As is widely known, The Eiffel Tower should come on the top of your list of places to visit, if you ever go to France! The tower itself is a sight to behold, let alone the breathtaking view it features from its top! If you choose not to visit it, its blurry image will keep haunting you wherever you go in Paris for it is visible from almost any vantage point of the city.

Its remarkable architecture and unbelievable size is awe-inspiring! A constantly moving crowd is another one of its characteristic features. Thus, you do have to waste a large amount of time standing in lines to experience it.

Eiffel Tower has come to symbolize Paris in a way no other thing can. Whenever one thinks of Paris, one has to think of the Eiffel! Its shape features in key-rings, T-shirts, books, paintings etc. Eiffel is known worldwide and is something everyone must see at least once in their lives.

Facts tell us that over 204 million people have visited it since 1889, thus, making it the most visited attraction in the whole of France! Not only this, the entire structure weighs around 10000 tons!

However, the Eiffel tower like many other things in this world is overrated. It’s like when you visit the Taj Mahal. You’ll be excited as long as you reach there and will be struck for maybe a few minutes. However, after some time you just grow bored of the ever increasing crowd and the never ending lines. There are other more interesting places to visit in Paris. Even then, I will suggest you take all the pains required and visit it at least once!

The first floor basically features a display of the tower’s history. There is also an Altitude 95 restaurant present here. A more sophisticated Jules Verne hotel is situated on the second floor. Souvenir shops and information kiosks are found almost throughout. Take the elevator to reach the top which features the picturesque views! The height is so extreme that it sometimes makes the view unclear because of the clouds!

A good tip is to visit it as early in the morning as possible for that way you will miss the largest crowd. Midday is the peak time and that is when you will find the largest rush

Located in Paris, Louvre is a French palace and the national art museum of France. Once a residence of the kings of France, the palace features traditional French architecture since the Renaissance, and it houses a magnificent collection of ancient and Western art.

The first Louvre was a fortress built at the beginning of the 13th century by Philip II Augustus to defend the Seine below Paris against the Normans and English. In the late 1980s, there was extensive renovation and expansion in the Louvre. In November 1993, to mark its 200th anniversary, the museum unveiled the Richelieu wing in the quarters that had been vacated, grudgingly, by the Ministry of Finance in 1989.

Louvre museum displays Oriental (ancient Mesopotamian) antiquities; Egyptian antiquities; Greek and Roman antiquities; sculpture from the Middle Ages to modern times; furniture and objects d’art; and paintings representing all the European schools. A section of the museum is devoted to Islamic art.

Louvre takes pride in its ancient art works with the likes of a statuette of the Sumerian ruler Gudea, a stele bearing Hammurabi’s code, an Egyptian painted stone statue of a scribe sitting cross-legged, the Venus de Milo, and the Victory of Samothrace. Also among the famous displays of the museum are two marble Slaves by Michelangelo, the treasure of the abbey of St. Denis, and the French crown diamonds. Important paintings include the Pietà of Avignon, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Veronese’s immense Wedding at Cana and Watteau’s Embarkation for Cythera.

Louvre is located at Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris. It is accessible through métro: Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre. The admission charges are 7.50€ for adults and 5.00€ after 3pm. It is free for the first Sunday of the month and for children 17 and under. The museum is closed on Jan. 1, May 1, Nov. 11 and Dec. 25.

This Friday on 11.11.11, The Great War Museum (Le Musee de la Grande Guerre) was inaugurated at Meaux. Meaux is located 41.1 km (25.5 mi) east-northeast from the center of Paris.

The museum lies in front of the American monument Liberty in Distress by Frederick MacMonnies, erected in memory of the soldiers who fell at the two battles of the Marne.

The museum takes us through journey of old days. All the explanations are in French, English and German. The first section of the museum depicts the era of late 19th century and the 1870 Franco Prussian war, and moves through to 1914. The second section, from the 1914 to the 1918 Battles of the Marne, is grouped around the ‘grand nef’. The final section takes you from 1918 to 1939 with all its illusions of victory, all the grand hopes and slowly revealed failures that led to World War II. The full round across the museum takes about 90 minutes.

The museum takes up different subjects right from techniques of warfare, the participation of women in wars, the effect of war on scientific and medical advances and also the impact of war on social lives. Another section of the museum shows everyday objects from the front and the home front and also real works of art such as the delightful mandolins made out of Adrian helmets. The Museum has a café for light snacks and drinks, and a good book and gift shop.

The charges for admission in the museum are as follows:

• Adult 10 euros
• Students under 26 years, senior citizens over 65 years, war veterans, members of the military 7 euros
• Under 18 years old 5 euros
• Free for children under 8 years, teachers and museum curators
• Family ticket: 2 adults and 2 children under 18 years old 25 euros

If you want to take a visit to Meaux, you can stay in these hotels in Paris:

Etap Hotel Paris La Villette 19ème
57-63 Avenue Jean Jaurès
Paris
08 92 68 08 91

Libertel Canal Saint Martin
5 Avenue Secrétan
Paris
01 42 06 62 00

Buttes Chaumont Hotel Paris
4 Avenue Secrétan
Paris
01 42 45 33 81

Relais Bergson
124 Avenue Simon Bolivar
Paris
01 42 08 31 17