Where is "the" underpass in Paris?
 

I didn't realize what a HUGE fan of Princess Diana's my DH was until her death. I'm sure that when we're in Paris, DH will want to make a pilgrimage to the site (I guess near the site, since it doesn't look life a safe area for pedestrians). How would we find the underpass where the accident took place?

Place de l'Alma .
Near the underpass is the Flame of Liberty, a replica of the one on the Statue of Liberty in New York.

The closest metro station is Alma-Marceau.

It is in the foreground of the 5th picture on this page: http://mightymac.org/fr01.htm

Keith

At the right-bank end of Pont d'Alma, and near the intersections of avenue Montaigne, avenue du Pres Wilson and avenue Georges V, where you find the Flame of Liberty. It was at the base of this 'monument' that people left flowers, mementos, etc.

Here is a webpage with photos of the monument and some tributes left there:
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclop...ncess-of-Wales

As a follow up: We visited the site a couple of weeks ago. It was a pretty sobering experience...what an unnecessary death...

Lots of folks have written tributes in the concrete all around...don't know if the powers that be like having the grafitti there, but it doesn't look like anyone has attempted to clean off the writings.

It's on the Left Bank of the Pont De L'Alma bridge. There is a big golden/brass colored flame atop the underpass and people leave flowers in Princess Diana's memory there daily. I first saw the site in 1999 and again 2 weeks ago. From the "flame" you can peer down over/into the underpass but the cars are coming and going so rapidly, there really isn't any way to closely examine the spot where it occurred (the pillars in underpass, etc). You can access the Pont De L'Alma bridge from the Right Bank as well, from the RER station (Alma), it is just a short walk across the bridge to the underpass.

Should be easy to find--as Huitres said, there are lots of flowers at the entrance--we actually had a rental car and drove through, though traffic travels very fast here.

Hi missypie, two years ago I was walking on a cold rainy night in front of the Ritz Hotel. I was thinking of the events that led up to Princess Di's fatal car ride.
If you recall the security tape they played from the Ritz the night of her death it showed Princess Di entering the hotel via the front revolving door into lobby then leaving via a rear door.
Well I walked into the hotel and looked up at the same security camera a chill shot down my spine.
After walking around the hotel and seeing the beautiful lobby I caught a cab to go back to my hotel. I asked the driver to show me "the tunnel" and he pointed out the various landmarks.

You and your husband might wish to have a drink at the hotel.

==Mike

I see London,
I see France
I see someone's
Oh, er, I see...underpass. Sorry.

topping for pretty princess

Just don't forget that the flame sculpture has nothing to do with the Diana event. It was presented by the International Herald Tribune to the city of Paris in commemoration of the gift of the Statue of Liberty.

More interesting is the fact that just 3 steps away and contiguous to Alma-Marceau is "Place de la Reine Astrid" commemorating a queen of Belgium who also died in an auto accident.

I have driven through that tunnel. Nothing to see really except for the fact that you can see how dangerous it is if one doesn't have their wits about them when driving through it. They haven't done anything to change that as I recall. If a car is in the far left lane and swerved just a bit you can see that it's over. If Henri was intoxicated, as it seems he was, you can very easily see how that "accident" could happen. Other than that, there's nothing of interest to be seen there.

I don't necessarily agree that that there's nothing of interest to be seen there. It is often significant for an individual to just physically BE where an event occured. I work just a few blocks away from "the grassy knoll" in Dallas...there are ALWAYS tourists there, just wanting to see where "it" happened.

<Just don't forget that the flame sculpture has nothing to do with the Diana event. It was presented by the International Herald Tribune to the city of Paris in commemoration of the gift of the Statue of Liberty.>

and there is also a mini copy of the Statue of Liberty just down river from this area, at the tip of an island in the Seine.