France Trivia: Paris Travel Facts
Sewer tour, Musee du Louvre art, Eiffel Tower history, Army museum
Information on the French capital, including the 1889 World Fair, Mona Lisa, the Da Vinci Code, Place de l'Alma, Napoleon's tomb & Hotel des Invalides.
In Paris, France, you can discover Napoleon’s tomb in the Hotel des Invalides, the Mona Lisa, La Grande Pyramide and the Da Vinci Code amongst the Musee du Louvre’s art and the Flame of Liberty Memorial in the Place de l’Alma near the sewer tour. Here are some Paris travel facts and France trivia that may be of interest to visitors to the French capital.
Musee du Louvre art travel facts and trivia
- Arguably the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci (also known as La Gioconda or La Joconde), can be found in the Musee du Louvre in Paris.
- Other artworks in the Louvre museum include the crown jewels of Louis XV, Michaelangelo’s The Dying Slave , Ingres’ The Turkish Bath, Gericault’s The Raft of Medusa
- The Louvre also includes famous works by Raphael, Titian, Corot, Delacroix and Botticelli.
- The famous glass pyramid (La Grande Pyramide) at the entrance to the Louvre was designed by Chinese-American architect IM Pei and featured heavily in The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.
Paris sewer tour travel facts and trivia
- The Musee des Egouts de Paris is perhaps the French capital’s strangest attraction – it is a sewer tour. Underneath the streets of Paris you can discover the history of waste disposal in the city formerly known as Lutetia.
- Opposite the sewer tour entrance is the Place de l’Alma. Here you can see the Flame of Liberty Memorial, which is a replica of the flame at the top of the Statue of Liberty in New York, the United States of America. The memorial has been somewhat appropriated by fans of Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in the underpass going under the Place de l’Alma.
Paris, France - Eiffel tower history
- The Eiffel Tower, designed by Gustav Eiffel, was made for the 1889 World Fair and wasn’t all that popular with Parisiens at the time, even though it was then the tallest structure in the world. It was due to be torn in 1909, but it was saved as it made an ideal spot to put TV and radio antennas on top of.
- Nearly 6m people climb the Eiffel Tower (or Tour d’Eiffel) every year.
Paris, France – Hotel des Invalides
- The Hotel des Invalides was built in the 17th century by Louis XIV to provide housing for disabled war veterans
- Emperor Napoleon’s tomb can be found in the Eglise du Dome, which is in the Hotel des Invalides complex.
- The Musee de l’Armee (Museum of the Army) can also be found inside the Hotel des Invalides. It is the biggest military museum in France, and has huge displays on medieval armour and weaponry as well as a large exhibit on the Second World War.
MORE TRAVEL FACTS AND TRIVIA
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