Paris Buttes Chaumont (19ème)

Sights in Buttes are pretty much limited to the Parc des Buttes and the unique Parc de la Villette, a former meatpacking district that provided Paris with much of its beef before the advent of the refrigerated truck. In 1979, the slaughterhouses were replaced with an artistic park, and voilà. Architect Bernard Tschumi's three-part vision took 461 teams from 41 different countries to complete.

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, This awe-inspiring neighborhood park shrewdly uses impressive, man-made topography to make visitors feel like you're in Atlantis, or some kind of movie. Napoleon III commissioned the park in 1862 to quell his homesickness for London's Hyde Park, where he spent a good deal of time in exile. Construction of the park was directed by designer Adolphe Alphand, whose main triumph was the park's central hill, with its breathtaking exposed crags. The park's area has been a well-trafficked part of Paris since the 13th century, but before Napoleon III it was famous for very different reasons. Once the site of a gibbet (an iron cage filled with the rotting corpses of criminals), a dumping ground for dead horses, a haven for worms, and a gypsum quarry (the source of “plaster of Paris”), the modern-day Parc des Buttes-Chaumont has come a long way. Today's visitors walk the winding paths surrounded by lush greenery and hills, and enjoy a great view of the 19ème, 20ème,
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, 30 Avenue Corentin Cariou (☎01 40 05 12 12; www.cite-sciences.fr), If any structure in Paris has ADHD, it's the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie; to call it a multi-purpose complex would be an understatement. The Cité houses the fabulous Explora Science Museum, one of the top destinations for the children of Paris. Highlights include a magnificent planetarium, a movie theater, a library, a massive cyber cafe, and an aquarium. The whole structure is an architectural tour de force. Outside of the Cité is the enormous Géode a mirrored sphere that essentially looks like a gigantic disco ball, but somehow doubles as the Cité complex's second movie theater; the 1000 sq. meter surface provides ample screen space. To the right of the Géode, the Argonaute details the history of (you guessed it) submarines, from the days of Jules Verne to present-day nuclear-powered subs. If the Argonaute looks like a real naval submarine, that's because it is. The exhibit is fantastic, but will cost you a little extra. At Level -1 in t Admission includes English or French audio tours. Formule summer (access to all aspects of the Cite) €21, €19 reduced. Explora+Planetarium admission €11, under 25 €8. Argonaute admission €3. Cinaxe admission €4.80. Explora+Geode: €17.50, reduced €14, under 7 €9. Open M-Sa 9:30am-6pm, Su 9:30am-7pm. Argonaute open Tu-Sa 10am-5:30pm, Su 10am-6:30pm. Cinaxe: Open Tu-Su 11am-1pm and 2-5pm, showings every 15 minutes. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Cité de la Musique, 221 avenue Jean Jaurès (☎01 44 84 44 84; www.citedelamusique.fr), Constructed by architect Christian de Portzamparc and opened in 1995, the Cité de la Musique's stunning glass ceilings and loops of curved steel house an impressive complex of musical venues and materials. Though nominally a music museum, the insitute also includes two concert halls, conference rooms, practice rooms and over 70,000 books, documents, music journals, and photographs. The museum is mostly geared towards classical music lovers; visitors don headphones that tune in to musical excerpts and describe the pieces comprising the museum's vast collection of over 900 antique instruments, sculptures, and paintings. The Cité de la Musique's two performance spaces—the 900-seat Salle des Concerts and the 230-seat Amphithéâtre—host an eclectic range of concerts, ranging from rock to jazz to classical. Check the website for details. Extra charges may apply for temporary exhibits. Museum admission €8, under 18 €4. 1hr. French-language tour €10, under 18 €8. Info center open Tu-Sa noon-6pm, Su 10-6pm. Musée de la Musique open Tu-Sa noon-6pm, Su 10am-6pm; last entry 5:15pm. Médiathèque open Tu-Sa noon-6pm, Su 1-6pm. Takes credit cards.
Parc de la Villette, 211 av. Jean Jaurès (☎01 40 03 75 75; www.fnac.com for tickets">www.villette.com, www.fnac.com for tickets), Cut in the middle by canals de l'Ourcq and Ste-Denis, Parc de la Villette separates the Cité des Sciences from the Cité de la Musique. Put simply, the park is a mega-entertainment center. The steel-and-glass Grande Halle dominates the center of the complex and features concerts, films, plays, and unfathomably long lines. But the unabashedly modern park is perhaps more famous for its assortment of 26 uniquely shaped red buildings called “follies.” What's so crazy about these follies? Well, you could start with their red-is-always-in “cutting-edge” architectural style, or with the fact that the contents of the follies range from Le Quick Burger Stands to themed playgrounds to jazz clubs. Located before the Grande Halle, the information Villette folly distributes free maps and brochures of the expansive park. During July and August, La Villette hosts a free open-air film festival. Finally, the Promenade des Jardins links several thematic gardens, including the Wheelchair access.