La Promenade Plantée: A Green and Unusual Walk in Paris!

La promenade plantée: the first green space of this kind

The ‘Promenade Plantée’ in Paris, also known under the name of ‘La Coulée Verte’, was created in 1988 and is the first green space of this kind: A way of 4,5kms with a lot of plants, a walking path and a bicycle path on part of it was built on a former railway which was unused since 1969. No doubt that the designers of the Highline in New York (opened in 2009) drew their inspiration from it!

Promenade Plantee - Paris - Flowers and pool
Promenade Plantée – Paris – Flowers and pool

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Paris for Free: The Cognacq-Jay Museum in the Marais

A hidden treasure in the Marais: the Cognacq-jay museum
Cognacq-Jay Museum in the Hotel Donon
Cognacq-Jay Museum in the Hotel Donon – Paris Marais

One of my B&B owners has just introduced me to a very secret and charming museum in Paris located in the heart of the Marais only one block away from the Picasso Museum and nevertheless off the beaten track and hardly ever visited: the Cognacq-Jay Museum. This Museum is specialized in the 18th Century and shelters a lot of beautiful works made by famous French painters such as Boucher, Fragonard, Greuze, or Italian ones: Canaletto, Guardi, … The entrance is free and the collections are exhibited in a superb ‘Hôtel Particulier’ of the Marais area, the Hôtel Donon: Two more reasons to visit the Cognacq-Jay Museum!

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Best Places to Visit in Paris on the European Night of Museums 2015

The 11th edition of the European Night of Museums is taking place next Saturday (16 May 2015) in more than 3,000 places all over Europe. In Paris and the Ile de France more than 130 Museums will exceptionally be open until Midnight on that day and most of them have created special shows or cultural events on this occasion. An opportunity not to be missed to discover for free at an unusual time and in unusual ways some of the most beautiful Parisian museums!

Here is my Top Five for your night visits: The first Three should not be too crowded ; the remaining Two, the Musée Picasso and the Musée du Quai Branly, may attract more visitors as they are more famous, but their programme for the European Night of Museums is really appealing! All the museums will be open until midnight on 16 May 2015 (10pm only for the Palais Galliera).

The Musée des Arts et Métiers
Musee des arts et metiers Paris
Musee des Arts et Metiers – Paris Marais area

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