When thinking of museums to visit in Paris, the first thing that springs to mind are the great temples of art, notably the Louvre, epitomised by the enigmatic smile of the Mona Lisa, the Orsay Museum, featuring a stunning collection of Romanticism and Impressionism that will delight any art lover, and the Pompidou Centre, with one of the most comprehensive modern and contemporary art collections in the world.

However, apart from those grand institutions, Paris also has other venues where, in addition to art, you can discover the life and times of other personages associated with the city, or simply enjoy the works of private collections displayed in fabulous exhibition halls.

One of the trendiest districts of late is Le Marais, situated in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements on the right bank of the Seine. It boasts numerous venues where in some cases you can enjoy a different, less crowded and at once rewarding exhibition experience. Here, then, is our selection of some of the museums you should make a point of visiting while touring this colourful, cosmopolitan district.

Maison de Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo is the first protagonist in our selection as he is privileged to have his own museum in what is the nerve centre of Le Marais, the Place des Vosges. From 1832 to 1848, Victor Hugo lived on the third floor of the Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée, where he wrote most of Les Misérables. Currently a museum, where visitors can gain greater insight into this essential figure of French literature.

Musée Picasso

Another great name, this time of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, makes up our second option. The Musée Picasso, housed in the Hôtel Salé, has a large collection of 200 paintings, 100 sculptures – this is the most prominent section in the museum – and ceramics, and 3,000 drawings and engravings covering all periods. It also features the painter’s own art collection, with works by Paul Cézanne and Henri Rousseau, among others.

Shoah Foundation

What started out as a monument to the “Unknown Jewish Martyr” grew into the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah, one of the largest Holocaust documentation centres in Europe. The Hebrew word shoah, which means “catastrophe”, is used to designate the Holocaust. The entrance to the building is inscribed with the names of the 76,000 Jews that were deported from France to the Nazi concentration camps.

Museum of Jewish Art and History

Situated in Le Marais is the Jewish quarter, known locally as the Pletzl (meaning “square” in Yiddish). It is worth strolling around the streets in the area and enjoying the sight of the colourful shops. While in this quarter, we recommend a visit to the Hôtel de Saint-Aignan, located at 71 Rue du Temple, as it houses the Museum of Jewish Art and History, where you can learn all about the history of the Jewish communities of France, Europe and North Africa, from the Middle Ages until the present.

Musée Cognacq-Jay

Housed in the Hôtel Donon, the Cognacq-Jay Museum features the 18th-century collection of artworks built up by Ernest Cognacq and his wife, Marie-Louise Jay, from 1900 to 1925. Your visit will reveal more than 1,200 works and objects collected by this couple of art collectors, the standout pieces being paintings by Canaletto, Tiepolo, Boucher, Fragonard, Greuze and Reynolds.

Museum of Magic and Museum of Automata

The Museum of Magic reveals the secrets behind the art of magic, conjuring tricks and illusionism. On display are all manner of items used to perform magic tricks (magic wands, boxes, magic caps, etc.) and visitors are treated to live shows, too. Also housed in this building is the Museum of Automata, boasting a collection of 100 mechanical contrivances which will amaze you. Ideal for those travelling with children.

Book your Vueling to Paris, tour one of the city’s trendiest districts and venture into some of its unusual museums.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Assayas, Sailko, Guillaume Baviere

What started out as a religious festival in honour of the Virgin Mary has become one of Lyon’s – and, by extension, France’s – standout cultural events. Worship of Mary the mother of Jesus in the capital of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region goes back a long way, its origins steeped in the Middle Ages. During the plague which ravaged France in 1643, for instance, the city was placed under her protection.

To uncover the roots of the Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights), you have to go back in time to 8 December 1852, the date on which a statue of the Virgin was unveiled. Executed by the sculptor, Joseph-Hugues Fabisch, it was placed in the Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière. The event was widely celebrated in the city and, in keeping with the traditional way of marking important commemorations in those times, the facades of well-to-do homes were lit up with candlelight. What might have been just an isolated event in Lyon’s history was later reenacted each year on 8 December, when the nativity of the Virgin is celebrated, gradually becoming the festival of lights which we know today. Over time, the religious nature of the festivity has been replaced by one more akin to cultural entertainment, while the candles have been replaced by grand spectacles of light designed by renowned artists, and the celebration itself has been extended from one to four days.

The festival has grown so popular over the years that it now attracts up to 4 million visitors who flock to Lyon, eager to witness for themselves the huge, charming and magical display of light. This can be daunting for newcomers arriving in the city to discover and enjoy the Fête des Lumières. We advise you to book your accommodation in advance and to be patient when attending the various light shows, as you are bound to encounter large crowds. What we can guarantee, however, is that you will be amazed by the earnestness with which the Lyonnais celebrate this festivity, and by the sheer number and quality of the visual displays, most of which are held in the old town and around Lyon’s major landmarks.

What’s More…

Apart from visiting Lyon for its Festival of Lights, which this year runs from 8 to 11 December, we recommend you take the opportunity to discover some of the city’s other charms, too. Be sure to visit its historic centre or Vieux Lyon, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1998, where you can breathe the medieval atmosphere, visit Roman ruins – most notably the Roman Theatre of Fourvière – and do a spot of shopping at the Carré d’Or. Cuisine is another of the city’s fortes, and has earned it international accolades. Indeed the city features such standout chefs as Paul Bocuse and Eugénie Brazier. So, make a point of dropping in on at least one of the countless bouchons, as restaurants are known in Lyonnais parlance, and treat yourself to their excellent local cuisine.

Come and experience first-hand this stunning festival of lights – book your Vueling here.

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Fulvio Spada

Beaujolais, one of France’s major vinicultural regions, lies some 50 km north of Lyons and stretches northwards through the French department of Rhône and southwards along the Saône and Loire rivers. Midnight on the third Thursday in November is one of the crowning moments in the region when, to the cry of le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! (the new Beaujolais has arrived), local vintners release one of their youngest and most international wines. This red wine, made from the gamay grape – the most widely used in the area – is characterised by its quick, merely weeks-long fermentation and by the fact that the whole production is released onto the market simultaneously. This is achieved through what is probably one of the best known marketing operations in the viticultural sector, with a worldwide reach – Japan, the United States and Germany are among its main importers.

All this marketing madness has its origins in something far simpler, the local tradition of celebrating the end of the harvest. To this end, a young wine was made and consumed solely in the region itself. However, the official birth date of this wine is 1951, when authorisation was granted to release it onto the market on 15 November. It then became popular throughout France and sparked fierce competition between vintners, who vied to be the first to take their bottled wine to Paris. Also significant is the figure of Georges Duboeuf, one of the leading producers in the region, credited with having christened the wine Beaujolais Nouveau and being the leading promoter of the label. In 1985, the release date was moved to the third Thursday in November, while the festival was scheduled for the weekend to boost sales.

A Veritable Wine Festival

But, not everything related to Beaujolais Nouveau is commercial. There is also time for entertainment, the perfect excuse to visit this beautiful grape-growing region during the festival. All types of wine-related festive activities – known as the Beaujolais Days – are held across the region. The most famous one is Les Sarmentelles, held in the town of Beaujeu, the region’s historical capital. It lasts five days and activities include a host of wine-tasting events, and the chance to savour local cuisine, as well as to enjoy their music and dance. Sports enthusiasts will relish the Beaujolais Marathon, a race which takes runners past several chateaux and where wines and cheeses are offered at the aid stations. The whole race is run in a festive spirit, with a large number of participants wearing fancy dress. Even the city of Lyon gets involved in the celebration by organising the so-called Beaujol’ympiades, where you can join in by tasting the twelve Beaujolais AOCs.

Beaujolais Beyond Their Nouveau

Apart from their great festival, Beaujolais has a lot to see, discover and enjoy. Many tourist guides tend to compare this region to Tuscany, and they aren’t far wrong. Visitors to Beaujolais will discover beautiful scenery carpeted with vineyards, with the odd chateaux peeping out, in addition to charming stone villages and excellent culinary offerings.

Ready to toast the first wine of the season? Get your Vueling here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Goproo3, yves Tennevin, Shunichi kouroki

On its passage through Cognac and its surrounding area, the river Charente is privileged to flow through vineyards yielding white grapes that are made into one of France’s leading brandy DOs – cognac. This popular drink, which is produced by a double distillation of the wine in copper stills, is the area’s veritable driving force and one of the main attractions for whoever visits this destination in the Charente department. There are also other draws – apart from its well-known distilleries – that make this beautiful corner in the west of France well worth visiting. Ready to discover them?

Visiting Cognac

Cognac is not only the brandy. Before or after embarking on a route of the distilleries where this liqueur is made – after which this beautiful city is named – you should make a point of strolling through the city itself and succumbing to its charms. Set on the right bank of the river Charente is the castle which witnessed the birth of King Francis I, an emblematic figure of the French Renaissance, one of whose iconic artists was Leonardo da Vinci. Once in the old town, known as Vieux Cognac, we recommend you wander through its back streets where you will be transported willy-nilly to a bygone era.

Cognac Distilleries Route

As we said, the most coveted product of the area is cognac, and the distilleries where it is made, one of its main tourist attractions. There you can see first-hand how this delicate liqueur is made and, needless to say, let yourself be carried away by its bouquet and flavour in whatever tasting sessions you attend. Prominent among the best known distilleries is Hennessy, Camus, Remy Martin, Martell and Otard, located in Cognac Castle. You are advised to first get genned up at the Cognac Tourist Office, where they will show you the available routes for visiting both the large wineries and the smaller, family businesses.

Sailing the River Charente

The river Charente, after which the department is named, is one of the area’s major landmarks. For centuries it has been navigable, the artery along which such goods as salt, paper and fabrics were transported, with Angoulême acting as one of its principal river ports. One of the various options for sailing down the river is La Dame Jeanne, a replica of a gabare, the flat-bottomed boat that conveyed goods along the river in former times.

Stopping Off At Angoulême

Comic devotees would inevitably associate the name of the capital of the Charente department with the festival dedicated to the ninth art which attracts a host of enthusiasts each year. Apart from this event, Angoulême has a medieval past which has endured the passage of time. Indeed, its streets are redolent with this medieval legacy and one standout landmark is its Romanesque Cathedral.

Fire up and discover this beautiful area and its stellar product – cognac. Book your Vueling to Bordeaux, located just over one and a half hours from Cognac

Text by Los Viajes de ISABELYLUIS

Images by Pug Girl