What To Do In Paris During Roland Garros
As summer it’s around the corner, visitors gather to the City of Light for numerous reasons and one of them that lasted for near a century it’s world-famous Roland Garros tennis tournament. But, apart from assisting to the matches, what else we can do in Paris during Roland Garros?
On this Paris guide, we will focus on things to do in a walk distance from Roland Garros tennis courts.
Molitor Spa & Pool by Clarins
It was around the 30s when Paris opened its most exclusive pool, that where you had to be if you wanted to rub elbows with the beautiful people of the city. The Molitor complex, famous for its Art Deco design, was built in 1929 and opened by Aileen Riggin and Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller and had two swimming pools – one outdoor and one indoor – which in addition to refreshing their select guests served as a venue of social events of the time such as the presentation of the bikini on July 5, 1946.
In 1989 the pool was closed and left to its fate, in this case to uncontrolled graffiti (not to Street Art), to dirt and to be the scene of less photogenic Paris. Of course, many knew the patrimonial and symbolic value of the pool and there were several citizen initiatives that refused to be demolished. The City of Paris had no choice but to listen to them and took it out to public tender. The resurrection had just begun. And the fairy godmother arrived in the form of a hotel group. The Accor group, together with its most exquisite division, Mgallery Collection, saw the beauty of space and its possibilities and invented a new Molitor.
We say goodbye to the sad space and without illusion to receive the new Hotel Molitor where its pool is the main tourist attraction, normal, for the huge dimensions. Currently, his soul is perceived within the private club that consists of two swimming pools, a 33-meter deck and a 48-meter open deck with hot water throughout the year.
The five-star hotel has 124 rooms surrounding the swimming pool, bar and restaurant devoted to French cuisine, a spa run by the firm Clarins, a gym with sports coaches and on the top floor a very attractive attic in the summer months to enjoy aperitifs and snacks and delicious cocktails.
The Paul Landowski Museum
The city of Boulogne-Billancourt also offers culture and the new Paul-Landowski Museum it’s a must see. Ok, if the name of this artist does not resonate enough for you, know that it is to this sculptor that we owe the Christ of Corcovado majestically overlooking the Rio de Janeiro city in Brazil … just that. If the prolific career of this man of the world is still unknown to you, know also that we find his works around the world …
The collection of the museum was donated to the city of Boulogne-Billancourt in 1982. It includes 60 sculptures, 5 paintings and 10 drawings, divided into four main themes: “The Monumental Sculpture,” “The Little Statuary,” “The Temple of Man “and” Landowski Portraitist. “
Serres d’Auteuil Garden
The Garden of the greenhouses of Auteuil, located in the Bois de Boulogne, is one of the four poles of the botanical garden of the City of Paris. Its creation goes back to the year 1761, under the reign of the monarch Louis XV. Today, the elegant garden is organized around a large French parterre. The five main greenhouses, with the architecture of the end of the 19th century, overlook this central space. The garden is home to collections of rare plants and trees, a palmarium and a beautiful aviary … for the pleasure of botanical and horticultural enthusiasts. Guided tours are organized all year round by the Paris City Hall and the garden hosts a classical music festival every year.
Marmottan Monet Museum
The Marmottan Monet Museum, located in the 16th arrondissement, houses one of the city’s largest Impressionism collections: 100 of Claude Monet’s masterpieces (from Impression, Sunrise to the water lilies) from the artist’s personal collection (Gauguin, Guillaumin, Renoir, Sisley, Degas, etc.) ‘Grand dame’ of Impressionism Berthe Morisot is represented by a number of oil paintings, pastels and watercolors. The Marmottan Museum Monet’s temporary exhibitions, held regularly, are one of the highlights of Paris’s cultural season.
Notre-Dame-des Menus Church
After the sad fire of Notre-Dame de Paris on April 19, and during the reconstruction works, her small sister located in Boulogne-Billancourt can still show us some Gothic architecture.
This is a beautifully decorated church open to public free of charge, beautiful tiled floors, vaulted ceilings with several coats of arms, an intricate altar and a very nice organ.
The similarities with her big sister, even on the name, make this church hard to find on Google, so the very few visitors can enjoy a calm ambiance that will give them a hint of Notre-Dame!
… And Tennis!
After visiting all this hidden pearls around Roland Garros Tournament lands, don’t forget to attend to the matches!
You can also visit other Paris gems here. Or here. Liked this article? Save for later:
