Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [60]
Take the Louvre, for example. Encompassing some 40 sq hectares, the museum has nine enormous departments spread over 60,000 sq metres of gallery space and more than 8 million visitors a year, all elbowing each other to see what they want to see in a limited amount of time. It’s hardly surprising that many people feel worn out almost before they’ve descended into the Cour Napoléon.
To avoid museum fatigue wear comfortable shoes and make use of the cloakrooms. Be aware that standing still and walking slowly promote tiredness; sit down as often as you can. Reflecting on the material and forming associations with it causes information to move from your short- to long-term memory; your experiences will thus amount to more than a series of visual ‘bites’.
Tracking and timing studies suggest that museum-goers spend no more than 10 seconds viewing an exhibit and another 10 seconds reading the label as they try to take in as much as they can before succumbing to exhaustion. To avoid this choose a particular period or section to focus onor join a guided tour of the highlights.
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MAISON EUROPÉENNE DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE Map
01 44 78 75 00; www.mep-fr.org; 5-7 rue de Fourcy, 4e; adult/senior & 8-25yr €6/3, under 8 free, 5-7.45pm Wed free; 11am-7.45pm Wed-Sun; St-Paul or Pont Marie
The European House of Photography, housed in the overly renovated Hôtel Hénault de Cantorbe (dating from the early 18th century), has cutting-edge temporary exhibits (usually retrospectives on single photographers), as well as an enormous permanent collection on the history of photography and its connections with France. There are frequent showings of short films and documentaries on weekend afternoons. The Japanese garden at the entrance is a delight.
PARIS HISTORIQUE Map
01 48 87 74 31; www.paris-historique.org in French; 44-46 rue François Miron, 4e; admission free; 11am-8pm Mon-Sat, 2-7pm Sun; St-Paul
The information centre for the Association for the Conservation and Appreciation of Historic Paris should be on your tick list if you are interested in medieval Paris and, especially, the Marais. It provides information, has a research library, organises exhibitions and leads guided tours (adult/student & child €9/4) of the area at 2pm or 2.30pm daily except Sunday.
MUSÉE DE LA CURIOSITÉ ET DE LA MAGIE Map
01 42 72 13 26; www.museedelamagie.com, in French; 11 rue St-Paul, 4e; adult/3-12yr €9/7; 2-7pm Wed, Sat & Sun, 2-7pm daily Easter & Christmas school holidays; St-Paul
The Museum of Curiosity & Magic in the 16th-century caves (cellars) of the house of the Marquis de Sade examines the ancient arts of magic, optical illusion and sleight of hand, with regular magic shows (last one at 6pm) included. But some visitors may feel that the displays – optical illusions and wind-up toys – and very basic magic tricks do not justify the extremely high admission fee. An audioguide costs €3.
PLACE DE LA BASTILLE Map
Bastille
The Bastille, built during the 14th century as a fortified royal residence, is the most famous monument in Paris that no longer exists. The notorious prison – the quintessential symbol of royal despotism – was demolished shortly after a mob stormed it on 14 July 1789 and freed a total of just seven prisoners. The site where it once stood, place de la Bastille (11e and 12e), is now a very busy traffic roundabout.
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IT’S A FREE-FOR-ALL
The permanent collections at 11 of the 15 musées municipaux (city museums), run by the Mairie de Paris (www.paris.fr), are free. Temporary exhibitions always incur a separate admission fee.
City museums taking part in this scheme include the following:
Maison de Balzac
Maison de Victor Hugo
Musée Atelier Zadkine
Musée Bourdelle
Musée Carnavalet
Musée Cernuschi
Musée Cognacq-Jay
Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Musée de la Vie Romantique