-
+33 (0)1 44 54 97 00
- Paris
+33 (0)1 44 54 97 00 - Nice
+33 (0)4 93 87 30 64 - Montpellier
+33 (0)6 76 20 84 70
- Paris
- Contact us
-
-
Gay Paris, Nice and Montpellier accommodation rentals
for gay and lesbian travellers
Gay Paris, Nice and Montpellier accommodation rentals
for gay and lesbian travellers
Conceived by King Phillipe Auguste in 1190, the Louvre first served as a fortress and became the royal residence several centuries later. Through the years, the construction of the palace gradually extended westward to the present day Tuiliries Gardens. Ministers and heads of government were housed around the central Richelieu Palace. The entire neighborhood to the north of the Louvre became a center of wealth and privilege. Within its boundaries were two palaces, the ministry of finance (today the Bank of France) and the royal library. Eventually, the entire neighborhood would be redesigned during the First Empire and the Louvre would be united with the Tuiliries Gardens.
If the Louvre is no longer the seat of power in France, it is certainly the center of art and culture. It houses the world’s largest museum, for which architect I.M. Pei’s famous glass pyramid serves as a stunning main entrance. The gardens of the Tuiliries offer an exquisite atmosphere for a stroll in the city center during any season. Nearby, one finds the Palais-Royal and the Comédie Française which was frequented by Molière in the 17th century. A visit to this neighborhood would not be complete without passing by the Place des Victoires, the Decorative Arts Museum or the Museum of Fashion and Textile.
The urbanization of this neighborhood began in the 11th century when Louis VI built the Châtelet fortress. At this point in time, the area was the center of commercial activity in the capital and the seat of all municipal institutions.
Les Halles/Beaubourg is now the largest pedestrian neighborhood in Europe. It is centered on the Forum des Halles, a large underground shopping center and public transportation hub. At street level, the Forum is covered by a series of gardens which are dominated by the impressive St-Eustache church to the north. Just beyond the church is rue Montorgeuil, a favorite strolling grounds for Parisians with quaint cafés and open markets. On the opposite side of Les Halles are the Fountain of the Innocent and the Tour St-Jacques, a gothic bell tower which dates to the 16th century.
Ile de la Cité is the historic cradle of Paris. The western portion of the island would house the Gallo-Roman palace which was reconstructed in the 14th century and used as a house of parliament by King Phillipe le Bel. The opposite side of the island was dedicated to religious worship. In 362, a cathedral already occupied the site of Notre Dame. Construction of the cathedral as we know it today would begin in 1163 and end in 1345. An entire religious community occupied all the land immediately surrounding the cathedral. However, everything but the church itself would be completely removed by Baron Haussman during the modernisation of Paris in the 19th century. In its place he would create two institutions of public order, the ministry of justice and prefecture de police. A bit further upstream is Ile Saint Louis. The urbanisation of this island began in the 17th century. Stone structures along the quays and a central road date from 1614 to 1646.
By walking along the picturesque banks of these islands one can witness firsthand the tremendous cultural heritage of the French Capital. Examples include Notre Dame Cathedral, immortalized by Victor Hugo, the Palace of Justice which houses the Conciergerie and Sainte Chapelle and Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris. Other points of interest include the famous flower markets and a multitude of private mansions such as the well-known Hotel Lambert.
Within the triangle formed by the Hotel de Ville, Place de la Bastille and Place de la République is the historic Marais neighborhood. In the 12th century, members of the Temple religious order began to clear these marshy lands under the rule of Phillipe August. In 1385, Charles V began the construction of l’Hotel Saint-Pol. The Place des Vosges, known as Place Royale at the time, was created by Henri VI in 1605 to serve as the center of the aristocracy. During the reign of Louis VIV, the Marais began to lose its status as high society began to favor the outlying areas of Saint-Germain and Saint-Honoré.
From the golden age to today, many of the former hôtel particuliers or private mansions of this neighborhood have been transformed into museums. These include the Hotel Carnavalet, Hotel Sully and the Picasso Museum. There are a number of picturesque squares from the quaint Place Ste-Catherine to the grandiose Place des Vosges. Just a few steps to the west is the Pompidou Center/Museum of Modern Art, Rogers and Piano’s architectural masterpiece which provides a stunning architectural contrast and dominates the landscape of central Paris.
Place de la Bastille marks the location of the Bastille Fortress which was constructed by prévôt Hugues Aubriot between 1370 and 1382. It was built to protect the residence of Charles V and defend the capital from invasion from the east. Twenty-four meters high, the structure included eight towers and a moat which was 24 meters deep. During the Richelieu era, it became a state prison and a symbol of the people’s contempt for the monarchy. Its destruction in 1878 marks the beginning of the French Revolution.
Symbolic of protest, Place de la Bastille is now the departure or arrival point for any march or demonstration in the capital. A column in the center of the place marks the exact position of the former fortress. It commemorates the revolutionary days of July 1830 which brought King Louis Phillipe to the throne. At the top of the column is a winged genie symbolising liberty. Just on the outside of the circle is the Opéra Bastille designed by Carlos Ott and inaugurated in 1989 for the bicentennial of the French Revolution. Leading off to the east are Rue Faubourg Saint Antoine, with its numerous bars and restaurants, and the Viaduct des Arts, a former rail line which has been transformed into an urban promenade/bike trail extending beyond the city limits.
The Latin Quarter is marked by two traditions, religion and education. In the Fifth century, it was King Clovis who began to build a religious sanctuary, eventually paving the way for creation of the Saint Genevieve Abbey. In 1113, Louis VI founded the abbey of Saint Victor. During the following centuries, a multitude of religious communities would establish themselves around these two monasteries. The 16th century would further the sanctity of this area with the edification of the Val-de-Grace church and convent, as well as the reconstruction of the Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet Church. Eventually, the arrival of the religious dissidents would give the neighborhood its intellectual heritage. This movement would spark the creation of the University of Paris and the incorporation of many of its colleges and institutions. In the 1700’s Francois I would create the College of France and the Revolution would see the creation of the Ecole Normale and Ecole Polytechnique. Paris’ two largest lycées or public high schools, Louis le Grand and Henri IV, would be creations of Napoleon in the First Empire.
From the summit of mount Saint-Genevieve, one has a perspective of two impressive buildings of the Latin Quarter. The first is the Pantheon where a majority of France’s political figures are buried. There is also the Church of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont with its exceptional Renaissance architecture. Just below is the Sorbonne/University of Paris and its amphitheatre, Place Saint-Michel and its splendid fountain as well as the College of France. Don’t forget to stop into the Cluny Museum which is dedicated to the Middle Ages (www.musee-moyenage.fr). Part of it is housed in baths which dates to the Gallo-Roman period, two centuries after Jesus Christ. Finally, there is the Arab World Institute designed by architect Nouvel.
The neighborhoods of Saint-Germain and Saint-Sulpice consistently draw a mixed crowd of residents, tourists, street entertainers, publishing executives and students. Along with the cafés which line Place Saint-André-des-Arts, well-known neighborhood meeting places include the famous caféDeux-Magots and brassiere Lipp. From 1920 onwards, this area would attract several famous artists and writers. At end of World War II, the winds of Existentialism blow into the neighborhood with the writings of Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. While no longer the intellectual meeting place that it once was, it is nevertheless a neighborhood of splendor and beauty. The narrow streets are filled with art galleries, luxury boutiques and bookshops, thus making it an oasis of good living.
For those who enjoy taking a monumental neighborhood stroll, it is hard to beat the ambience and variety found in this area. From the banks of the Seine to the Luxembourg Gardens, the streets and avenues are filled with potential points of interest — Place Saint-Sulpice, Saint Germain Church, Odéon Theatre, and the Hotel de la Monnaie, just to name a few. However, the undeniable central attraction remains the Orsay Museum. Opened in 1986, this renovated train station is dedicated to works of art dating from 1848 to 1914 and includes one of the most impressive collections of impressionist paintings in the world.
One of the unique characteristics of this residential neighborhood is the presence of vast perspectives. The large avenues which traverse the 15thdistrict were formerly broad, empty fields created only for aesthetic purposes. Avenue de Breteuil was created in 1680 but lead absolutely nowhere. Avenue Villars ended at Montparnasse which did not yet exist. Both were created at the same time as the Hotel des Invalides and Ecole Militaire, prestigious creations of Louis XIV and Louis XV dedicated to the glory of the monarchy and service of her armies. Under the First Republic, Invalides was transformed into staging grounds for state ceremonies. The Champs-de-Mars was eventually designated as the site of the 1889 World Fair. Over 26 million visitors from around the globe would come and witness the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower in commemoration of the centennial of the French Revolution.
At the base of the Eiffel tower which stands 300 meters high, the Champs-de-Mars has become one of the most popular parks in Paris. In its continuation on the other side of the river, the Palais de Chaillot and the Trocadéro were inaugurated in 1930. Invalides is the site of Napoleon’s tomb and houses UNESCO headquarters. One of the city’s most beautiful bridges, Pont Alexandre III, is just outside. It was built in 1900 as a symbol of Franco-Russian relations and was the first bridge to cross the Seine in a single span. Finally, the Rodin Museum has over 500 sculptures on exposition in its magnificent garden.
The axe which connects Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe was conceived in the 17th century by the royal gardener Le Notre. In 1664, he was given the task of re-designing the Tuileries Garden. In doing so, he placed a special emphasis on the central alley which extended beyond the park to the present day Rond Point du Champs Elysées. In 1836, the obelisk which stands in the middle of the Place de la Concorde was offered to France by Egypt. At the other end, construction of the Arc de Triomphe was launched in 1806 to celebrate the victories of Napoleonic armies. It was not until the 19thcentury that private mansions began to populate “the most beautiful avenue in the world.” But the real boom took place in the beginning of the 20th century when the Grand Palace was constructed. The first metro line opened in 1900 and the avenue saw the arrival of several large hotels including the Elysées Palace and Claridge’s. Luxury goods and other businesses also began to gravitate to the avenue with the construction of Guerlain building in 1913. Since that time, the Champs- Elysées has become the showcase for French and international brands.
Prestigious establishments such as Fouquet’s brassiere, the Ledoyen restaurant or the Lido cabaret make the Champs Elysées of today a place of interest. Large shops such as Fnac and Virgin Mega store, the latter created in a former bank, attract thousands of people each day. At nightfall, the Champs Elysées truly becomes a playground for tourists and locals alike. A variety of cinemas and nightclubs including the gay club Queen continue to attract patrons until the break of dawn.
After an assassination attempt in front of a Paris theatre in 1858, the emperor Napoleon decided to construct a new opera house in a safer neighborhood. He chose an area just northwest and commissioned architect Garnier with designing the new structure. Numerous complexities arose, the most daunting of which was how to build the immense structure on an underground water table. The resulting network of tunnels and substructures would later serve as the setting for Gaston Leroux’ Phantom of the Opéra. However, the opera house would not be inaugurated until 1875 due to a lack of funding. Just in front of the recently renovated structure, Place de l’Opéra marks the convergence of two of the right bank’s busiest thoroughfares: the cross-town Grands Boulevards and Boulevard Haussmann. The latter is home to two of Paris’ renowned department stores, Galleries Lafayettes and Printemps. To the left of the Opéra is the Grand-Hôtel which was built for the Universal Exposition of 1867.
At the foot of the Opéra is Café de la Paix whose regular clients over the years included authors Guy de Maupassant, Emile Zola and their entourages. Nearby, Palais Brongniart serves as home to the Paris stock exchange. Place Vendôme, with its majestic statue dedicated to the Napoleonic armies, is now the home of the most renowned jewellers of Paris such as Cartier and Maubusson. The famous Hôtel Ritz is located at 15, Place Vendôme. And just to the north are the Church of the Madeleine and the exclusive épicieries of Fauchon, Hédiard, and Laduree.
Throughout much of time, Paris was a walled city with a fortifications stretching from Bastille to Madeleine. The construction of the wall was started by Charles V and continued through the reign of Louis XIII. It was Louis XIV who decided that the wall was no longer necessary and chose to replace it with a series of tree-lined promenades. Eventually, exquisite buildings were constructed along the borders of these vast gardens. During the urbanisation of Paris in the 19th century, popular bars and theatres sprung up along the perimeter. Finally, the second half of the century welcomed the grand époque of the boulevard, a symbol of urban fashion and elegance.
As time progressed and Paris grew, the high-fashion establishments along the Grands Boulevards were subsequently replaced by brassieres and cinemas. However, a number of prestigious addresses remind us of the rich history of this corridor, such as the Olympia Music Hall, l’Opera-Comique, Grévin Museum or the famous Rex Cinema. Approaching Place de la République to the east are two arches, the Porte Saint-Denis and the Porte Saint-Martin. Both were built in the 17th century to commemorate triumph of past armies.
Near the end of the 18th century, Paris had enlarged to include the area north of the fortress walls torn down by Louis XIV. Private mansions, businesses and new neighborhoods sprouted up from Faubourg Poissionere to St-Lazare. During the Second Empire in 1854, Baron Haussmann was charged with re-designing Paris’ roads and boulevards. He created Place de la République at the convergence of the thoroughfares which united these new neighborhoods to central Paris. The monument by sculptor Moricet which currently sits on the square arrived in 1883. The great train stations of Paris, such as the Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est also rose to importance in this era. However, the principal access from outlying areas was via the Canal Saint-Martin. It was created from 1822 to 1825 as a prolongation of the canal de l’Ourcq originally conceived by Napoleon I to supply the city with potable water.
Many of the canal’s original drawbridges and pedestrian overpasses are still present today. In earlier times, the canal was lined with tanneries which have gradually been replaced by working-class bistros. The renovated walkways on either side have become a popular place to have a stroll. During the summer months, the adjacent streets are closed to car traffic for the benefit of walkers, bikers and rollerbladers. The famous Hotel du Nord, immortalized by the cinema in 1938 by Marcel Carné, is along Quay Jemmapes. Just a bit further to the east is Père-Lachaise cemetery, the burial place of Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Modigliani and Jim Morrison. Finally, a bit further out is Parc de la Villette and its Science Museum.
The Bercy neighborhood stretches from Gare de Lyon train station to the city limits and has two main monuments, the Ministry of Finance and the former wine warehouses of Cour St-Emillion. As early as 1860, wine began arriving from different regions of the country on barges to be stored in these small warehouses. Since 1997, a large village occupying almost 13 hectares was created in memory of the wine trade.
Bercy Village has become a popular outdoor promenade lined with shops, restaurants and wine bars. On the walkways you wan still trace the path of rails which were used to transport wine to the individual warehouses. A few steps away, the Carnival and Carousel Museum has its home. To the west is a large park which stretches all the way to the Palais Omnisports, an immense indoor sports arena which is also used for large-scale performances. A bit further are the monumental new Ministry of Finance and the new Charles-de-Gaulle Bridge, inaugurated in 1996.
The site known as mont Parnasse was part of the city fortifications built by Henri II in the 16th century. The hill was most likely levelled during the creation of Boulevard Montparnasse. This boulevard, designed by Louis XIV would not be created until 1761 and at the end of the 18th century still only contained a few buildings. Throughout the years, the calm and peaceful atmosphere would attract writers such as Victor Hugo to the area. However, it was not until after World War I and the Liberation that artists of all walks of life would flock to Montparnasse. The bohemian spirit eventually drifted away in the 1930’s and contemporary architecture began to replace older constructions of the neighborhood. The work on Montparnasse Tower and train station came to an end in the late 1960’s. In 1983, architect Bofill would develop two buildings on Place de Catalonia.
Montparnasse Tower is considered a bit of an eyesore by most Parisians. Our advice is to take the elevator to the 56th floor to witness a superb view of Paris; it’s the only perspective from which the tower itself is not visible! In 1994, the architect Nouvel was entrusted with developing the new Cartier Foundation, still one of the most prestigious private foundations of France. If you want to reminisce about the bohemian past of this neighborhood, sit down for a coffee at theCouple or Dôme cafés, or visit the Montparnasse Cemetery. There is also the Zadkine Museum, dedicated to the works of the famous bronze sculptor and important Montparnasse figure of the 1920’s.
The 16th arrondissement of Paris was born in 1860 when three outlying villages were incorporated to form what is today one of the most elegant residential areas of the capital. A true architectural laboratory, it offers a unique mixture of Art nouveau and Art déco buildings. There are also a few charming farm houses scattered throughout, remnants of a rural past. At the heart of this neighborhood and just in front of the Eiffel Tower is the Chaillot Palace. This small hillside was the home of two convents before it was remodelled by Napoleon I. A palace designed by architect Davioud was built on the hill for the Universal Exposition of 1878. But it was not until 1937 that it would take its present shape with the completion of the Place du Trocadero.
Along with the Museum of Man and the Marine Museum which are located in the Palais de Chaillot, visitors to this neighborhood can also experience the Marmottan and Guimet Museums. The Palais de Tokyo, home of various multicultural expositions, is also worth a visit. Inaugurated for the Universal Exposition of 1937, the palace is just a few steps from the Pont d’Alma where Lady Diana was involved in a tragic car accident which claimed her life.
A place of worship for the Gaulois, Montmartre became an important place of pilgrimage dedicated to Saint Denis during the Middle Ages. In 1133, it was under the jurisdiction of the Benedictines, a religious order famous for their mill and vineyards which extended to the present day 9th arrondissement. Strategically important because of its hilltop location, it was taken over by Henri de Navarre in 1590, by the Cossacks in 1814 and by the English in 1815. Established as an independent municipality during the French Revolution, the neighborhood would become a part of the city in 1870. In the 19th century, low rent costs made Montmartre a popular settling ground for artists. Its cafés and painters, from Carot to Picasso, have made the neighborhood legendary throughout the years. At the throne of the hill is the Sacré Coeur basilica, completed in 1917.
In Place du Tertre, visitors will find an abundance of cafés, restaurants and artists vying for tourists’ attention. Just below within the labyrinth of small streets and staircases, the Montmartre cemetery is a must-see. From there, continue towards the Place d’Abesses and the legendary Lapin Agile, a cabaret frequented by Modigliani and Braque. Finally, on the boulevards which line the bottom of the hill is the famous Moulin Rouge, a theatre immortalized by painter Toulouse-Lautrec and birthplace of the French Can-Can.
The re-development of this neighborhood was envisioned as early as 1980 and a key element of this effort was the construction of a new National Library. Eventually named in honor of Francois Mitterrand, the structure opened some ten years later along the banks of the Seine on grounds once occupied by factories and warehouses. The new National Library of France, or Bibliotheque Francois Mitterrand, stretches the entire length of the newly created Avenue de France which ends at the Austerlitz train station. Just in front of the station is the Jardin des Plantes. Louis XIII created the garden in 1633 as an instructing ground for medical doctors and in 1640 it became the first garden in Paris open to the public. After the French Revolution in 1793, the site would become home to the National Museum of Natural History.
The library’s esplanade made of exotic woods is an ideal vantage point to discover the building’s interesting architecture. Four immense towers are joined at the ground level by an interior garden. The towers are meant to represent four open books. Other neighborhood points of interest include the National Museum of Natural History and its famous Gallery of Evolution. Also nearby is the Mosque of Paris inspired by the mosques of Fez and built between 1922 and 1926.
