The Art and Beauty of the Paris Metro

By Go City Expert

Art aficionados, culture vultures and unashamed aesthetes flock to Paris to see some of the best art in the world. From world-class paintings, sculptures and architecture the city is bursting with top museums and art galleries – however, let’s not disregard what lies beneath the cobbled city streets. The Metropolitain is the Paris underground transport network connecting the four corners of the city. Getting from A to B has never been easier, but what’s more, is that during your Paris subway ride you can even get your art fix at the same time in some of the most beautiful and iconic Metro stations. From stunning art nouveau structures, to cryptic word searches on the tunnel walls, here are some of the most visually appealing metro stations in the Paris underground. Louvre-Rivoli 8, rue de l'Amiral de Coligny The Louvre is arguably one of the most popular attractions in Paris thanks to its vast collection of art works. Welcoming over 9 million visitors a year, it’s not surprising then that the Paris underground had to reflect the style and stature of this renowned museum. Built in 1990 at the same time as the new glass pyramid, the Louvre-Rivoli metro station is lined with replica art works to echo the pieces within the museum itself. Although this station no longer provides access to the museum itself, visitors passing through on Paris transport can still admire the uniquely curated platforms. Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre on the other hand is the Louvre Museum’s main metro station now, which is another must-see on your metro art tour. The unique Place Colette entrance is made from multi-coloured glass baubles and well worth a look. Concorde Place de la Concorde × Rue Royale Concorde is one of the big interchanging stations in the Paris underground, linking lines 1, 8 and 12. It’s the main station to head towards if you’re planning on visiting the Orangerie Museum or walking up the Champs Elysées. Opened in 1990, it is one of the most recognisable stations in Paris thanks to the walls of the line 12 platform. The artistic genius behind the décor was artist Françoise Schein who covered the tunnel with lettered tiles all spelling out the 1789 Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen. Trying to spot as many words as possible before the train pulls in is a wonderful way to pass the time! Did you know Ezra Pound’s 1912 poem In a Station in the Metro was inspired by this Concorde station, as well? Abbesses Rue des Abbesses As one of only two original art nouveau glass canopies, or édicules (kiosks), left in Paris, the entrance to the Abbesses Paris subway station is something to be admired. Built by Hector Guimard, the entrance was originally covering the metro at Hôtel de Ville, before it was moved to the picturesque area of Montmartre, home to the Sacré Coeur, in the 1970s. You might also recognise the station (and the area) if you’ve watched the popular cult film Amelie, too. Abbesses is the deepest metro station at 36m under the pavements of Paris and as you wind your way down the stairs to the platforms you’ll be able to see the brightly coloured murals and graffiti-covered walls which, in itself is something worth seeing. Pont Neuf Rue du Pont Neuf Pont Neuf is ironically the oldest bridge in Paris, although its name ‘new’ suggests otherwise. Built in 1607 it’s one of Paris’ most popular landmarks and favoured by visitors taking a romantic walk across the River Seine to the Île de la Cité to visit Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle. The theme of the Pont Neuf Paris underground station represents the Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint) just around the corner. You’ll see along the walls of the platforms are large replicas of French coins, as well as display cabinets and scales for weighing money. Bastille Place de la Bastille Step back in time and learn a bit about French history at Bastille station. The walls were decorated in 1989 by Liliane Belembert and Odile Jacquot to celebrate the bicentenary of the French Revolution. Standing on the platform, you can see the five frescoes depicting historic French scenes – almost like something out of a museum. Bastille is famously the site where the prison was stormed on 14th July, marking the start of the French Revolution. Hop off at this station if you want to see the Bastille Basin, too, a charming little boat basin linking Canal Saint-Martin to the River Seine. Arts et Metiers Rue Réaumur You definitely won’t have seen anything like this station before! Vaulted and clad completely in copper, the Arts et Metiers station was designed to feel like a submarine, complete with portholes and exposed bolts. The Arts et Metiers (Art and Craft Museum), just above contains some of the most fascinating displays of technological evolution, including vintage cars and planes, as well as Foucault’s pendulum. The Arts et Metiers station, whose redesign was based on the writing of French novelist and adventurist Jules Verne, is a great reflection of the museum itself – leading you into the wonderful world of artistic creation and invention. Bir Hakeim Boulevard de Grenelle Unlike most of the Paris underground, Bir Hakeim station near the Eiffel Tower serves the trains that run above ground, crossing the River Seine. This station is particularly poignant because of its wartime history and symbolism. You’ll see at the end of each platform there are two beautiful stained glass windows; these were offered to the Mairie in the 15e arrondissement to commemorate all of the passengers who left from this station on trains headed to concentration camps during the Second World War. Poignant posters and art works also decorate the platform walls, telling of these harrowing events. Villejuif Leo Lagrande Avenue de Paris Test your sporting knowledge at this Paris subway station. Championing the greatest athletes, this metro station has been designed to look like an Olympic Stadium from its 100m distance markers, to the large murals of sprinting sporting heroes. You can’t help but feel you’re in some sort of underground sports hall as you take in the modern makeover at Villejuif Leo Lagrande station. Not one of Paris’ more conventional subways, it’s a true sign of the progressive art and beauty of the Paris underground. It might not be art nouveau but it’s still worth seeing! It’s safe to say that if you depart on an art tour of Paris you’ll be just as likely to find inspiration from what’s below ground as what’s above. As you go from one iconic Paris museum to the other, make sure you go by Paris transport and you’ll see some real authentic art and architecture as you go. Celebrate the old and the new from original Art Nouveau structures at Abbesses, to symbolic displays of the French Revolution at Concorde and Bastille, an event ingrained in Parisian culture and history. Take the time to discover the beauty of the Paris underground – it offers so much more than just stations!

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Top 12 Seriously Spooky Parts of Paris

The city of love, the city of lights, the most beautiful city in the world... The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées are all iconic places that go hand in hand with the idealistic image of the French capital - but is it really that rosy? From the terrifying guillotine to the serial killers of the capital, here is a look at some of the top morbid places in Paris - it might change your mind! THE GUILLOTINE The guillotine was a machine used for carrying out executions by beheading. It was invented by Antoine Louis, but it is the French doctor Joseph Ignace Guillotin that made it an execution machine in the late 18th century. The last person to have been guillotined in France was in 1977 (the same year as the 1st episode of the Star War Series). It is the symbol of the French Terror during the Revolution between 1790 and 1794, when thousands of people were executed. 1. Place de la Concorde: formally called Place de la Révolution (Revolution Square), this is where 1119 people were guillotined, including King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette. The guillotine was placed between the Champs-Elysées and the center of the square. 2. Place de la Nation: formally called Place du Trône Renversé (Overthrown King Square), 1306 people were executed here. 3. Intersection of Rue de la Croix Faubin and Rue de la Roquette : 5 visible stones embedded in the street mark the exact place where the guillotine was placed, beheading the prisoners of the nearby Prison de la Grande Roquette. Between 1851 and 1899, more than 200 people were executed here. The prison was destroyed in 1900. SERIAL KILLERS Paris’ serial killers have spread fear across the city for centuries. Some cases have never been solved, and even today, some killers still roam free... But two serial killers still send shivers down the spine of most Parisians: 4. Henri Désiré Landru: After WW1, when the number of men had decreased dramatically, Landru seduced widows and assassinated them at 22 Rue de Châteaudun before disposing of the bodies in a Parisian suburb. He was arrested in 1919 and executed in 1922. 5. Marcel Petiot: In 1943, when Paris was occupied by the Nazis, Petiot offered to help people that were tracked by the German Police (Gestapo). He promised to secretly send them to Argentina and asked them to come with their valuables to his home on 21 Rue Lesueur at night. In 1944, when the fire brigade arrived after neighbors complaining about a constant unusual smell, they found skinned corpses ready to be incinerated. A small gas chamber in the basement was found, with a peephole in the door to watch his 27 victims agonize... TRAGIC DEATHS Many beautiful places in Paris are tainted by tragic deaths that mark its history, three such places are; 6. Pont des Suicidés: located in the Buttes-Chaumont park, this little stone bridge links the central island to the rest of the park. The name of this bridge says it all: the Suicide Bridge. Many people have tragically ended their lives by jumping off this 22m high bridge since 1867. 7. Square du Vert Galant: This little park located at the tip of Ile de la Cité (Cité island) is where a lot of people now gather for a picnic on warm summer nights. This was not the case in March 1314 when Jacques de Molay, the last of the Templars, was burned at the stake (alive) after being accused of heresy by King Philippe IV. 8. Place des Vosges: on June 30th 1559, after getting a fragment of his lance in his eye during a jousting tournament, King Henri II of France dies in excruciating pain in his royal mansion Hôtel des Tournelles. To forget about the tragic accident, King Henri IV destroys the mansion and builds the Place Royale (Royal Square) in 1612, later changed to Place des Vosges. HAUNTED AREAS Even the most popular monuments have their intrigues and mysteries: the doors of Notre Dame, the black magic of the Louvre, the mystery of Napoleon’s tomb. Here are 2 real haunted places of Paris. 9. The haunted house in Pigalle: At 1 Impasse Frochot is a small neo-gothic house which looks charming... Victor Massé, a French composer, died of multiple sclerosis in this house. A few years later, the owner (a woman) is slain with a poker here and the following owner also dies of multiple sclerosis. No one knows why Sylvie Vartan, a famous French singer, fled the house abruptly leaving everything behind... 10. La Grange aux Belles area: Located in the south west of the Buttes-Chaumont park, the Grange aux Belles area is where the gibbet of Montfaucon used to stand in until the 17th century. It was a large structure with 45 compartments in which people were hanged. Today, it is said that if you listen closely at night, you can still hear the chains and moans of the thousands of victims. ASSASSINATIONS Since the dawn of its existence, Paris has been the theater of many tragic assassinations. Powerful people preferred eliminating their rivals instead of using diplomacy. Poison used in the medieval times (called “succession powder”), made way to guns at a later stage... Here are 2 assassinations that have had an impact on the history of Paris. 11. King Henri IV: Leaving the Louvre in his carriage on his way to see the Duke of Sully in the Marais on Mai 16th 1610, Henri IV’s carriage is stopped by heavy traffic. A stranger in green clothes jumps on the non protected carriage and stabs the king to death. A sign at 10 rue de la Ferronnerie indicates the exact spot of his assassination. 12. the Duke of Orleans: when King Charles VI dies, the battle for power rages. The king’s brother, the Duke of Orleans has the upper hand, which Jean Sans Peur, Duke of Burgundy, cannot accept. Jean Sans Peur therefore decides to assassinate his rival in the street next to today’s Impasse des Arbalétriers, which will result in the start of the 1407-1435 bloody civil war Image credit: Thomas Claveirole - Flickr
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Top Five Places for Croissants in Paris

You can’t turn down a croissant when you’re in Paris. These traditional Austrian pastries made their way over to France and into the capital back in the 1900s and have become a staple in continental breakfasts since. These are multiple bakeries and croissanteries around the city selling all manner of buttery doughed croissants to the masses. You just need to stroll along the streets of Paris in the wee hours and you can smell the fresh dough being baked ready for the early commuters and eager tourists. We made it our mission to set to the streets of Paris and do a taste test; all in the name of research. Below are our top five places for croissants in Paris. You can thank us later! ERIC KAYSER Deliciously light and crispy, the definition of the perfect croissant! It scores full marks on our taste criteria. The use of natural liquid yeast is key to the unique quality of their products and though the careful baking takes hours, the result is irresistibly mouthwatering! Eric Kayser’s fantastic croissants can be found in about 20 bakeries in Paris, but we recommend the very first one, 8 rue Monge Address: 8 rue Monge, 75005 Paris Opening times: 6:45am to 8:30pm - closed on Tuesdays Price: €1.05 GONTRAN CHERRIER The founder Gontran Cherrier has lived and breathed the life of a true “Boulanger” from a very young age. Having grown up in a family of bakers and pastry makers, not only has he learnt the tricks of the trade but has also inherited a treasure box of ancestral bread making knowledge. His croissants are pure gold, wonderfully rich and buttery. Address: 22 rue Caulaincourt - 75018 Paris Opening times: 7.30am - 8pm (Monday - Saturday) 8am - 8pm (Sunday) Price: €1 143 RDT Many products here are prize winners, and amongst them are the croissants which have won two prizes in the ‘Concours du Meilleur Croissant au beurre’ (best butter croissant competition). More on the flakey side, they are wonderfully light and flavorsome. They do sell out fast so we recommend you go earlier in the day! Address: 134 rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris Opening times: 3pm -2am (Monday - Sunday) Price range: €1.20 BOULANGERIE LEMARIE - DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER The bakery itself looks pretty ordinary BUT the croissants are divine! And if you’re feeling in the mood for a croissant but don’t want to wait in those long queues, Boulangerie Lemarie is the place to go! Order online and pick it up when you want. It is a very popular place and they bake all day so that customers can have delicious croissants morning and afternoon. Address: 16 Rue Mouffetard, 75005 Paris Opening times: 11am - 4pm (Monday - Saturday) Price range: €1 MAISON GRÉGOIRE The glorious smell of the croissants will hit you even before you see them. A very popular bakery much loved for its quality and professional atmosphere. It is said that the flour used in their products is ground in the traditional way through the use of a windmill. When you get there don’t be put off by the queue, it moves quickly! Address: 69 rue Monge, 75005 Paris Opening times: 8am - 8pm (Tuesday - Sunday) Price range: €1
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The Sacre-Couer Basilica in Paris's Montmartre district.
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Best Historical Sites in Paris to Visit

Founded by enterprising Celtic fishermen in the 3rd Century BC, Paris has had nearly 2.5 millennia to drum up a historical monument or six for your delectation. And ooh la la, does it deliver. Many of its biggest attractions – think the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral and Arc de Triomphe – have become national symbols, as synonymous with French identity as fresh croissants, Paris chic and the tricolore flag. Our rundown of the best historical sites in Paris to visit features all these iconic landmarks and more, including: Père Lachaise Cemetery Latin Quarter Marché des Enfants Rouges Panthéon Paris Catacombs Montmartre The Eiffel Tower This one needs no introduction, right? Perhaps the most emblematic French cultural icon of them all, The Iron Lady reigns supreme in Paris, reproduced on everything from street signs and café facades to high-end Champs-Élysées jewelry stores and tacky tourist-trap souvenir joints (Eiffel Tower cuddly toy, anyone?). But nothing beats the real thing: 984 magnificent feet of wrought-iron latticework, designed and built by Gustave Eiffel in the late 1880s. Take the elevator all the way to the top or – should you be feeling particularly energetic – climb the 674 steps to the second floor and catch the elevator from there. Either way, a champagne bar up top will help take the edge off. Notre-Dame Cathedral Setting hearts aflutter for nearly 1,000 years, Notre-Dame has been immortalized many times over in art, literature and film. We’re talking masterpieces by Matisse, Hopper, Picasso and, of course, Victor Hugo’s legendary novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. But, again, it’s la Grande Dame de Paris herself that will get your pulse racing, all colorful medieval rose windows, soaring bell towers, ancient pipe organs, picture-perfect flying buttresses and decorative sculptures, and enormous church bells. Visitors will be able to admire its grand Gothic interiors again from late 2024, once restoration following the 2019 fire is complete. Arc de Triomphe The third of Paris’s ‘big three’, the Arc de Triomphe stands proudly on Place Charles de Gaulle at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. This 164-foot-high Neoclassical monument is a suitably grandiose memorial to those who died in combat during the Napoleonic and French Revolutionary wars. A little more forgiving than the Eiffel Tower, the arch has a mere 284 steps up to the summit, from where snap-happy families can enjoy some of Paris’s best photo opportunities, with views of the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur basilica, and along the length of the elegant Champs-Élysées boulevard to Place de la Concorde. Arc de Triomphe tickets are included with your Paris Pass. Père Lachaise Cemetery You could easily spend a whole morning strolling peaceful Père Lachaise, the largest and leafiest cemetery in Paris and home to permanent residents that include Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf, Chopin, Jim Morrison of The Doors, the playwright Molière and many more legendary entertainers and artists of yore. Ogle titanic tombs, gothic gravestones, splendid statues and magnificent memorials to the great and good, including many more honoring France’s war dead. A fun whistle-stop tour of the cemetery takes in some of the most elaborate resting places and spills the goss on the cemetery’s most famous celebs. The Latin Quarter Set around the historic Sorbonne University on the Seine’s left bank, the Latin quarter is an absolute mecca for anyone with even a passing interest in books. Its storied lanes are chock-full of bohemian bars and sultry jazz joints once frequented by such literary luminaries as F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway, and you can pay your respects to French greats including Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Dumas, Zola and De Quincey in the magnificent Panthéon. Afterwards, take a stroll to English-language bookstore Shakespeare and Company or hit up Paris’s semi-legendary bouquinistes, a veritable army of booksellers that line the Seine offering up a smorgasbord of literary classics, childrens’ books, antiquarian tomes and more. Marché des Enfants Rouges Paris’s thriving market culture dates to Roman times, when its first market was established on the Île de la Cité. Nowadays, there are around 100 to pick and choose from, with traders hawking everything from fresh produce, plants and flowers to antiques, knick-knacks and pets. The oldest and most historic of these is the Marché des Enfants Rouges, opened way back in the 16th century in the atmospheric Marais district, and named for the red clothes worn by children from the nearby (but now long-gone) orphanage. Now a thriving foodie destination, its where you’ll find some of Paris’s best street snacks. Follow your nose (and the long, hungry queues) to local fave Chez Alain Miam Miam for belly-busting pan-fried sandwiches, then sweeten the deal with honey baklava and mint tea from Le Traiteur Marocain. The Louvre Palace and Museum Only the planet’s largest art museum and most visited site in Paris, the Louvre was a palace long before it became a gallery in 1793. Built in the 12th Century during the reign of King Philip II, this opulent confection now provides a suitably regal space for displaying some of history’s best art. We’re talking the Mona Lisa (of course), plus the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace. Add to these masterpieces by (to name just a few) Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt and Titian and you have quite the treat for art lovers. History buffs can also check out Napoleon III’s ludicrously opulent apartments, the gilded rococo drawing room, lavish state dining rooms and more at the palace. The Catacombs Paris gives the ancient Egyptians and Mexicans a pretty good run for their money when it comes to their fascination with the dead. You’ve visited the celeb-crammed cemeteries; now get even closer to the bone(s) down in the Paris Catacombs, where a blood-freezing network of underground ossuaries houses the mortal remains of some six million Parisians. Overflowing graveyards in the 18th and 19th centuries meant a solution had to be found – and fast. These dank and macabre caverns are the result, and the experience of walking through them, surrounded by human bones, is not for the faint of heart. Legend has it that if you go down there after midnight, the skulls in the walls will begin to speak, urging you onwards to your certain doom. Sounds like an old wife’s tale to us but, just to be on the safe side, we’d suggest you stick to the daytime tours. Montmartre With the Sacré-Cœur Basilica perched at its top, like a little fondant decoration on a wedding cake, Montmartre is one of Paris’s most historic neighborhoods. Save your legs by taking the funicular railway up the hill then rewarding your efforts with a chocolate crêpe and a stroll through cobbled streets and squares that have inspired artists from Modigliani to Picasso. A romantic meander around the famous butte takes in such sights as the arty Place du Tertre, the neon-red Moulin Rouge windmill, and the Musée de Montmartre (with exhibits from Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge series and other French Impressionist masterpieces). Don’t miss the awe-inspiring views from the Sacré-Cœur at sunset. Accompanied by a pistachio ice cream, natch. Save on the Best Historical Sites in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with The Paris Pass. Check out @GoCity on Instagram for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak

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