Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Make sure to reserve tickets in advance via the website if you plan on coming on a week-
end or during school holidays. Packing a picnic is also a good idea. A new shopping centre,
Vill'up
, complete with a freefall simulator and cinema, also has several chain restaurants.
MUSEUM
CITÉ DE LA MUSIQUE
noon-6pm Tue-Sat,
10am-6pm Sun; Porte de Pantin)
The Cité de la Musique, on the southern edge of Parc de la Villette, is a striking, triangular-
shaped concert hall whose mission is to introduce music from around the world to Parisians.
Pantin)
inside displays some 900 rare musical instruments; you can hear many of them being
played on the audioguide.
Next door is the new Paris Philharmonic Hall (estimated opening 2015) as well as the
prestigious Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse, a top school for clas-
sical musicians and dancers.
PARK
PARC DES BUTTES-CHAUMONT
7am-10pm May-Sep, to 8pm Oct-Apr;
Buttes-Chaumont or Botzaris)
This quirky park is one of the city's largest green spaces; its landscaped slopes hide grottoes,
waterfalls, a lake and even an island topped with a temple to Sybil. Once a gypsum quarry
and rubbish dump, it was given its present form by Baron Haussmann in time for the open-
ing of the 1867 Exposition Universelle.
It's a favourite with Parisians, who come here to practise tai chi, take the kids to a puppet
show or simply to relax with a bottle of wine and a picnic dinner. The tracks of an aban-
doned 19th-century railway line (La Petite Ceinture, which once circled Paris) also run
through the park.
GALLERY
LE 104
noon-7pm Tue-Fri,
11am-7pm Sat & Sun; Stalingrad or Crimée)
A former funeral parlour turned city-funded art space, Le 104 has provided a much-needed
jolt of vitality to an otherwise neglected neighbourhood. Spread out over a massive 39,000
sq metres, the complex is a hive of activity: a random wander through the public areas will
turn up breakdancers, wacky art installations and rehearsing actors.
