How Marie-Antoinette influenced the Palace of Versailles

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Author: Travel Guru

The Palace of Versailles is one of the unmissable attractions in Paris. It is a palace that was built as a royal hunting lodge and the Palace of Versailles is forever linked to Queen Marie-Antoinette. When Marie-Antoinette married the Dauphin Louis-Auguste, the future King Louis XVI, the Austrian royal was only fifteen years old.
Marie- Antoinette moved to Versailles where she would enjoy most of her French life until her death in the French Revolution. She was notorious for her fashion and extravagant parties and the suites in the Palace of Versailles still reflect this.

Paris - Visit the Champs-Elysees

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By Roberta Stuart


Many visitors to France decide to stay in a Paris boutique hotel in order to see the famous city's sights and visit its iconic attractions. Whether it's climbing to the top of the Eiffel Tower, or strolling through the grounds of the Sorbonne, Paris is full of remarkable experiences; but taking time for a walk down the Champs-Élysées ranks as one of the most enjoyable ways to spend an afternoon in the city. It's known in Paris as 'La plus belle avenue du monde' - the most beautiful avenue in the world. The avenue is a piece of the city's history, having been a focal point for Parisian life since it was first developed, as a series of fields and market gardens in 1616. The name itself is the French translation of 'Elysian Fields', the home of the dead in Greek mythology.

I Love Touring Italy - Venice Carnevale Season

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The Venice Carnevale is among the most famous Carnivals into the world. It takes a back seat to Rio and perhaps New Orleans. But does it meet all the hype? Should you feel that you have missed out if you have to spend Carnevale in an alternate Italian location, a Carnival elsewhere in the world, or perhaps even at home? Only you and and perhaps your partner can decide. Hopefully our article will help you make this momentous decision.



The Venice Carnevale is relatively short, lasting only about two weeks. That can be a good thing, even more so when you consider the costs involved. The city of Venice has a population of about 270 thousand of which less than a quarter actually live in the historic town. Compare these figures to the estimated 50 thousand visitors per day, and we are talking about the annual average, not Carnevale time. On the upside, Venice is the largest car-free city in Europe, but there are two pricey parking lots.

Place De La Concorde, Paris - A City Square Rich With History

Image via WikipediaBy Derek F Wright
The Place de la Concorde, as it is now known, has been variously named since it was conceived as a public square in 1755. It is called "Concorde" today to indicate harmony and reconciliation. As the largest square in Paris, located at the eastern end of the Champs-Elysees, the modern visitor sees statues and fountains, not to mention a giant obelisk, surrounded by magnificent eighteenth-century buildings.
It wasn't always a place of harmony. "Concorde" was first used as a name for the square at the very end of the eighteenth century after the shake-up of the French Revolution. Not long before, the square had been called "Place de la Revolution". The name was vivid, for it was here that the famous guillotine associated with the upstart regime was erected, used to decapitate before cheering crowds Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette in 1793, not to mention Charlotte Corday, Georges Danton, Maximilien Robespierre and many others. In fact, in a single month in the summer of 1794, during the Reign of Terror, the guillotine severed the heads of no fewer than 1,300 victims.
The beauty of the square was compromised during those revolutionary times. The statue of Louis XV was torn down, an action that doubtless went hand in hand with the need to restyle the square from its original name of Place Louis XV. Only a generation before the revolution, Louis XV had been the reigning king who oversaw the building of the square as we recognise it today. Two magnificent identical stone buildings were created at the north end, the eastern one acting as the French Naval Ministry and the western one being the home of a duke. Today, the western building is occupied by a luxury hotel, Hotel de Crillon.
There are many hotels near the Place de la Concorde in the Champs Elysees area. You can learn more about the Place de la Concorde at http://www.iwanthotelsinparis.com/paris-attractions/place-de-la-concorde.shtml
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