Museums and cultural attractions

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum starts with the story of Marie Grosholtz, born in Strasbourg in 1761. Her mother worked as a governess for a Dr Curtins, who made anatomical wax models. From her earliest childhood, Marie learnt modelling techniques with Dr Curtins.

One of the largest accessible caves in Ireland, Aillwee contains showcase examples of columns, stalactites, straws, stalagmites and flowstones, as well as underground rivers and thunderous waterfalls.

Birr Castle and Demesne In the 1840s, the Third Earl of Rosse, owner of Birr Castle, constructed the biggest telescope then built, making the small midland town of Birr the astronomical centre of the world.

Bunratty Castle One of the finest surviving examples of a Irish tower house, it is hard to believe that the castle has had a bloody and violent history.

Clonmacnois I will never forget that place in which we stopped for a short time in the early hours of Sunday, 30th September..... So wrote Pope John Paul on his return to Rome from Ireland in 1979 after a visit to this ruined monastic city, built on an esker or natural gravel ridge, and situated on a bend in the River Shannon.

To understand the origin and growth of Crag Cave one must go back about 400 million years in geological time to when the earth was moving and forming all sorts of shapes and textures, and carboniferous limestone, essential for the formation of caves, was being laid down in the seabed.

Kerry the Kingdom in Tralee recounts 8,000 years of Irish and Kerry history.

Craggaunowen, set in the grounds of a tower house on twenty hectares of wooded land, has authentic reconstructed replicas of prehistoric and pre-Christian dwellings.

Jeanie Johnston A life-size replica of the Jeanie Johnston, a triple-masted barque, is being constructed at a special visitor-friendly shipyard in the historic village of Blennerville, near Tralee.

West Offaly Railway 12,000 years ago, the Blackwater Bog was covered by a glacier. It subsequently became a lake, a fen, and finally the bog as we know it today.

Monastic Roscrea The Midlands of Ireland may rightly claim to have played a major role in the Christianisation of Europe. So many monasteries with scriptoria, and metal and stone workshops flourished here that the region has been aptly called "The Monastic Midlands.

Foynes Once the centre of the world of aviation, Foynes is now a major seaport situated on the Shannon estuary.

King John's Castle stands on King's Island, dominating the Medieval quarter of Limerick City. It was built to protect the river crossing just above the Shannon estuary as part of a strategy to control Ireland.

The Hunt Museum contains exhibits dating from the Stone Age right up to the 20th Century.

The Burren The Boireann, or rock land, is a national park, covering 500-square kms of bare limestone slabs, known as pavements, in the north of County Clare.

Kilrush Irish landlords played an important role in the planning and development of estate towns such as Kilrush, a town which grew and flourished under the auspices of the Vandeleur family in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Dublinia, the Medieval heritage centre located beside Christ Church Cathedral, tells the story of the development of Dublin from the arrival of Strongbow and his Anglo-Norman knights in the 12th century to the era of Henry VIII in the 16th century.

Dublin's Viking Adventure Dyflin, the former Viking village, built one thousand years ago, laid the foundations for Dublin as we know it today.

The James Joyce Centre, who is regarded as the greatest, and certainly the most influential, writer of the 20th century, wrote about Dublin and nowhere else but Dublin.

The Irish National Heritage Park Ireland, more than any European country, is dotted with material reminders of its past inhabitants.

Beamish welcomes you to the heaven on earth for history and English teachers! Because Beamish Open Air Museum is an amazing world, winner of the "European Museum of the Year" title. The word "museum", is not really appropriate, however. At Beamish, visitors find themselves on another planet, and in another age…

With more than 100000 visitors welcomed each year, the Telecommunications museum of Pleumeur-Bodou is classed as one of the best sites of the Cotes d'Armor which cannot be overlooked. Opened in 1991, it is the only national telecommunications museum entirely realized and implemented by France Telecom. A strange place where past, present and future are brought together with a bonus a fascinating show just at the foot the giant white radar dome.

The Grand Rex, the biggest cinema in Europe with a seating capacity of 2,750, has projected films for more than one million spectators for over half a century. This is why it created "The Stars of the Grand Rex" an unusual tour behind the scenes of the cinema. The Grand Rex has an Art Deco facade, a starry vault and a Baroque decor which makes it a unique and exceptional cinema.

France Miniature visitors will feel like Gulliver in the land of Lilliput. In just one glance, they will discover the finest jewels of the architectural and historical heritage of France. The France Miniature Park is in the shape of a relief map of France, spread over an area of 5 hectares. It is animated by planes, trains, ships and cars. Certain monuments are illustrated by a sound track and music. In short, it is an entire country on a reduced scale, making it a lively lesson in geography.

The Grevin Museum is a temple devoted to the glory of history and all that is strange, spectacular and sensational, in a setting dominated by gold and marble. It moved into one of the famous Grand Boulevards of Paris over a hundred years ago, and ever since it has immortalized leading personalities of the world and key scenes from history. This outing is unusual, picturesque, amusing and full of surprises.

Paris-Story is a show and exhibition which brings back to life the history of Paris and its monuments. It is an audiovisual stroll through the centuries to rediscover Paris in an entertaining and easy way.In 1993, Paris Story won the Grand Prix for Innovation in Cultural Tourism, which is awarded every year for an outstanding achievement, among the 150 projects submitted from all over France.

The Sarreguemines Faience Trail invites the visitor to learn all about one of the most highly appreciated faience productions in the world. The sites can be reached by all types of vehicles but walking (about 3 km) is still the best way to explore it... From the Moulin de la Blies, the very new Museum of Faience Techniques, a path runs along the banks of the Blies and the Sarre. This walk retraces two centuries of savoir-faire and talent... Special guided tours fitting to the school curriculum are proposed for students and pupils.

The Brassery of Cerdon (Cuivrerie de Cerdon), situated in the French department of Ain, is made up of a hereditary craft and is an industry unique in France ; unique by its ancestral character, the methods and techniques used and by the history of the profession.

The Royal Armouries Museum, an outstanding museum, was opened in Leeds in 1996, exhibiting a collection of weapons and armour famous throughout the world: that of the Tower of London. The Tower, however, was able to display barely 10% of all there was to show. Designed for visitors of all ages, the creation of the Leeds Royal Armouries means that most of the collection can now be seen.

To visit the Canterbury Tales, one of the most popular tourist attractions in England, is to enter Medieval England through scenes and stories which will delight all lovers of Old England. Stop off at the colourful inns, and cross the busy streets in the company of Chaucer’s pilgrims on their way to Canterbury where they were going to meditate at the tomb of Thomas à Becket.