-
PHOTOS: Olympic Flame to travel to France on beautiful historic ship
The 127-year-old ship sets sail on Saturday with ‘the most important passenger it has ever carried’
-
Phone scams, gardening, insurance claims: 5 French practical updates
Our roundup of recent practical articles you may have missed
-
Picnic in Paris? Chance to join huge meal on Champs-Elysees
The event could even be record-breaking. You can now apply for your chance to take part
From here it is 1km straight down...
Opening on June 1
Officially one of France’s darkest places, the Pic du Midi observatory opens to the first of its expected 120,000 visitors on June 1 and ties in its Dark Skies experience with an exhibition alongside its planetarium, Europe’s highest.
With its view to the Massif Central, the site at Bigorre at 2,877m in the Pyrénées also opens a ‘bridge over the void’ that features a 12m pier over a 1,000m drop... fitted with a glass floor.
It is part of a facelift for the Pic du Midi that builds on its past as a scientific observatory – that remains in full use – and offers a new look at the world of science and discovery.
The site was France’s first dark skies park, Réserve Internationale de Ciel Étoilé, and offers beautiful sunsets, clear skies above the clouds for star-gazing, and a sunrise breakfast for visitors who book a night’s stay.
