrique du Sud. All rights reserved.
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