Page 76 - Off The Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 2 of 2)

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ART AND CULTURE

Smaller Parisian Museums

vs Musée du Louvre

The illustrious Louvre is an undisputed crowd-puller but, if you prefer a little breathing space with your culture,
Paris has a host of lesser-known art museums with equally commendable credentials

studded crown of Empress Eugénie. But, let’s face it, The exquisite good taste of an art-adoring
NEED TO KNOW
35,000 works of art can be downright daunting. 19th-century couple, Edouard André and Nélie
LOCATION Paris is 6/*5&%
,*/(%0. Where to begin? Where to finish? How to stay on Jacquemart, is in evidence in their former family
located on the Seine in -JMMF
the Île de France region your feet? Don’t feel guilty, you can love the Louvre home. Here, English portraits are displayed with
of north-central France 1"3*4 4USBTCPVSH but you can leave it, too. For beyond its imposing Tiepolo friezes, French tapestries with Van Dycks,
VISITORS PER YEAR '3"/$& walls lie smaller, more accessible collections, some and their assembled collection of Early Italian
Around 28 million 48*5;&3-"/%
#BZ PG of them housed in mansions that also permit you a Renaissance paintings is breathtaking.
DAYTIME #JTDBZ -ZPO *5"-:
TEMPERATURES glimpse of long-vanished lives and lifestyles. The collections in the Musée Cognacq-Jay,
Jan: 37°F (3°C); Apr: 52°F #PSEFBVY .BSTFJMMF The extraordinary Musée National du Moyen amassed by another prosperous husband-and-wife
(11°C); Jul: 68°F (20°C);
Oct: 54°F (12°C) .FEJUFSSBOFBO Age combines the remains of an ancient thermal team, favor the 18th century, with outstanding
41"*/ 4FB
spa, a Gothic mansion, and a vast collection of French Rococo paintings, and Sèvres porcelain
medieval art and artifacts. The most highly prized far too beautiful to eat off.
It is one of the world’s greatest art collections, exhibits in the museum are a set of six radiant Despite its loveliness, the Musée Nissim de
some 8 miles (13 km) of Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, wool-and-silk tapestries, and the carved stone Camondo is founded on sadness. On the death of
Islamic, French, Italian, Flemish, and Dutch treasures (noseless) heads of the Kings of Judah. his aviator son Nissim, in World War I, Count Moïse
marshalled into an impossibly sumptuous royal The Institut du Monde Arabe reaches even de Camondo, a passionate collector of 18th-
palace. And it has something for everyone: further back in time, showcasing Arabic history and century French furniture and art, retreated from
Renaissance masterpieces by Botticelli, Raphael, culture with exhibits such as urns and carpets dating society and bequeathed his lavishly furnished
and da Vinci; the Rubens-filled Medici Gallery; the from prehistory to the present day. Interestingly, these house to the State in memory of his son.
Winged Victory of Samothrace; the Venus de Milo; relics of the ancients are housed in an ultra-modern In the 1930s, a group of artists campaigned to
sphinxes and mummies; and the 2,490-diamond- building, acclaimed for its architectural innovation. save the home of Eugène Delacroix from demolition.
Today, it houses a wide range of his works, along
with his easel, palette, and other memorabilia.
FORGET THE LOUVRE?
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
THE BUILD-UP The Louvre was founded in 1793 to
display the royal collection and, as that grew, so did Getting There and Around Where to Stay
the museum. Subsequent rulers added their flourishes Paris is served by two airports: Hôtel du Petit Moulin (www.
to create this marvelous architectural amalgam, filled Charles de Gaulle (CDG), 19 paris-hotel-petitmoulin.com),
to its pitched rafters with art from all over the world. miles (30 km) northeast of Paris, a former bakery, offers Christian
and Orly, 11 miles (18 km) Lacroix-designed rooms and
THE LETDOWN More than eight million visitors a south. Transportation options trompe-l’oeil artwork panels, and
from both include trains (RER B
year means crushing crowds and, once inside, little in an exclusive, guests-only bar.
for CDG, RER C for Orly); shuttle
the way of crowd control. Catching a glimpse of the When to Go
services (www.cars.airfrance.fr);
Mona Lisa devoid of flashing, whirring cameras is April to June is delightful in Paris;
RATP buses (Roissybus and
impossible, and she’s behind a thick shield of bullet- Orlybus); and taxis. The best way September and October are also
proof glass. The cut-off point for the collection of getting around is the Métro. good as there are fewer tourists.
is 1848, disappointing for fans of modern art. Budget per Day for Two
ABOVE Crowds of visitors gather round the Mona Lisa, probably Where to Eat
the most famous and most popular painting in the Louvre Paris is a dream destination for Around US$360, including
GOING ANYWAY? As a rule, there are fewer crowds diners. Try Le Chateaubriand in the accommodations, meals, local
in the evening but, if this is not convenient, buy a ticket online in advance (www.louvre.fr). You can’t see 11th arrondissement (tel. +33 transportation, and admissions.
everything in one visit, so plan ahead and make a hit list, or be spontaneous and enjoy what you find. 1 43 57 45 95) for its bistronomie Website
(gourmet food at bistro prices). www.parisinfo.com

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