French highlight: 5 Virtual Field Trips

France Tours Online

France was Europe’s most popular vacation spot in 2018 with 90 million visitors.

The deadly COVID-19 epidemic has forced the CDC to warn passengers to postpone or cancel their travels. The result? Millions have skipped France vacations, missing out on a lifetime of culture.

How can you tour this wonderful nation without exposing yourself and others to COVID-19?
Virtual field visits to famous French places are great!

Virtual field trips are a convenient method to travel the world from home if you can not fly. Travel to France virtually!

This article features 5 virtual tours of France’s most iconic landmarks:

Notre Dame Paris
Eiffel Tower 
The Louvre.
Versailles Mont-Saint-Michel

Let us virtually fly to our first location now. Bon voyage!

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Our virtual tour of France begins at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris charms tourists and locals.
Notre Dame has stood since the 13th century. It has hosted many religious and historical events.

Napoleon I’s early 1800s coronation was Notre Dame’s most notable event. This revolutionary ritual crowned the first French Emperor in over a millennium on December 2, 1804. Empress Josephine was his wife.
Notre-Dame Fire

On April 15, 2019, the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris burned, making global news. The unexpected fire occurred while renovating this religious and cultural institution. The cathedral’s vaulted roof burned, causing global mourning.

Most of the sacred relics, art, architecture, and rose windows were saved from this magnificent landmark. Behind-the-scenes restoration.

Eiffel Tower

Take a virtual subway to the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower epitomizes France. It may be the most identifiable modern edifice on Earth.
Eiffel Tower construction

Gustave Eiffel designed the first 1,000-foot edifice for the 1889 World’s Fair (as the entrance).

You knew? The 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, a turning point in French history, was commemorated by the Eiffel Tower. Its engineering and design were cutting-edge. One of the world’s most popular paid attractions, the Eiffel Tower represents France.

You may take an Eiffel Tower virtual tour from the ground up. The tower sparkles at night on this virtual field trip to Paris!

Louvre.

Want to view the Mona Lisa? La belle ferronnière or Venus de Milo? Parisian art lovers must visit the Louvre Museum.
Why is the Louvre famous?

The Renaissance-style palace was built in 1190 as a fortification. Finally, during the revolution, it was converted as a public museum and renamed the Napolean Museum due to the wealth of treasure the emperor won in his overseas military adventures and contributed to the museum’s collection.

The world’s largest art museum, the Louvre, holds priceless works from:

Da Vinci
Géricault Michelangelo
Many more!

The Louvre’s art and artifact collections, from the underground moat encircling the ancient ruins of the old citadel to the spectacular Galerie d’Apollon, offer a flavor of French history and culture.

Paris Louvre Museum virtual tours are an art treasure trove. This tour offers gallery explanations and tours. What else? You can even use the site in French to learn while you travel.

Versailles

Next, let us travel the virtual tour bus to Versailles, a half-hour from Paris. The French monarchy’s “pièce de résistance” was this historic site.
A royal hunting lodge and tiny château stood here. In the 1600s, King Louis XIV made it a beautiful royal estate. The royal court moved to Versailles, which was extended to house the French government. Before the French Revolution, this huge, magnificent castle symbolized riches and oppression.

Still more! This historic place saw battle and peace. The palace hosted the World War I peace talks. Can you guess our topic?

The Versailles Treaty!

The Palace of Versailles is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with stunning 16th to 19th-century art collections and stunning architecture! Rick Steves’ virtual tour of Versailles covers numerous portions of this landmark.

Mont-Saint-Michel

Finally, we will take a virtual trip from Paris to a tiny island off France’s northwest coast. Mont Saint-Michel is our destination!
The 10th century monks founded this Normandy island village. The strategically positioned mount was fought over by numerous kingdoms due to its inherent defenses. It was a prison for years. In 1874, it was declared a historical site and restored for its cultural significance to Normandy.
Mont-Saint-Michel Tide

Mont Saint-Michel has Europe’s greatest spring tides, reaching 50 feet and coming in at horse speed! The island alternates between sea and land. Like Venice, the tide changes the scenery every couple of hours.