Metro Station of the Month : Arts et Métiers (line 11)

Every month I will make you discover one of my favourite metro stations in Paris. Indeed some of them are true gems of the underground Parisian life. Number one ranking : Arts et Métiers, on lines 11 and 3, in third arrondissement of Paris. Do not take the wrong metro line. The platform I am talking about is on line 11 direction Châtelet or Mairie des Lilas.

The station is fully covered with copper. There are gearwheels on the ceiling and portholes on the walls. The whole looks like the Nautilus, the famous submarine in Jules Verne’s novel : vingt mille lieux sous les mers. This decor was built in 1994 by Peeters and Schuitten to celebrate the bicentennial of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers located nearby and dedicated to technological innovation.

Back to earth : the Musée des Arts et Métiers, near the metro way out, was refurbished in 2000 and exhibits about 2400 inventions. It’s really worth a visit !

Practical information : Website of the RATP

Christine Bokobza – Good Morning Paris B&B – www.goodmorningparis.fr

Paris for Free : The Zadkine Museum near the Luxembourg

Paris Zadkine museum - the artist's houseFROM Raphaelle’s B&B to the Zadkine museum

Paris counts many artists’ houses which have been converted into museums. Some are famous as the Maison de Victor Hugo but most of them are hidden gems unknown to visitors… and to Parisians as well ! Although I live in Paris for fifty years I have just discovered the Zadkine museum near the Bed & Breakfast that I visited yesterday morning.

Continue reading Paris for Free : The Zadkine Museum near the Luxembourg

The Fondation Louis Vuitton : a Must-Visit Museum in Paris

The Fondation Louis Vuitton-2the fondation louis vuitton is the new place to visit in paris

The Fondation Louis Vuitton (FLV) was inaugurated on 27 October 2014. Located in the Bois de Boulogne on the west side of Paris it is in my opinion THE place to be seen during a visit in Paris.

I went there three days after its inauguration. The closest metro station is Les Sablons on metro line 1 (between the Place de l’Etoile and the business district of la Défense) and from there the ten-minute walk through Neuilly and the Bois de Boulogne is really easy thanks to numerous road signs for pedestrians. I had bought my ticket in advance on the website of the Fondation and this way I was able to cross the Jardin d’acclimatation in order to reach the building. Indeed the entrance ticket to the Fondation includes the entrance to the Jardin d’acclimatation. Continue reading The Fondation Louis Vuitton : a Must-Visit Museum in Paris