The French elections were held recently and I want to learn more by visiting "political" tourist attractions.

Question

I think visiting political places helps to understand the history of the place and how current politics has evolved.

I'd love to hear your tips for what to see in Paris - but also elsewhere in the cities and regions.

Answer 1

In Paris you can visit the National Assembly, you can walk by the Elysees Palace where the President lives, you have place de la Concorde where the king was beheaded.

La Sorbonne, the starting place of the 1968 student protests that brought the government to its knees.

Place de la Bastille where people meet to protest, sometimes violently and where the 1789 revolution started, storming the fortress that stood there.

The Jeanne d'Arc statue where the National Front gathers every year to worship their idol (poor Jeanne).

As a matter of fact you can't walk around without stumbling over a political place.

Answer 2

Other than all the evident places in Paris...You could visit the Chateau at Vizillle (just outside of Grenoble...) It's the true birthplace of the french revolution, and the chateau has been turned into a museum dedicated to the revolution. This is also a beautiful area of France...at the feet of the french alps. Grenoble is itself a lovely city... You can get there by TGV in about 3 hours from Paris.

Lyons has a museum dedicated to the WWII holocaust, resistance movement, etc. (14, avenue Berthelot) (also easy from Paris by TGV).

There are probably others...try the city websites for Marseille, Strasbourg, Nice and/or any other large cities for further possibilities.