Paris Invalides (7Ème)

Visit this arrondissement more than once if you can. Unsurprisingly, the Tour Eiffel towers over all of the 7ème attractions, but the posh neighborhood also hosts the French national government, a number of embassies, and an astonishing concentration of famous museums. Be sure to stop by the Musée de Rodin and Musée d'Orsay.

Eiffel Tower, It doesn't need one. You can see it from everywhere (☎01 44 11 23 23; www.tour-eiffel.fr.), The cheapest way to ascend the tower is by walking up the first two floors; the third floor is only accessible by elevator. Waiting until nightfall to make your ascent cuts down the line and ups the glamour. At the top, captioned aerial photographs help you locate other famous landmarks. On a clear day it is possible to see Chartres, 88km away. From dusk until 2am (1am Sept-May), the tower sparkeles with light for 10min. on the hour. Elevator to 2nd fl. €8.10, 12-24 €6.40, ages 4-11 and handicapped €4, under 3 free; elevator to summit €13.10/11.50/9/free; stair entrance to second floor €4.50/3.50/3/free. Open daily Jan. to mid-June and Sept.-Dec., elevator 9:30am-11:45 pm (last access 11pm), stairs 9:30am-6:30pm (last access 6pm); mid-June to Aug., elevator 9am-12:45am (last access 11pm), stairs 9am-12:45am (last access midnight). Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Champs de Mars, Lined with more lovers than trees, the expansive lawn that stretches from the École Militaire to the Eiffel Tower is called Champs de Mars (Field of Mars). Close to the neighborhood's military monuments and museums, it has historically lived up to the Roman god of war for whom it is named. In the days of Napoleon's empire, the field was used as a drill ground for the adjacent École Militiare, and in 1780 Charles Montgolfier launched the first hydrogen balloon from its grassy fields. During the Revolution, the park was the site of civilian massacres and political demonstrations. In 2000, a glass monument to international peace was erected at the end of the Champs in quiet defiance of the École Militaire across the way. Named the Mur pou la Paix (Wall for Peace), the structure consists of two large glass walls covered from top to bottom with the word “peace” written in 32 languages. Viewed through the monument's walls, École Militaire appears to have the word “peace” scrawled all over it Wheelchair access.
Musée d'Orsay, 62 rue de Lille (☎01 40 49 48 14; www.musée-orsay.com), The museum is organized chronologically from the ground floor up. The ground floor is dedicated to Pre-Impressionist paintings and sculpture, and contains the two scandalous works that started it all, both by Manet. Olympia, rumored to be a common whore whose confrontational gaze and nudity caused a stir, and Déjeuner sur l'Herbe, which shockingly portrayed a naked woman accompanied by fully clothed men. Back in the 19th century, scenes like that never happened. Or at least not publicly. The detailed section study of the Opéra Garnier is situated in the back of the room, and is definitely worth a visit as well. The top floor includes all the big names in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art: Monet, Manet, Seurat, Van Gogh, and Degas. Degas' famed dancers and prostitutes are a particular highlight. In addition, the balconies offer supreme views of the Seine and the jungle of sculptures in the garden below. Beyond the permanent collection, seven temporary exhibition spaces, called < Baby carriages not allowed. Admission €8, ages 18-25 €5.50, under 18 and EU citizens 18-26 free (free tickets directly at museum entrance). Tickets available online. Open T-W and F-Su 9:30am-6pm, Thu 9:30am-9:45pm. Visitors asked to leave starting at 5:30pm, Th 9:15pm. Boutique open daily 9:30am-6:30pm. Restaurant on level 2 open daily 11:45am-5:30pm, Th 11:45am-5:30pm and 7-9:30pm. MC/V/AmEx. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
École Militaire, 1 pl. Joffre Demonstrating the link between sex, war, and power once again, Louis XV founded the École Militaire in 1751 at the urging of his mistress, Mme. de Pompadour, who hoped to make officers of”poor gentlemen.” In 1784, 15-year-old Napoleon Bonaparte enrolled. A few weeks later, he presented administrators with a comprehensive plan for the school's reorganization, and by the time he graduated three years later, he was a lieutenant in the artillery. Teachers foretold he would “go far in favorable circumstances.” Little did they know. Louis XVI turned the building into a barracks for the Swiss Guard, but it was converted back into a military school in 1848. Today, the extensive structure serves as the living quarters of the Chief of the National Army, and additionally houses the Ministry of Defense and a variety of schools for advanced military studies, such as the Institute for Higher Studies of National Defense, the Center for Higher Studies of the Military, the Inter-Army College of Defense Wheelchair access.
Invalides, Situated at the center of the 7ème, the gold-leaf dome of the Hôtel des Invalides glimmers conspicuously rain or shine, adding a touch of bling to the Parisian skyline. Most visitors assume that the building's history is just as scintillating, but Invalides has always led a life of seriousness and importance. Originally founded by Louis XVI in 1671 as a home for disabled soldiers, it is now the headquarters of the military governor of Paris and continues to serve, on a small scale, as a military hospital. Stretching from the building to the Pont Alexandre III is the tree-lined Esplanade des Invalides (not to be confused with the Champs de Mars). The Musée de l'Armée, Musée des Plans-Reliefs, Musée des Deux Guerres Mondiales, and Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération are housed within the Invalides museum complex, as is Napoleon's tomb, which lies in the adjoining Église St-Louis. To the left of the Tourville entrance, the Jardin de l'Intendant is Tickets €9; under 18 and EU citizens 18-25 free; Free after 5pm. Takes credit cards.
Musée de Rodin, 79 rue de Varenne 01 44 18 61 10 (www.musee-rodin.fr), In addition to Rodin's masterpieces, the hotel's walls are casually adorned with works by Renoir, Munch, Van Gogh, Géricault, and Steichen. The museum also houses several works by Camille Claudel, Rodin's muse, collaborator, and lover. Claudel's striking L'Age Mûr has been read as her response to Rodin's decision to leave her for another woman; the powerfully moving ensemble shows an angel of death dragging a man away from his pleading lover. Many, however, claim that it was Claudel who left Rodin, and it has recently been argued that she was also responsible for some of Rodin's most celebrated works. Either way, her talent for capturing the essence of romance is undeniable—if you liked Rodin's Le Baiser, spend some time in front of Claudel's La Valse, a union of staggering complexity and beauty. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Has internet.
Musée de Quai Branly, 27, 37, 51 quai Branly 01 56 61 70 00 (www.quaibranly.fr), During their country's long period of colonial expansion, restless Frenchmen traveled to foreign lands in search of the exotic and brought everything from artifacts to people to systems of thought back home with them. The Musée de Quai Branly showcases a stunning 300,000 of these questionably acquired works. Representing a wide range of African, Asian, Oceanic, and American civilizations, the story of a colonizer, adventurer, and/or traveler lurks behind each object; each artifact doubles as an expression of his or her sensibilities, doubts, prejudices, and wonder. The collection remains controversial in the art world due to its positioning of once-ethnographic items as aesthetic objects, but it nonetheless opens a window onto another way of life and sparks a timely discussion on France's relation to foreign cultures. Hidden enclaves, video screens, and interactive displays bring the pieces to life, underlining the museum's commitment to cultural dialogue. Designed by Jean Nouvel, the Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Has air conditioning.
La Pagode, 57bis rue de Babylone 01 45 55 48 48 (www.etoile-cinemas.com), Some men buy flowers. Others build pagodas. A Japanese temple built in 1895 by Bon Marché department store magnate M. Morin as a gift to his wife, La Pagode endures as an artifact of the Orientalist craze that swept France in the 19th century. When Mme. Morin left her husband for his associate's son just prior to WWI (a pagoda just wasn't enough), the building became the scene of Sino-Japanese soirees despite tensions between the two countries. La Pagode opened its doors to the public in 1931 and was transformed into a cinema, cafe, and frequent haunt of Gloria Swanson. The theater closed during the Nazi occupation, re-opened in 1945, and closed again in 1998 due to a lack of funding, despite having been declared a historic monument by the Ministry of Culture in 1982. It was re-opened under private ownership in November 2000. The two-screen cinema continues to draw hipsters and older crowds to screenings of smaller, independent films. The cafe in the bamboo garden outside is particular Takes credit cards.
American Church in Paris, 65 quai d'Orsay 01 40 62 05 00 (www.acparis.org.), The self-proclaimed international, inter-dominational, English-speaking, Protestant congregation has just as many services as it does titles. In addition to the expected religious stuff, the church is also an informal meeting ground for expats in Paris and provides useful information on job and apartment listings and language courses. The simple Gothic structure surrounds a pretty courtyard and sometimes echoes with the sound of chamber music.
UNESCO, 7 pl. de Fontenoy 01 45 68 05 16 (www.unesco.org), If Napoleon had imagined the least fitting neighbor to the École Militaire, he would have dreamed up UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization). A stark contrast to the grand, gilded building across the way, this modern, Y-shaped, glass-and-concrete structure was constructed in 1958 as a major international monument to represent its 188 member nations. In what may possibly epitomize one of the UN's many problems, the architect's design attempted to please everyone and doesn't satisfy anyone. UNESCO's building has little personality save its pleasant garden, the work of three compromising architects: American Marcel Breuer, Italian Luigi Nervi, and Frenchman Bernard Zehrfuss. Meant to foster science and culture throughout the world, the organization hosts various exhibitions. Ignore the intimidating, institutional exterior; guards will obligingly let you in. Wheelchair access.
Quai Voltaire, Though the Quai Voltaire is known for its beautiful views of the monuments along the Seine, this street boasts an artistic heritage more distinguished than any other pretty block in the city. Voltaire spent his last days at no. 27. The hotel at no. 19 served as a temporary home to Baudelaire while he wrote Les Fleurs du Mal (Flowers of Evil) from 1856 to 1858, to Richard Wagner as he composed Die Meistersinger between 1861 and 1862, and to Oscar Wilde during his exile. The studios of Eugène Delacroix and Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres were located at no. 9-11, followed by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. The Russian ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev lived at no. 23 from 1981 until his death in 1993. Finally, though more a patron than an artist himself, former President Chirac and his wife Bernadette lived briefly at no. 1 after leaving the Palais d'Élysée. Wheelchair access.
Musée des Egouts de Paris, Pont de l'Alma (☎01 53 68 27 81; visite-des-egouts@paris.fr), If you stop to think about it—“I'm paying to go see sewers”—you might hold on to those €3. And make no mistake; you are paying more for the symbolic subversion of walking with feces rushing underfoot while everyone else skips around beautiful Paris (suckers) than for a high-quality museum. Some of the posters look like something out of a high-school civics project, and at times the museum smells, well, like shit. Still, it is kind of cool to see the literal underbelly of the city, and the guided tours provide food for thought (already digested of course). For example, there are twice as many rats as people in Paris, and they eat three times their body weight in waste. Does not take credit cards.
Musée de l'Armée, 129 rue de Grenelle (☎01 44 42 37 64; www.invalides.org), If you like guns, then you'll love the Musée de l'Armée. Celebrating the French military, it lies in two wings on opposite sides of the Invalides' main cobblestone courtyard, the Cour d'Honneur. The West Wing (Aile Occident) is filled almost exclusively with French armor from medieval times onward, including the breastplates of France's more powerful kings; there is also a variety of Asian metalwork. The East Wing (Aile Orient) is better rounded, with uniforms, maps, royal ordinances, medals, and portraits in addition to armor, focusing on the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Beautiful sets of Chinese and Japanese armor provide a fascinating contrast with the Western displays. Meanwhile, Napoleon Bonaparte's body rests in a tomb here, with his military victories represented all around. The Musée des Deux Guerres Mondiales, Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée de l ‘Ordre de la Libération are also housed at Invalides. Takes credit cards.
Musée Maillol, 61 rue de Grenelle 01 42 22 59 58 (www.museemaillol.com), When obsession with the female nude takes the form of sculpture, we're less prone to think of it as sexual neurosis. But Aristide Maillol's work on naked women is nothing less than a fetish. In an arrondissement with some of the best art museums in Paris, the Musée de Maillol holds its own, showing the sculptor, artist, and painter's many models of the human—mostly female—form. At age 15, Dina Vierney met Maillol and became his muse, eventually finding her own passion as a collector of modern art. The museum's permanent collection combines the careers of these two (art) lovers; it includes Maillol's work as well as pieces by Matisse, Kandinsky, Gauguin, Redon, Poliakoff, and Couturier, among others. Opened in 1995, the museum has chosen to display its permanent collection in a series of excellent temporary exhibitions. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Musée de Légion d'Honneur, 2 rue de la Légion d'Honneur 01 40 62 84 94 (musee@legiondhonneur.fr), Created in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, membership to the Légion d'Honneur has symbolized talent, courage, and dedication to France. This relatively small museum features medals, costumes, and various artifacts of war in a surprisingly interactive display. One of the collection's prize pieces is Napoleon's Collier de la Légion d'Honneur, made by Biennais in gold and enamel, which he wore at his coronation and is often figured with when painted in imperial costume. Wheelchair access.