Literary Paris - 3 Days / 2 Nights

DAY ONE
From the heights of Sainte-Geneviève in the middle of the Latin Quarter and its schools and universities stands the Panthéon : visit the crypt which houses the tombs of dignitaries such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Alexandre Dumas.
Lunchtime free.
Guided tour of the Musée Carnavalet in the Marais district : gallery devoted to Madame de Sévigné or evocation of Paris during Alexandre Dumas, Emile Zola or Marcel Proust's lifetime, reconstitutions of famous writers's rooms.
Or guided tour of the home of Balzac in Passy, where this writer wrote the Comédie humaine and some of his greatest works.
Or guided tour of Musée de la vie romantique in the Nouvelle Athènes district : artistic and literary life in the middle of the 19^th century with the main house evoking the everyday life of George Sand.
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Evening at the theatre (programmes on request).
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY TWO
Breakfast .
Tour and workshop at the BNF - site Francois Mitterand about the temporary exhibitions of the season or about the library
Lunch in a university refectory.
Guided walking tour of the Père-Lachaise Cemetery, the final resting place of famous poets and writers. The countless French and foreign personalities who here rest in peace retrace two centuries of history and culture.
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Night at the youth hotel.

DAY THREE
Breakfast .
Day devoted to Molière :
Walking tour organised by the Comédie Française, commented by specialized lecturers, that lead the students in Molière's footsteps : from the Saint Eustache church where he was christened to the rue de Richelieu where he died, the Halles district where he lived, to the Louvre where he became famous to the Comédie Française where he’s still “The Boss” and where the actors, heirs of his troupe, still serve his works.
Lunch at the MIJE cafeteria.
Escapade to the Château de Vaux le Vicomte : (60km south-west of Paris) : evocation of the French society in the 17^th century : Colbert, La Fontaine, Versailles, and, as an extra,  “La Malle de Molière”, participative show where you'll get to meet the characters of his books, humour, farce, educational theatre.  (Duration-90 minutes).
OR
Day devoted to Victor Hugo : Guided teaching tour of Victor Hugo's house, on the place des Vosges : his life and his work, or his fight against death penalty, or the man and the writer at work, or Victor Hugo through his brief exchanges - duration : 75 minutes (temporary exhibition from 2008-10-17 until 2009-02-01 : "les Misérables, roman inconnu"). Lunch at the MIJE cafeteria. After visiting the house in the morning, workshop in Notre-Dame discussing the book Notre-Dame-de-Paris through two complementary point of view (other possible tours : in Victor Hugo's house and in the Marais district "Paris ville natale de mon esprit" about the relationship between the writer and Paris, or tour of the château des Roches in Bièvres, the literary house of Victor Hugo)
OR
Day devoted to Emile Zola : Commented tour of the Musee d'Orsay : "Zola critique d'art" and his naturalist motto in paintings . Lunch in a cafeteria at the Tuileries garden . Departure to Medan, 30 km away from Paris : free tour of Emile Zola's house and its garden (photographs from the writer, manuscripts, diaries, small objects), "Zola in Medan" movie and "Zola - Dreyfus : la souffrance des hommes" exhibition .
Departure.

Scientific Paris - 4 Days/3 Nights  

DAY ONE
Morning free.
Lunchtime free.
Commented tour of the Palais de la découverte : all of science presented in a simple and interactive way, experiments (astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, geosciences), planetarium, temporary exhibitions.
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY TWO
Breakfast.
Departure from the Port de l'Arsenal at Bastille for a 2:30 hours long commented boat tour to the parc de la Villette, going through the spectacular vault of the Bastille, two bascule bridges, four double locks and of the raising bridge of Crimea.
Fast-food lunch at the Villette.
Self-guided tour of the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie: permanent exhibitions where the accent is put on the questioning, the observation, the interaction and the critical mind (possible animations in certain exhibitions, supervised by a scientific mediator) and temporary exhibitions (until 2008-12-31 : "Ombre et lumière", until 2009-01-01 : "Zizi sexuel, l'expo").
Movie at the Géode, the Cinaxe or the Planétarium.
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY THREE
Breakfast.
Self-guided (or guided, under certain conditions) tour of the Musée des Arts et Métiers : the permanent exhibition looks at the history and current developments in chronological order of seven different domains – Scientific Instruments, Materials, Construction, Communication, Energy, Mechanical Engineering and Transports.
Lunch in a university refectory.
Guided tour of one of the Musée National d’Histoire Naturelle’s galleries: the Great Gallery of Evolution (evolutionary theory of the species) (temporary exhibition until 2009-05-25  : "Incroyables cétacés" or the Gallery of Palaeontology (fossilised vertebrates, dinosaurs and reptiles of the Mesozoic era) or the Gallery of Mineralogy (giant crystals) or the Greenhouses (reopening end 2008).
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY FOUR
Breakfast.
Self-guided tour of the Musée de l’Homme and the “L’homme exposé” exhibition, the first episode of a saga, the beginning of a journey into the discovery of human nature, introspection and a step towards a new museum, one of the unity of humankind.
OR
Self-guided tour of the Musée National de la Marine Navy museum – discover the fabulous three-masters, steamers, the revolution of propellers or the most recent liners.
Lunch in a university refectory.
Self-guided tour of the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace in the Bourget :  pioneers of the skies from the Ariane rockets to Second World War planes to the two Concorde planes.
Departure.

DAY TWO
Breakfast.
Visit of the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine located in the Palais de Chaillot, the largest architectural centre in the world : modern and contemporary gallery, mural gallery, mouldings, gallery of temporary exhibitions, educational workshops on architecture and heritage are planned ( "Elle décoration" seen by Christian Lacroix temporary exhibition until 2008-12-04).
Lunch in a university refectory.
Architectural walking tour organised by the Palais de Tokyo – discover the architectural achievements of the Alma-Marceau area.
OR
Guided tour of the Palais du Tokyo, the architecture and history of the building (temporary exhibition from 2008-09-25 until 2009-01-04 "carte blanche à Jeremy Deller").
OR
Discovery tour of the Centre Georges Pompidou and his urban environment: walk around the building, its facades, its insertion in the area, access to the belvedere (or, for professional schools students, architectural or descriptive and design of space tour) (temporary exhibitions; from 2008-10-15 until 2009-01-26 October : "le futurisme et Paris" , from 2009-03-18 until 2009-07-07 "Calder, les années parisiennes - 1926-1933").
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY THREE
Breakfast.
Guided tour of the Opéra Garnier (architectural masterpiece built by Charles Garnier at the end of the 19^th century) or the Opéra Bastille (grand modern theatre, the work of Carlos Ott, inaugurated almost 20 years ago).
Lunch in a cafeteria.
Guided tour of the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, modern-day arena: the guide’s commentary is reinforced by scale models and videos; the thematic visit brings us back to ancient times and helps us to understand the evolution of stadiums; we also discover that just 31 months of building work sufficed to build France’s biggest stadium and to integrate it into the urban landscape, just a few hundred metres from the historical centre of Saint-Denis.
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY FOUR
Breakfast.
Day in western Paris :
Guided tour of La Défense area, buisness city but also an artistic neighbourhood with many outdoor contemporary sculptures.
Go up the Grande Arche, the heart of La Défense, which stands at the end of the long perspective running from the Louvre to the Concorde and the Arc de triomphe to the western Paris.
Lunch in a university refectory .
Self-guided tour of the Villa La Roche, headquarter of the Le Corbusier foundation or of Le Corbusier's apartement in the Molitor building. 
OR
Day Paris Rive Gauche :
Guided tour of the new BNF district, the flagship Bibliothèque Nationale de France François Mitterand is part of an urban renewal scheme on a scale unseen since the days of Baron Haussmann in 19^th century Paris; the perimeter stretching from the Gare d’Austerlitz station to the boulevard Masséna, spanning the Seine on one side and the rue du Chevaleret on the other ; the Simone de Beauvoir footbridge, Paris’ 37^th bridge, links Paris Rive Gauche to the parc du Bercy, bringing two modern and complementary districts closer together.
Lunch at a university refectory.
Take metro line 14, (named METEOR) a driverless train traveling at 40km/ph which links the banks of the future (the Grande Bibliothèque) and the heart of Paris (Madeleine); along the way you may appreciate the beauty of the stations and the modern materials used..
Get off at the Cour Saint Emilion stop to find yourself at Bercy, revolutionary commune then world-known wine-making estate which is now known as Bercy Village, its commerce based on leisure, wine, lifestyle and culture.  The emphasis has been placed upon keeping the spirit of the area alive with the renovation of its 19^th century storehouses, preservation of the rail tracks, architectural details such as the beams, exceptional stones and the roofs have been underlined.
Departure from Paris.

Cultures and Civilisations in Paris - 4 Days / 3 Nights

DAY ONE
General or thematic guided visited of the Musée du Louvre, in either the Ancient Egyptian or Ancient Greek,  Etruscan and Roman departments, or the Ancient Oriental, or Islam Arts departments (temporary exhibitions – "Andrea Mantegna" from 2008-09-26 until 2009-01-05).
Lunchtime free.
Guided visit of the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme which aims to share the riches and the specifics of the Jewish heritage by opening doors to other cultures; with diverse sections such as "Histoire d’une famille”, “Sur les traces des Hébreux”, “Juifs, chrétiens et musulmans”, “Le Marais juif”, "L'affaire Dreyfus",  “Histoires des juifs de France”…
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY TWO
Breakfast.
General guided visit of the Musée du Quai Branly, organised around a selection of the museum’s masterpieces in order to allow an introduction to its collections ; a tour of the world’s arts and civilisations for a better understanding of the multicultural world in which we evolve (temporary exhibition until 2009-07-19 : "planète métisse : to mix or not to mix".
Lunch at a university refectory.
Self-guided visit of the "Femmes, dans les arts d'Afrique” exhibition (from 2008-10-09 until 2009-07-12) at the Musée Dapper (the very particular place of African women in the rural societies and their representation in the African arts).
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Evening at the theatre (programmes available on request).

DAY THREE
Breakfast.
Delve into Asian civilisations and religions at the Musée Guimet : guided tour to discover the Asian civilizations and religions (temporary exhibition from 2008-10-15 until 2008-12-08 : "Konpira - sanctuaire de la mer").
Fast-food lunch.
Self-guided visit of the "WA l'harmonie au quotidien - design japonais d'aujourd'hui" (from 2008-10-22 until 2009-01-31) or "Kurosawa : dessins du cinéaste" (from 2008-10-16 until 2009-01-04) temporary exhibitons at the Maison de la Culture du Japon à Paris.
OR
Self-guided visit of the "Le zen et l'art à Kyoto" exhibition at the Petit Palais (from 2008-10-10 until 2008-12-16).
OR
An aesthetic promenade through Chinese civilisation at the Musée Cernuschi: the great discoveries, the three major schools of Chinese thought, the history of ancient China…
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY FOUR
Breakfast.
Self-guided tour of the Cité Nationale de l’Histoire de l’Immigration at the Palais de la Porte Dorée, symbol of France’s colonial past, intended to recognise and promote awareness of the role played by the immigrant population in the construction of France; the project is a national museum, a resource centre, a place of discovery, exhibitions and living culture all rolled into one ; and must also be used to educate the population, showing the continual enrichment of French culture through immigration and to contribute to social cohesion - permanent collection "Repères, deux siècles d'histoire de l'immigration en France" or temporary exhibition "Etranger - Fremder en France et en Allemagne du 19e siècle à nos jours" (from 2008-12-12 until 2009-04-15).
Lunch at the MIJE cafeteria.
Themed guided visit of the Institut du Monde Arabe and its permanent collections exploring different aspects and dimensions of Arabic-Islamic culture (temporary exhibitions : "Oum Kalsoum" until 2008-11-02 ; "Bonaparte et l'Egypte" from 2008-10-13 until 2009-03-29).
Visit of the Paris Mosque (the Cour d’Honneur, the Grand Patio, the Prayer Room, the Minaret, the Hammam and the annexes).
Departure.

Artistic Paris - 5 Days / 4 Nights

DAY ONE
Self-guided tour of the completely renovated Orangerie: Monet’s “Water Lilies” bathed in natural light just the way he intended them to be, Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume’s collection made up of masterpieces by Renoir, Cézanne, Rousseau, Matisse, Picasso, Soutine are displayed below the garden and allow us to understand the historical identity and the aesthetic originality of this collection unique to Paris.
Lunchtime free in the Tuileries garden.
Guided tour of the Musée d’Orsay french artistic collections of the 19th and 20th century, realism and naturalism, impressionism, art nouveau, symbolism (temporary exhibitions : "Hector Guimaud, dessinateur de meubles", "Vues d'Italie", "Pastels" from 2008-09-30 until 2009-01-04 ; "Masques : de Carpeaux à Picasso" from 2008-10-21 until 2009-02-10 ; "Wilhelm Lehmbruck et la sculpture à Paris" from 2009-03-09 until 2009-06-14).
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY TWO
Breakfast.
Guided tour of the Musée du Quai Branly, where the world’s cultures meet; African, American, Oceanic and Asian art and civilisation in a completely innovative museography, live programmes – theatre, dance, music – in harmony with the different works and temporary exhibitions presented.
Lunch at a university refectory.
Self guided tour of a great exhibition gallery : either the Petit Palais, Paris' museum of fine arts, which has been completely renovated, with its inner court (temporary exhibition : "la mode au Petit Palais : Patrick Demarchelier, photographe" from 2008-09-30 until 2009-01-04) or the Grand Palais, (temporary exhibitions : from 2008-10-07 until 2009-02-02 "Picasso et les maîtres" and from 2009-03-16 until  2009-07-15 "Le grand monde d'Andy Warhol : les portraits") or the Jeu de Paume (from 2008-10-14 until 2009-01-11 "Jordi Colomer, artiste catalan" ; from 2009-01-18 until 2009-03-22 "Sophie Ristelhueber, photographe", from April until mid-June 2009 "Rodney Graham et Harun Farocki") or the Hôtel de Ville (from 2008-10-07 until 2008-12-31 "Jacques Prévert - Paris la belle") or the Pinacothèque de Paris (from 2008-09-25 until 2009-01-18 "George Rouault, à l'occasion du 50ème anniversaire de sa mort" ; from 2008-10-15 until 2009-02-15 "Pollock et le chamanisme").
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY THREE  
Breakfast. Self-guided tour of the Musée Jacquemart-André: built at the end of the 19^th century in Haussmann’s new Paris by a couple with a passion for collecting, this private mansion offers a glimpse of 19^th century living: ceremonial rooms, marble staircase, winter garden, private apartments, reception rooms (permanent collection : French Painting, Dutch Painting, Italian Renaissance, Furniture and Objet d’Art collections) (temporary exhibitions : from 2008-10-15 until 2009-02-01 "Van Dyck" ; from 2009-03-15 until 2009-08-25 "Primitifs italiens").
Lunch at a cafeteria.
Guided tour of the Musée d’Art Moderne du Centre Pompidou (graphic arts, photograph, architecture, design, cinema and artist's videos, 59000 art works from 1905 until today) (temporary exhibitions : from 2009-03-18 until 2009-07-20 "Calder" ; from 2009-04-08 until 2009-08-10 "Kandinsky").
OR
Guided tour of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris which reopens its doors on the 2008-10-16 with a new presentation of its collection (great rooms dedicated to major groups : fauvism and cubism, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Andre Breton, decorative arts of the 30's...  new acquisition of contemporary art : paintings, videos and installations) (retrospective Raoul Dufy from 2008-10-16 until  2009-01-18).
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteria.
Evening at the theatre (programmes on request).
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY FOUR
Breakfast.
Self-guided tour of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs which reopened September 2006 after being completely renovated, back to its original size and lighting: prestigious collections, a unique account of the French way of life from the Middle Ages to today. (temporary exhibitions – "Légèreté (prix Emile Hermès)" from 2008-09-18 until 2009-01-25 ; "Sonia Rykiel, exhibition" from 2008-11-20 until  2009-04-19).
Lunch at a university refectory.
Guided tour of the Rodin Museum : 500 pieces of the sculptor and his personal collection displayed in the hotel Biron.
Promenade in the sculpture garden.
Dinner at the MIJE cafeteia .
Night at the youth hostel.

DAY FIVE
Breakfast. Day at the Cite de la Musique : From end of October until March the 1^st 2009 : Theme tour of the museum (the key of sounds, the Romanticism in music, the new sound worlds, instruments of the world).
Fast-food lunch.
Discovery tour of the Serge Gainsbourg exhibition, homage to one of the greatest French musicians of the 20th century.
OR
From March the 3^rd 2009 on, date of the complete reopening of the Cité, cultural courses with musical practice workshops, museum tours, listening sessions, musicals :
- On mondays, from 2009-04-27 on, from 1st year secondary school to final year : electric guitar workshop and DJ workshop linked to a listening session at the Mediathèque.