Tourist attractions in France
The aperitif in the picturesque square slipped down with ease. To follow, arguably the finest food in the world will be augmented with certifiably the finest wine. And all you can do is sit back and think of France…it’s not a bad life sometimes! The beauty of Paris, the rural towns of the great French countryside; the arts, the architecture, the culture, the language…
Arts and culture in Paris
There are some fantastic tourist attractions in France. Take The Louvre, for example. Peerless, huge, crammed full of arts from antiquity to the 19th century. The Mona Lisa lies here on its own wall in a room full of Titian’s and Tintoretto’s… the long corridor gallery running past has more Leonardo Da Vinci’s than you could possibly dream of seeing in one place.
From here cross over the river to the Musee D’Orsay, the railway station now art gallery housing a collection of works from France’s great addition to the world’s art scene- Impressionism, and its Monet’s, Cezanne’s Van Gogh’s… And if it’s Monet you prefer, nip back across the Seine to the Musee de l’Orangerie for the master’s masterful rendition of The Waterlillies.
Further evidence of France’s 19th century explosion of creativity comes in the landmark of landmarks, The Eiffel Tower, one of the most well known tourist attractions in France, which still soars today from the centre of the city in its wrought iron magnificence… and from the top the great city of Paris is laid out beneath you, from Napoleon’s Arc du Triomphe and the symbolic grave of “The Unknown Soldier” beneath, looking down the great Champs Elysees towards that other landmark of an earlier time and the gloomy splendour of Notre Dame in all its gothic glory.
Architecture
Gothic architecture is something France does rather well - a day trip from Paris acquaints one with the stupendous cathedral of Chartres which rises sharply out of the countryside from afar. But if youfancy getting lost in pomp and circumstance and the legend of Marie Antoinette? The huge Palace of Versailles is for you, then.
Further afield take in the magnificent Roman theatre in Orange, still near complete; and the Roman remains in nearby Arles and its fine amphitheatre. Not too far distant, and a relic of Catholicism’s power battles in the 13th century, lies The Pope’s Palace in Avingnon, one time seat of the Popes.
The life of its provincial towns - the markets, the cuisine, the wine; its countryside and cities, makes France a terrifically satisfying holiday destination with so many tourist attractions. Why not take in some of that joie de vivre yourself?
