Europe Up Close

Paris Cemeteries: Strolling Among the Stars

Published/Revised May 8, 2018 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Visiting Paris’ cemeteries may not be your idea of having fun. However, if you are truly in love with the City of Light, you have every reason to walk through the gates of one of the city's 14 intra-muros sites. The Père Lachaise, Montmartre and Montparnasse cemeteries figure among the most prestigious in Paris and France. Each one is a lesson in history told in an open and stunningly beautiful ... Read Full Article

Out and About in Paris – Part III: Les Enfants

Published/Revised August 4, 2014 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Paris has the deserved reputation of being one of the world’s most romantic cities, but it holds plenty of opportunities for family vacation fun as well. Public parks and gardens are great escapes from the tiring tedium of a typical tourist regimen. At The Luxembourg Gardens, children ride ponies, float miniature sailboats in the central fountain basin, and enjoy programmed activities such as ... Read Full Article

An Uncomfortable Walk through the Paris Catacombs

Published/Revised October 29, 2018 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

"Paris has another Paris under herself", said the novelist Victor Hugo, in reference to 1300 miles of sewers, caverns, catacombs, alleys, and intersections underneath the great city. On my trip to Paris we had originally planned to tour the elaborate sewer network in honor of Hugo, who described the medieval labyrinth at length in his masterwork, Les Misérables. However, the sewers overflowed ... Read Full Article

Discovering Authentic Paris and Enjoying Places that Parisiens Love

Published/Revised June 14, 2014 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

  James turned to the hovering waiter. “Encore, deux cafés.” The big cups of creamy coffee arrived and soon my husband had sketched out a plan for my seventh visit to Paris, his ninety-third. He filled our September week with authentic Paris, must-see places and events that any tourist can fit around the obligatory sightseeing. We meandered down the oldest street in Paris, the Roman road ... Read Full Article

Amsterdam Insider Travel Guide

Published/Revised April 29, 2018 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post at no extra cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Amsterdam, the capital city of the Netherlands, once had an established reputation as a den of iniquity. But today there are so many more aspects of Amsterdam that appeal to every type of traveler: wonderful museums and galleries, up-and-coming cuisine, and quirky bars and cafes. It is a city full of nooks and crannies to be explored; and it has long earned its well-deserved status as a world ... Read Full Article