 30
million people visit Paris every year and sometimes you find
yourself thinking that each and every one of them is in the same
room as you. It's particularly noticeable at the Louvre, thanks in
part to Dan Brown convincing half the world that the key to
Christianity's destruction lies buried under the massive museum.
But the seething crowds also flock to the Eiffel Tower, Notre
Dame and the footpaths of the Champs Elysee. It's completely
understandable. These are the "attractions" that people feel must be
ticked off to complete a visit to the French capital. But queues,
constant elbowing and questionable bathing habits of fellow tourists
can be a trial.
Respite is never far away, however. It's simply a matter of
knowing a few tricks and expanding your horizons beyond those of the
package tourists.
A Carte Musee Paris is a must. It's a pass that gains you entry
to most of the major cultural attractions of Paris and surrounds,
but, more importantly, it also allows you to bypass the massive
queues at the ticket offices.
The time and tedium saved by being able to walk straight into the
Musee D'Orsay, say, while thousands slowly shuffle in the beating
sun or soaking rain is alone worth the price.
The passes are available for two-, four- or six-day periods,
starting at about $55. They can be purchased online or at any French
tourism office in Paris, and, depending on how you use them, can
save money and time.
Time is key, too, when it comes to avoiding the worst of the
crowds.
Most package tour groups aim to visit the major attractions in
the morning, so avoid doing so if you can.
Many of the major museums open until late on selected weeknights,
when you'll find them a lot quieter.
Once you've visited the most obvious and popular attractions, you
can relax and enjoy some of the hundreds of others throughout Paris.
Just a short walk from the Louvre, for example, you'll find the
Musee national de l'Orangerie des Tuileries.
Recently re-opened after six years of refurbishment, its star
attraction, a series of massive Monet paintings, has finally found a
setting to do it justice.
The two ovoid rooms in which they are displayed, previously
lurking beneath an ill-conceived mezzanine level, are now open to
the sky, with sunlight streaming through the glass roof, filtered
through gauze screens.
We encountered no queues at Musee national du Moyen Age, known to
many simply as the Cluny.
Housed within ancient Gallo-Roman baths and the medieval home of
the Cluny abbots in the Latin Quarter, the museum is most famous for
its set of six beautiful tapestries which have come to be known as
The Lady and the Unicorn. It also houses a dazzling array of
religious artefacts and statuary.
You could spend the morning at the Cluny before heading to the
nearby Paris Mosque. This neo-Moorish masterpiece, opened in 1926,
welcomes everyone, although the prayer hall is open only to Muslim
worshippers.
A brief stroll away is the Jardin des Plantes, France's flagship
botanical garden, and the perfect place to admire the stylish
students from the nearby Sorbonne university.
If you're feeling homesick, you could visit the Australian
hothouse, but the spectacular Alpine Garden is of more exotic
interest.
Just as exotic is the Jacquemart Andre Museum, a vast collection
of renaissance art housed in an elegant mansion on Boulevard
Haussmann. The house and its spectacular contents were assembled in
the late 19th and early 20th century by businessman Eduard Andre and
his artistically inclined wife Nelie Jacquemart.
The Jacquemart Andre Museum draws 600,000 visitors a year, but
there weren't more than 20 there during a visit a few weeks ago.
The same can't be said of the Palace of Versailles, the
extravagant home of France's rulers to the west of central Paris.
Versailles is always crowded, especially on Sundays, the only day
the fountains are turned on.
The Carte Musee Paris will get you past the crowds waiting to
enter the palace, but once inside you'll find yourself swept through
the grand rooms by a sweating tide of humanity.
Getting away from the crowds is as simple as hiring a bicycle at
the foot of the Grand Canal. Within minutes you can find yourself
pedalling along paths with no one else in sight. The smaller palaces
within the grounds, the Grand Trianon and Petite Trianon, along with
the faux village where Marie Antoinette liked to play at being a
shepherdess, are easily reached by bicycle and are free of the
tourist hordes.
Pack a picnic lunch, find a quiet spot along the canal with a
view back to the palace and your day will be made.
There are many ways to spend a quiet time in Paris, at Musee
national Picasso, for example, or in the Musee Rodin rose garden, so
bon voyage. |
Da
Vinci Code Walking Tour, Paris
