Guide of Paris Itineraries Contemporary Paris, France

Paris Contemporary Paris, France

Pompidou Center

A splendid building built in 1977 in the heart of Paris by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers to house the national modern art museum of Paris. The building has been called an "urban machine", it seems to have been built upside down, with a huge mass of pipes and conduits which completely surround it and escalators on the exterior which run in giant transparent tubes.

Where: Rue Beaubourg. Metro: L11 Rambuteau.

La Defense

The biggest 20th century urban project, going to La Defense is like taking a leap into the future. The quarter is located in a straight line from Champs Elysée at the end of Avenue Grand Armée. Thirty towers stand around an immense square. The most spectacular is the Grande Arche an enormous 100 meter tall frame covered with glass and marble with an external glass elevator. There is also more at La Defense: The Dome IMAX movie theater with one of the biggest screens in the world, Les Quatre-Temps - a large shopping center and Musée de l'Automobile, which covers one hundred years of French car history.

Where: Esplanade de la Defense. Metro: L1 La Defense

City of Science - Parc de la Villette

This is an ultra modern center dedicated to science, hi tech, music and the arts. The major attraction is Cité des Sciences, a large futuristic space built in a former slaughter house, which contains various sections including Esplora, a Planetarium, Cité des Enfants, for children, and Inventorium, where children can build and invent things. In addition you'll see the underwater Argonaute the Geode, an enormous steel sphere which contains a curved IMAX screen.

Where: Parc de la Villette. Metro: L7 Porte de la Villette