The French capital of Paris continues to be the most widely visited tourist destination in the world. Renowned for a variety of attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Notre Dame Cathedral, the so called ‘City of Lights’ is a place of exceptional beauty. However, there is more to the city than these world famous attractions and intrepid tourists who explore deeper will find a myriad of lesser known attractions that are both fun and interesting. These include parks like the Parc de Bercy and the Jardin du Luxembourg; the Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, dubbed the most romantic cemetery in the world; and the Centre Pompidou.
The Centre Georges Pompidou, or simply in English the Pompidou Centre, was the brainchild of former French President, Georges Pompidou. The new centre was supposed to be a repository for modern art. A competition was held and people were invited to submit designs for the proposed gallery. Out of over six hundred entries, the design by Gianfranco Franchini, Renzo Piano, and Richard Rogers was selected. The design had a futuristic, high-tech feel to it and featured plenty of metal and glass. The Centre Pompidou officially opened on the thirty first of January in 1977, although it was a different president, Valery Giscard d’Estaing, who inaugurated it.
The Centre Pompidou houses a massive public library; the Musee National d’Art Mordern, which is easily the biggest modern art museum in Europe; and a research department that studies acoustics and music called IRCAM. The modern art centre has attracted millions of visitors since it was opened and receives around eight thousand visitors daily. Tourists in Paris with a love for art should definitely stop by.
When it comes to palace hotels Paris few can compare to Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris. One of the premier luxury hotels Paris, it enjoys a central location close to many of the city’s famous attractions, which is very convenient considering the city’s traffic clogged streets. Combining tastefully decorated interiors with a plethora of modern amenities aimed at making a stay more comfortable and enjoyable, it is the ideal place to stay.