The Royal Chateau de Versailles - Palace of Versailles, France - facts and photos

Palace of Versailles, Chateau de Versailles, is located in the Ile-de-France region of France. Nowadays Versailles is a suburb of Paris, 20 km from the city. So, if you're in the area, you can visit the place. Don't miss it. Palace of Versailles have to be seen.

Chateau de Versailles, France

Gardens of Versailles, France

Garden view, Palace of Versailles, France

Originally, there was built a hunting lodge for Louis XIII in 1624. He was pleased with the nature and location. Back then Versailles was a county village which started to develop thanks to its location on the road from Paris to Normandy. The successor of Louis XIII - Louis XIV ordered renovation and expansion of the chateau. And....later, in 1682 the court was officially moved there. It became the centre of political power. But, the Royal family had to return to Paris after the beginning of the French Revolution. The Palace of Versailles became a symbol of the Absolute Monarchie. 

Fountain, Gardens of Versailles, France

Gardens of Versailles, France

Fountain of Neptune, Palace of Versailles, France

Bronze Sculpture of La Seine, Chateau de Versailles, France

There were four building campaigns. The all four corresponded to Louis XIV's wars. During the first building campaigh were made some modifications to the chateau and the gardens so they can accomodate 600 guests. The second made the palace look a lot like it is today. Then were built the Appartment of the roi and the Apartment of the queen. In the thitd campaign in addition to the Hall of Mirrors were designed the Orangerie and the north and south wings. The Gardens were also further developed. The fourth campaign was mostly about the Royal chapel and some improvements of the Apartment of the king. With this all constructions stopped. No more actions were taken of the Sun King / Louis the Great/.

Thirty years later Louis XIV made some changes, but they were far more unsignificant in comparison to these made of the Sun King.

Chateau de Versailles, France

Fountain, Gardens of Versailles, France

Hall of mirrors, Palace of Versailles, France

Ceiling, Palace of Versailles, France

Palace of Versailles, inside, suite, France

Palace of Versailles, inside, France

Main features of Palace of Versailles:

- Grand apartments - Apartment of the King, Apartment of the Queen

  

  Apartment of the King:

• Salon de Diane 
• Salon de Mars 
• Salon de Mercure 
• Salon d’Apollon 
• Salon de Jupiter 
• Salon de Saturne 
• Salon de Vénus

   Apartment of the Queen:

• Chapel 
• Salle de gardes 
• Antichambre
• Chambre 
• Grand cabinet 
• Oratory 
• Petit cabinet

- Small apartments - Apartment of the King, Apatrment of the Queen

- Hall of Mirrors

- Chapels of Versailles

- The Opera

- Museum of the History of France

- Gardens of Versailles

The Gardens of Versailles, France

Chateau de Versailles, France

Versaille - looking from the Latone Fountain out to the Grand Canal, France

Le Hameau de la Reine, Petit Trianon, Versailles, France

Party in the catacombs of Paris?

I'm sure most of you have heard about the Catacombs of Paris. However, this ossuary holds the remains of about 6 million people. They are located in the tunnels of the old stone mines. And since the early 19th century a small part of it became a tourist attraction. Since 1874 they are open on a regular basis for visitors.

Catacombs, Paris

So, The Catacombs have always been an object of interest. There are also many people who enjoy spending time downstairs, and even make parties....

10 Museum Tips for Paris

For all  who don't like to travel  unprepared - there are some useful tips when being in Paris.  When visiting museums and monuments everybody wants to see as many as possible. That can be difficult to happen - we all know they can be crowded, overwhelming and expensive. Here are 10 tips that can help you in making the planned a reality. These tips make your sightseeing smooth, effective, sometimes even cheaper:

Sacre Coeur, crowds, Paris, France

1. Visit some of the museums at night:

Louvre - wednesday and Friday works till 10pm.

Musee dÓrsay - Thursday till 9.45pm.

Quai de Branly - Thursday till 9.30pm. 

Palais de Tokio - till 11.30pm every day except for Mondays. 

Paris Opera House, France

2. Visit some of the pleces early in the day:

Louvre opens at 9.00am, so you can be one of the first to see mona Lisa for the day.

3. Free Admission:

Many museums in Paris are with no pass every first Sunday on the month.

The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

A list with these museums with free admission every first Sunday of the month the whole year you ca see here: http://travellingabroad-ideas.blogspot.com/2011/12/paris-tips-list-of-paris-free-museums.html

4. Don't mistake the Metro tation for the Louvre:

The Metro Station for the Louvre is not Louvre - rivoli, but Palais Royal - Musee de Louvre off the 1 & 9 lines.

5. Fast tickets:

Inside the Carrousel of Louvre - the shopping corner, there is a Tabac. You can buy tickets. On Tuesdays it is closed.

View to Paris

6.Very good idea is to buy tickets in advance or a Museum Pass:

You can purchase tickets in advance on Internet  for most of the museums.

Museum Passes can be used in more than 50 museums in the city and the surroundings. They are available in most of the museums.

Prices:

2 day pass - 30 Euros

4 day pass - 45 Euros

6 day pass - 60 Euros

You can see for more information on the official site:     www.Parismuseumpass.com

If you want to buy the tickets and have them delivered to your home or hotel / with an additional fee  of course/ see here:    http://www.gotoparis.net/musee.html

 

7. Many small museums are with free admission.

8.Use Guided Tours for Louvre, Versailles, Musee d'Orsay:

The best way to see the Louvre, Versailles and Musee dÓrsay and to receive good and efficient information is to hire Guide. This may be a private or groupe course.

9.The Best View to Paris at Notre Dame:

If you climb 250 steps you will get to the bell tower where Quasimodo rang the bells. Some say this is the place with the best view to Paris. Here can be seen mostly the older part of the city.

Notre Dame Gargoyle, Paris, France

 10. Fastest way to enter to the Eiffel Tower:

An easy way to entry the Eiffel Tower and avoid the lines is to visit the  Altitude 95 Restaurant on the first floor. You should definitely make reservation in advance.

Paris Tips - List of the Paris Free Museums on first Sunday of the month

Free on 1st Sunday of the month, all year round

In Paris:

• Musée national d'art moderne - Centre Pompidou – 4^th
• Musée de l'Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris – 5^th
• Musée national des Arts asiatiques Guimet – 16^th
• Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature – 3^th
• Musée national Eugène Delacroix – 6^th
• Musée Gustave Moreau - 9^th
• Musée national Ernest Hebert – 6^th (closed for renovation)
• Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner – 17^th
• Musée du Louvre – 1^st
• Musée national du Moyen Âge - Thermes de Cluny – 5^th
• Musée national de l'Orangerie – 1^st
• Musée d'Orsay – 7^th
• Musée national Picasso – 3^rd
• Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine – 16^th
• Cité nationale de l’histoire de l’immigration – 12^th
• Musée du Quai Branly – 7^th
• Musée Rodin – 7^th

In Ile-de-France:

• Musée d'Archéologie nationale de Saint-Germain-en-Laye – 78
• Musée départemental Albert-Kahn - 92
• Maison d'Auguste Rodin à Meudon - 92
• Musée des années 30 - 92
• Musée national du Château de Compiègne - 60
• Musée national de la coopération franco-américaine - Château de Blérancourt - 02 (closed for renovation)
• Musée national de Port-Royal des Champs – 78
• Musée national du Château de Fontainebleau – 77
• Musée national des châteaux de Malmaison et Bois-Préau - 92
• Musée national de Céramique – Sèvres – 92
• Musée national de la Renaissance - Château d'Ecouen – 95

Travel wisely -Skip the annoying and time-eating Museum Lines - Paris, London, Berlin

Most of the travellers have limited time to enjoy their holiday, three ot four days stay in Paris for example. So, all of them want to spend time wisely. Every tourist want to see as many as possible places, such as monuments, museums, to visit some bars or cafes, to grab s.th to eat in a hurry, and to sit in some nice restaurant the next time. Everybody knows the program is lond, the time short, so a tip for skipping all or at least some of the annoying museum lines will be very useful. 

Musee de Louvre, Paris, France

Musee de Louvre, Paris, France

Paris is a city with Museum card or pass for example. They usually provide you free or discounted entry in the top spots, and the best and most important - most of the times they permit you skip the lines. This is awesome. 

Here  i want to note that such pass can be also used in cities like London and Berlin too. 

 

British Museum, London

British Museum, London

Natural History Museum, London

Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany

In Paris, when visiting Louvre this pass can save you hours. The same applies to many more famous spots - The Eiffel Tower is such a place. I personally have visited it, no having such a card, waited with hours.  If back then I knew this tip, i would take advantage of it. That's what people have called "Money well spent".

Paris on a budget, Discover Walks - new, perfect, pleasant and even free way to get to know one of the most beautiful cities in world - Paris, Places to visit

Recently two young man / Alexandre Gourevich - Paris native and Jim Jotgensen - Californian/ decided to start a wonderful activity. Guided tours - a way to show you the city in its real atmosphere, the way a native knows the city. They now have staff, called City Guides. They offer you an amazing experience - exciting, special tour round the city, memory you would bring home with you. City Guides make the walk informative, fun and also personal. They often use their own experience in the effort to show you the real life in Paris. So, this is my tip for you  travellers in order to make your stay in Paris even more unforgettable.

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

France, Paris, Le Consulat, a perfect place to have a coffee, if you only knew about the place....

The regular tours are for free. These people only accept tips from content customers as a way to earn the living. All of you can join. Tours start and end at majot city landmarks.

The tours are held in English. 

Librarie Shakespeare and Co, Paris, France

 

Kinds of Tours and hours:

Paris Landmarks / Right Bank Tour /   10am every day.

Notre Dame and the Heart  of Paris /  1pm every day.

Montmartre / Moulin Rouge to Sacre Coeur / 11am every day.
Left Bank / latin Quartier/ 2.30pm every day.
Trendy Marais / 2.30pm every day.

France, Paris, le Marais, night walk

Of coarse, there are paid courses too. You can get a private one - Family tour, Group and School Tours and others.

In my opinion this is a wonderful opportunity. This is why i decided to share it with you. That way you can make your trip to Paris even more full and exciting.

Relais Christine Paris, located in Latin Quartier, St-Germain-des-Pres, narrow street on the left Bank, Paris, France

Avenue of the cat that fishes

Art entrance to the Metro, Latin Quartier, Paris, France

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/wonderdog1/AvignonToParis

Les Trois Maillets, jazz club with many artist performances, first open as a Cabaret, Latin Quartier, Paris, France

View to the Eiffel Tower from the  restaurant in the Musee d'Órsay, Paris, France

Quartier Latin, Paris, France

Disneyland Paris Attractions

Disneyland Paris is one of the most visited places in Europe. Attractions here are fascinating. In Disneyland everybody can spend some time enjoying a fairy world. That's why this is the perfect holiday destination. In order to propose activities for all age groups there are five themed lands: Fantasyland, Discoveryland, Adventureland, Frontierland, Main Street USA. I have to say it's worth spending at least two days here so you can enjoy all the places that are interesting for you. Here you can see the best attractions and some really beautiful places:

Disneyland Park, France

Disneyland Studios, France

Big Thunder Mountain Disneyland Paris 

Big Thunder Mountain, Disneyland Paris

Space Mountain Disneyland Paris

 Space Mountain, Disneyland Paris

It's a small world

It's a small world, Disneyland, Paris

Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbean, Disneyland Paris

Pirates of the Caribbean, Disneyland Paris

The Twilight Zone Tower of Horror

The Twilight Zone Tower of Horror, Disneyland, Paris

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Peril, Disneyland Paris

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith

Rock 'n' Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith, Disneyland Paris

RC Racer

RC Racer, Disneyland, Paris

Crush's Coaster

Crush's Coaster, Disneyland Paris

Sleeping Beauty Castle

Sleeping Beauty Castle, Disneyland Paris

Alice's curious labirinth

Alice's curious labirinth, Disneyland Paris

Disneyland, Paris

Disneyland Paris resort

Disneyland Paris