ART: Louvre, Orsay & Pompidou

The Louvre Museum - Paris

The Louvre Museum is the largest museum of France, houses collections of western art from the middle Ages to 1850. This museum also houses the antique civilizations divided in to eight departments: Oriental Antiquities, Islamic Art, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities. A section here is devoted to history of the Louvre which includes the medieval moats erected by Philippe Auguste in 1190.

Address: Cour Napoleon, A.P. 34, 36 quai du Louvre
Opening hours: Open: Museum: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. - Pyramid: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. - Museum late night opening: Monday (Richelieu Wing) and Wednesday: 9.45 p.m. Closed: Tuesday and holidays.
Phone: +33 (0)1 40 20 53 17


The Orsay Museum - Paris

The French government, on the eve of the 1900 World's Fair planned to build a central terminus on the site of the ruined Palais d'Orsay. Orsay station was the head of the southwestern French railroad network, from 1900 to 1939 and in 1977 the official decision to build the Musée d'Orsay was taken. This Paris museum shows the artistic creation of the western world from 1848 to 1914.

Address : 62, rue de Lille
Opening hours : The museum is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9.30am to 6pm and on Thursdays from 9.30am to 9.45pm
Phone : +33 (0)1 40 49 48 14

The Centre Pompidou - Paris

The Centre Pompidou, also called Beaubourg, took birth in February 1977 to focus on all forms of modern and contemporary creation: sculpture, painting, books, cinema, video, performances, music, etc. The museum holds performances (theater, dance, and music), cinema, symposia and debates, and publications.

Address: Place Georges Pompidou
Opening hours: The Centre Pompidou is open every day from 11am to 10pm, except Tuesdays and May 1.
Phone: Standard: +33 (0)1 44 78 12 33 (recorded message, Sundays and public holidays, and from 7.30pm)

ART: Paris Champs Elysées

The Champs-Elysées, means for the French "La plus belle avenue du monde". It starts from the Place de la Concorde and runs up to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. This is where some of the most significant events of the year are held: New Year’s Eve gathering, 14th July military parade and the arrival of the Tour de France cycling race. The Champs-Elysées is at the center of Parisian life and the walk from the Champs-Elysées Clemenceau to the Etoile Charles de Gaulle metro stations are a perfect introduction to the city. Here you can find people from all over the world in shops, theaters and in restaurants.

The Champs-Elysées are 2 Km long and 80 meters wide. At the top of Champs-Elysées is The Arc de Triomphe, which was completed in 1836. This arc is a memorial of the soldiers killed in World War I and there is one permanently burning flame in the memory of those killed in the war. Here you’ll find the Tricolor hoisted at the arc. In French they call it “Les Champ” and it’s the most fashionable and luxurious area in Paris.

The season of Christmas starting from December and up to January with numerous illuminations is one of the most coveted times on the Champs Elysées.

The Champs-Elysées is the home of some of the very best cinemas, car showrooms, cafes, restaurants and beauty salons. If you’re missing your films then UGC and Gaumont, the two biggest French film distributors, screen a vide range of international films along The Champs-Elysées.

The Champs-Elysées also houses Citroën, Mercedes and Peugeot showrooms. Cafes and restaurants like Planet Hollywood, Häagen-Dazs ice-creams , the gigantic Pizza Pino ,the Copenhague Nordic restaurant ,the Brasserie Lowenbrau with its Bavarian orchestra ,the Chez Clément ,Batifol and Bistro de la Gare are some of the international cafes and restaurants available on the Champs.

ART: Paris Museums

French capital Paris houses some of the greatest museums and galleries. Below you’ll find some of our favourites.

ARTS ET METIERS, Musee des (history of science and technology)
Over 80,000 items are placed at this museum pertaining to the history of science. There is a huge collection of items from Renaissance Italy, China, Japan and US. This museum is an interesting place to visit for the children also.
Address: 60 rue Réaumur, Métro : Arts et Métiers
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 10.00 to 18.00
Telephone.: +33 (0)1 53 01 82 00

BALZAC, Maison de (life and work in the home of Honoré de Balzac)
This is the place where Balzac lived and worked passionately on his masterpiece la Comédie humaine. Balzac hides himself here from blood-hungry money Landers from 1840-1847 and to cheat them he adopted a false name: M. De Breugnol.
Address: 47, rue Raynouard
Opening hours: 10 a.m.-5.40 p.m. 
Closed: Monday, bank holidays
Phone: +33 (0) 42 24 56 38

CAMONDO, Musee Nissim de (home, art and objects of banker Nissim de Camondo)
This is a three story mansion mostly houses the 18th-century French furniture. Rococo items, some of them belonging to the famous names of that era, like Madame de Pompadour and Marie Antoinette, are housed in the rooms. In the grand salon a beautiful portrait of a woman by Vigee-Leburn is placed.
Address: 63 rue de Monceau, 8e Arrondissement
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 10am-5:30pm
Phone : +33 (0) 53-89-06-40

CARNAVALET, Musee (history of the City of Paris)
On display at this marvelous museum are the grandeur, the esteem, the innovation, the brilliance, the blood, sweat, and tears of Parisian history from prehistory to the 20th century. This museum is having more than 140 rooms, and houses a huge range of objects of archeology, painting, sculpture and furniture.
Address: 23, rue de Sévignee, 3rd Arrondissement.
Opening hours: 10h - 17h40; Closed Mondays and public holidays
Phone : +33 (0) 42 72 41 13

PICASSO, Musee National (work of painter Pablo Picasso in a hotel particular)
The museum repeats the truth that Picasso was part of each notable art work during his lifetime. The two floors of the museum contain the numerous work of Picasso.
Address: Hotel Sale, 5, rue de Thorigny.
Opening hours 9.45 a.m. - 5 p.m. Closed Tuesday's and New Years Day
Phone : +33 (0) 42 71 25 21

DELACROIX, Musee Eugene (home and studio of painter Eugene Delacroix)
Delacroix was the home and studio of the great French painter Eugene Delacroix, where he spent his last years (1857-1863). The museum has been arranged very smartly. One can find there the biblical sights and pastels of inland scenery.
Address: 6, rue de Furstenberg.
Opening hours: Winter: 9.30 a.m.-5.30 p.m. - Summer 9.30 a.m.-6 p.m. Clsoed Tuesday’s and New Years Day
Phone : +33 (0) 43 54 04 87

JACQUEMART-ANDRE, Musee (spectacular home and art collection of famous couple)
The couple Jacquemart-Andrés spent a lot of money on the wealth that decorate the museum today. Passing through the marble hall and meticulously arranged courtyard, one can imagine the things ahead. Paintings of the famous French painters of the 17th and 18th centuries, like Boucher, Chardin, Drouais, Fragonard, and Greuze adorn the salons. The salon de thé is absolutely the marvel.
Address: 158 Bd Haussmann, metro Miromesnil
Opening hours: Everyday 10h-18h
Phone : +33 (0) 45 62 11 59

FORUM: 7 Pitfalls

The Pitfalls of Short term letting your holiday home -

If you are lucky enough to own a farmhouse in Tuscany, a villa in Florida or an apartment in Paris, then you might be thinking about turning this property extra income earner by renting it out to holiday makers. There is many sites including Holiday Velvet that enable you to advertise your property in a cost effective way to a global market. As long as the price, quality and the advertising is right you could turn this initiative into a profit earning enterprise.

But how do you avoid the pitfalls of short term letting?

Always be cautious about whom you choose as a holiday maker into your home but, apart from that, here are a few basic rules to follow.

1. Always keep your book keeping in order. This is where you can ensure that your property turns itself into a profit generating business.

2. Make sure that you have a contract with attached terms and conditions related to short-term or long-term leasing. It’s possible to get contracts fairly cheaply and make sure that it gets approved by a lawyer. This protects your rights as well as the tenants.

3. Always provide a welcome pack including easy to read instructions on how to manage your home. This should include details of where the fuse box is, how to manage the hot water boiler, satellite TV instructions (if you have it) and whatever else you think would be helpful to make your guest feel at home.

4. Make an inventory of everything in the property. When you let your holiday home, you will go through this with the new tenant and ensure they sign the contract. This way, there will be no dispute as to what should be in the place when they leave.

5. Always take a security deposit that is returned when the tenant leaves the property. This will be returned at the end of the stay as long as there are no debts or damage to the property.

6. Always take a fixed amount of the overall booking fee as confirmation of the reservation. An invoice should be sent before and receipt after the payment has been made to your potential guest. Make sure you always attach your terms and conditions.

7. Make sure that you keep your calendar up to date. It’s easy to forget a reservation and make a double booking – remember that you are dealing with people’s holidays where some people only get one vacation a year.

Care to share your thoughts on the topic?