Top 10 Points of Interest & Landmarks in Ile-de-France, France

Completed in 1889, this colossal landmark, although initially hated by many Parisians, is now a famous symbol of French civic pride.

Home to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Louvre is considered the world's greatest art museum, with an unparalleled collection of items covering the full spectrum of art through the ages.

Two large stables built in the late 17th century. The Grandes Ecuries is the home of the Carriage Museum and the Equestrian Academy of Versailles.

Welcome to the Axe majeur

Open from April to October. The Cyclop is a concrete and metal sculpture partially covered in mirrors. It is a giant’s head planted in the ground and scrutinising the surroundings with its one eye. It can be visited as if it were a museum where you discover a complex world full of intimacy and friendship, a world that is both serious and full of humour, a maze of artworks and curiosities. It stands proud in the middle of the Forest of Milly, as tall as a seven-storey building. Jean Tinguely, his wife Niki de Saint Phalle and their friends started work on the project in 1969. Many artists worked with them in a fun, family atmosphere. They had no planning permission and they funded it themselves, working with recycled materials. The sculpture was provocative and it was regularly vandalised. In 1987, Jean Tinguely decided to donate it to the French State. The Cyclop was finished 25 years after work had begun and it was opened to the public in 1994. A cultural and artistic programme The Cyclop began to reach out to contemporary creation in 2012. Since then, it has helped artists in the conception of works in three areas relevant to the site: artistic research combining music and the visual arts, collaborative artistic creation (artists working together), and relating to nature. Artists’ residencies, contemporary art exhibitions, performances, and lectures on The Cyclop encourage a cross-fertilisation of the worlds of creativity and research. In 2015, The Cyclop was inaugurating series of meetings under the title ‘Contrée film & video’. Throughout the season, in a converted container close to the sculpture, there will be screenings of artists’ videos and documentary films. Some of these screenings will be linked with programmed events at The Cyclop.