Items26The creator’s order
  1. 1Musée des Arts ForainsMusée des Arts ForainsTry an antique ride at the Fairground Museum in Bercy, where a guided visit can set carousels and mechanical figures in motion. Reserve a tour in advance and check the language before you book. Most tours are in French.0
  2. 2Paris Sewer MuseumParis Sewer MuseumGo below the Seine embankment into a working part of the city’s sewer network. The permanent exhibition connects the tunnels to the people who build and maintain them. Choose this if the Paris you want to understand is the one hidden under the pavement.0
  3. 3Musée de la Chasse et de la NatureMusée de la Chasse et de la NatureIn the Marais, step into rooms that put hunting trophies beside contemporary art about how humans see animals. The stuffed specimens are part of the experience. Look for the work titled The Unicorn for a reminder that these rooms deal in imagination as well as natural history.0
  4. 4Musée des Arts et MétiersMusée des Arts et MétiersStart with Foucault’s pendulum and work your way into the history of machines. This museum lets you pair a familiar idea, the rotation of Earth, with the instrument that lets you see it for yourself. It suits a visit built around a few inventions you want to linger over.0
  5. 5Museum of the History of Medicine, ParisMuseum of the History of Medicine, ParisBrowse old surgical kits and instruments once used to treat Louis XIV at Université Paris Cité. The cases make the history of medicine feel surprisingly immediate. Go for the tools and the craft of making them, with the understanding that the collection is frank about what they were used for.0
  6. 6Catacombs of ParisCatacombs of ParisFollow old limestone quarry passages to the city’s ossuary. The English audio guide tells the story of how the tunnels became a burial place. Plan for a long staircase at either end, with 131 steps down and 112 up.0
  7. 7Musée CarnavaletMusée CarnavaletStart in the room of old shop signs, where painted wood and wrought iron tell you what used to hang over the city’s inns, workshops, and storefronts. Then pick a restored period room that catches your eye. The permanent collections are free and require no reservation.0
  8. 8Musée national Gustave MoreauMusée national Gustave MoreauClimb the spiral stairs in Gustave Moreau’s former studio for an upstairs view of rooms crowded with his paintings. The spaces are worth a visit for the scale of the canvases alone. Expect stairs throughout the museum, which has no elevator.0
  9. 9Musée de ClunyMusée de ClunyGive The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries room in your schedule. Spend time following the small animals and plants across the fabric, then see the medieval collection in the former residence of the abbots of Cluny. Start here if you’re curious about Paris before its grand boulevards.0
  10. 10Archaeological Crypt of the Île de la CitéArchaeological Crypt of the Île de la CitéIf you’re going to Notre-Dame, leave time for the museum beneath its square. You can pick out a stretch of the old river quay, remains of Gallo-Roman baths, and traces of streets and buildings from later centuries. It’s a rare chance to see how the ground under one Paris block changed over time.0