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"The Da Vinci Code", a way to discover Paris

And does the thriller have its own code secret code?
Adventures set in Paris that have become world-known

 

Dan Brown's best-seller claims that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married, that they expressed the male-female duality and that the Church deliberately tried to suppress that reality...

 

Most of the action takes place in or near Paris, which gives exploring Paris and its environs a new twist. 

 

 

    • Parisian sites

     

    In the gloom of Saint-Sulpice we explain the interest of the novel's esoteric information ... and that of the church itself, which before the novel's publication was almost empty of visitors. As it is in the heart of the Left Bank, we explore those parts of the picturesque and celebrated area that interest visitors most.

     

    At the Louvre, we examine the Mona Lisa, since that painting is central to the novel. But although it is the planet's most famous work, it is not the Louvre's most important. Nor does it contain hidden information. The author is right, however, to say that coded statements can be part of art.  Rubens's paintings on the life of queen Marie de Médicis, for example, are charged with messages for insiders to decipher. The Louvre devotes an entire room to this series,  which is one of its greatest treasures.

     

    Since the hero is a guest at the Hotel Ritz, tea at its Bar Vendôme can follow, with tales of Chanel, Proust and other major figures that are associated with that legendary place.

     

     

     

     

     

    Real coded messages are elsewhere at the Louvre.
    • Châteaux choices

     

     

    Château de Villette

     

    In shifting Code's action to Great Britain, Brown takes his heroes to this 17th-century château, an hour's drive from Paris. We know the proprietor, and when it is not rented, we may visit it. Or we can show exclusive photos...
    Another possibility

     

    and propose the visit of another château whose poetry and mystery could have determined Brown's choice – were it located in the right direction.

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    • Code within "Code" ?

       

      Brown's preface declares that everything he affirms can be verified, which would revolutionize Christianity.

       

      Yet sifted into these revelations is a particular emphasis on the Parisian streets that characters take. Those tragectories are absolutely impossible. 

       

      We suggest a reason for these voluntary errors, which come from an American who knows Paris perfectly and which any street guide contradicts.  

       

       

      • Costs, 1-5 visitors

       

      ° To guide, 190€ per half day (3-4 hours), full day (whcihc includes château) 290€

       

      ° To PEF, 20% plus dues. Public transportation is included, Louvre and château entries not included. For larger groups fees change, but remain reasonable.

       

      ° To driver: 40€-55€ within Paris, from 50€ outside it. 

       

       

       

      Street guide

       

       

      Credits: photos / Claude Abron