DESTINATIONS RELOADED Le
DESTINATIONS RELOADED Le Louvre-Lens: a Crossroads of Time, Civilization, Art and Culture Sound and light show at the Royal Château of Blois © C. Mouton - CRT Centre-Val de Loire A beautiful building in the heart of the mining basin, the Louvre-Lens (a decentralised wing of the Paris Museum) has already hosted more than two million visitors since 2012. Built on the site of a former mine, the Louvre-Lens exposes and explains the masterpieces of the past, through these treasures of humanity that allow one to better understand the present and to look towards the future. Cradled in light, the Gallery of Time is exhibiting, for 5 Gallery of Time years, the masterpieces of the Louvre in the Museum of the Louvre-Lens. All civilizations and techniques are represented, thus embracing the chronological and geographical extent of the collections from the Louvre Museum. The Gallery of time is organised into 3 main periods: 70 works from antiquity, 45 from the middle ages and 90 modern-day works. And the Gallery of time changes: each anniversary of the inauguration of the Museum sees a renewal of the works. The Loire Valley: Cradle of French History With its promise of “a trip to France”, the Val de Loire is an area that boasts many of France’s top assets Extending from the Loiret to the Loire estuary, encompassing the river itself, the UNESCO-listed Loire, the Royal Loire and its Châteaux, are the cradle of France’s history, with spectacular gardens and vineyards. NIGHT-TIME EVENTS AT THE LOIRE’S CHÂTEAUX At nightfall, the lights of the châteaux reflect in the Loire, inspiring the visitor’s imagination. The illuminations vary with a dreamlike quality from château to château, sometimes dancing to the narrations of storytellers and Renaissance music rhythms. Such is the magic of the sound and light shows staged at the Royal Château of Blois and Château of Amboise. These shows provide a fresh aspect to the scheduled night visits under the stars, such as the Chaumont-sur- Loire International Garden Festival, the Chenonceau night-time walk or the “Night of a Thousand Lights” in Villandry. USPs • Exhibition of masterpieces from the Louvre, works of antiquity, the middle ages and the modern era in a single space. • The historical mining center of Lewarde enables one to better understand the mine, its miners, its camps, its slag heaps, and its generations who worked underground. • Local trends: Michelin star chefs, award-winning beers, ripened cheeses... the surroundings of the Louvre-Lens museum offer a swathe of gastronomic experiences. USPs • 21 châteaux qualified as “Grands Sites du Val de Loire”. • “La Loire à vélo”: an immense 800-kilometre cycle tourism route. • The Loire Valley vineyards: 50 appellations, thousands of producers, the greatest diversity of wines in the world (CDG, ORY), Nantes (NTE), Tours (TUF) Lille (LIL), Paris (CDG, ORY) Paris Lens Station Orléans or Tours Station 20 France: Destinations to (re)discover france.fr
The Normandy-Paris Region: the Geographic Heart Of Impressionism Paris: The Extended City Gazing at the same sights that inspired the impressionists can be a wonderful basis for touring the Normandy-Paris region. The Impressionists revolutionised art in the 19th century and today their works rank among the world’s most popular cultural references. These “realist” artists abandoned their studios to work outside. They moved to Barbizon in the forest of Fontainebleau, and gathered in Honfleur and the resorts of the Alabaster coast and the ‘Cote Fleurie’. Using the railway or sailing along the river Seine, the impressionists found new subjects in Paris, Ile-de- France and in Normandy. This vast area still bears the imprint of the key players: Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Alfred Sisley, Vincent van Gogh, Eugène Boudin, Gustave Caillebotte, Berthe Morisot... The story of the impressionists opens the way for new discoveries and experiences: the places where they lived, today open to the public, paintings famous throughout the world exhibited in museums with outstanding collections, festivals and prestigious temporary exhibitions. Impressionists’ island, Chatou © D.Blondin - CRT Paris Ile-de-France Paris lives, Paris moves, Paris abounds: new trends appear and push back the limits of the city. In this new dynamic, many professionals offer original, innovative and unique tours and activities. DISCOVER THE LESSER- KNOWN PARIS! Cosmopolitan Paris - a melting pot of communities: stroll through the colourful avenues of the Asian, African or Indian neighbourhoods, for shopping, tastings and activities. Artistic Paris - the discovery of street art, architecture, and contemporary art: Vitry-sur-Seine in Saint- Denis, from 10th to the 18th districts, on foot or by bike! Just as original: marvelling over the 30’s architecture of Boulogne-Billancourt, or the ultra-modern skyscrapers of La Défense. Essential: guided visits of the contemporary art galleries and artists’ studios, from Pantin to Fontenay-sous- Bois. Festive Paris - by day and by night: from jovial guinguettes to throbbing electro festivals, from the vaulted cellars to the trendiest rooftops, Paris never stops dancing! © Paris Ville Augmentées USPs USPs • At the same time follow in the impressionists’ footsteps, and contemplate their works in exceptional museums. • Organised routes are visual reproductions of the paintings in the very places where the artists once placed their easels… • A particularly powerful cultural experience. • Tree-lined, flowering escapades in places that are part of the city’s heritage: the gardens and parks of Paris provide greenery, coolness and outdoor entertainment. • Underground Paris, haunted Paris, its secret alleyways, its unexpected vines: the city reveals its mysteries to the delight of the curious visitor. • City of music on Seguin Island (opening spring 2017): the “musical Seine” will be available for the organisation of concerts and events: a musical set with a total surface close to 38,000m² Paris (CDG, ORY), Rouen (URO) Rouen, Le Havre and Caen stations Paris (CDG, ORY) 6 main stations (Lyon, Nord, Saint-Lazare, Est, Montparnasse, Austerlitz) france.fr France: Destinations to (re)discover 21
