by Orson Johnson
You can’t find many cities as beautiful and romantic as the French Capital, which is known for its rarities. Paris certainly is one of the most unique cities of the world. It is the city of lights that has a beguiling influence on its visitors. It is a popular tourist destination attracting over 30 million tourists every year.
Situated on the Seine River, in northern France, Paris is packed with tourist attractions. The city has plenty to offer you inside as well as outside in rural regions. In addition to numerous top sites inside the city, you can find many attractive points by exploring the outer regions of Paris. If you intend to investigate by venturing outside the norm, here are some interesting places that you can visit.
Val d’Europe photo by Pinpin/Wikimedia
Marne-la-Vallée – a town located near Paris, in Île-de-France, famous for Val d'Europe and Disneyland Resort Paris. Val d'Europe, located about 35 kms to the east of Paris, is a town built with help of the Walt Disney Company. With a model of of a “new city”, this town is self-sufficient that makes sure all have jobs, whether in Agriculture, the Val d’Europe Shopping Mall or working for the Theme Park itself. Aquarium Sea Life Paris is another major attraction just a few minutes from the Disneyland Resort. The unusual thing about this aquarium is the Green Sea Turtles. That actually live with the sharks, this attraction is a fav for both young and old. The “Auchan” Supermarket is actually a huge mall that has over 90 shops for the few who find shopping is a given in any vacation.
Queen’s Hamlet Versailles photo by Simdaperce/Wikimedia
Versailles – a fantastic wealthy city, located in the western-southwestern suburbs, 17.1 kms (10.6 miles) from the Paris Center. As one of the wealthiest vicinities of Paris, Versailles is best known for the Palace of Versailles, popularly known as Chateau de Versailles, and gardens built by King Louis XIV. The gardens themselves considered the royal playground, can take all day to wander through. Actually considered more of a tourist attraction than even the Palace itself there are hidden treasures found throughout the walks. Envisioning secret trysts, lingering picnics, and important royal decisions, as you wander through the gardens the grounds beckon you to relive some of the Renaissance. Even though there is a small charge, don’t miss the Queen’s Farm. This small hamlet and fantastical architecture was once the home of Marie Antoinette. If you want to take a small break from all the walking you will do in the gardens, rent a small boat and float down the tree-lined “Grand Canal” at the bottom of the gardens. In the Palace of great interest is the Queen’s Apartments and Hall of Mirrors, where the historic treaty of Versailles was signed in 1918 to end World War I.
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte photo by Jerome Galichon/Wikimedia
Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte – a Classical French chateau, located 55 km southeast of Paris, in Maincy, near Melun. It is one of the finest architectures in Europe. Built in the Louis XIV style from 1658 to 1661 for Nicolas Fouquet, Marquis de Belle-Isle (Belle-Ile-en-Mer), Viscount of Melun and Vaux, the Chateau houses a marvelous museum. Vaux-le-Vicomte is featured in the 1979 James Bond movie “Moonraker”, and the 1998 movie “The Man in the Iron Mask”. Bring the kids they will love the Riddle Books that teach them about the chateau in a fun and they get to follow a trail throughout the different rooms. Even more fun you can rent costumes of Princes, Princesses and Musketeers they can wear while they explore a new world.
Chateau D'Auvers Sur Oise – a French Chateau in Auvers-sur-Oise where Van Gogh spent his final days, located some 27.2 km. (16.9 miles) from the Paris Center. Manifesting a nice blend of the architectural genres of Louis XIV style and Louis XV style, the Chateau D'Auvers Sur Oise offers over 600 impressionist paintings of the masters, such as Renoir, Lautrec, Monet, Degas, Pissarro, and Cezanne. The Chateau also features Costumes, Fashion accessories, Drawings, Interior decoration items, Models, Documents, Posters, Art instruments, etc.
Abbaye De Royaumont – located near Asnières-sur-Oise in Val-d'Oise, about 30 km north of Paris, Abbaye De Royaumont or Royaumont Abbey is a Cistercian abbey. Built between 1228 and 1235, under the auspices of Louis IX, the Abbaye De Royaumont is a great tourist attraction and serves as a cultural centre. The Abbey has many members of the French Royal family entombed there.
Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace – a museum of air and space, located at Le Bourget, some 10 km north of Paris. It is one of the best and the oldest aviation museums in the world. The museum features more than 150 aircraft and many works of art on the theme of balloons. It exhibits the most modern air and spacecraft, including the prototype for Concorde and Swiss and Russian rockets.
Monet’s Water Lillies
Giverny – This village is the gateway to Normandy and home of Monet. There so much more to discover than just the gardens made famous by the talented artist. Located 80km (50 miles) from Paris, west and slightly north. As Claude Monet’s personal home, it is now the Claude Monet Foundation and carries on with a deep love and appreciation for the arts. A walk around the gardens is not only lovely but you can see what motivated the artist to paint with such passion. Musée d'Art Américain – an American Art Museum is another attraction of Giverny. The Musée welcomes visitors to explore American art of all periods. It features one of the finest collections of Impressionist artworks by American artists in France during Monet's time. It throws light on the links between French and American cultures. Ile De France (Musee de l') – a museum housed in Château de Sceaux, located 9.7 km (6 miles) from the Paris Center. The Sceaux Château was built in 1858 for Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV's minister of finance. The Château today is a famous museum offering the artistic, archeological patrimony collections. The museum features one of the largest collections of the painters of the School of Paris.
A trip to Paris is one of the best vacation hotspots in the world but a vacation that includes some of these day trips will be tops on your list for memories.
Author writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing listings for Hotels, Villas, Quality apartments in Paris, France, and Vacation rentals in Europe.
Useful Websites:
Aquarium Sea Life Paris
www.sealifeeurope.com
Chateau Versailles
http://en.chateauversailles.fr
Chateau D'Auvers Sur Oise
www.chateau-auvers.fr
Abbaye De Royaumont
www.royaumont.com
Paris Museum of Air and Space
www.mae.org/
Giverny Foundation
www.fondation-monet.com/uk
