Paris Opéra (9ème)

Musée Gustave Moreau. This monographic museum, housed in Gustave Moreau’s home and atelier (studio), opened in 1896, two years before the artist’s death. Symbolist master, Matisse and Roualt’s instructor, and École des Beaux-Arts professor, Moreau left behind a fantastic body of work, much of which depicts mythological scenes. The museum overflows with more than 6000 drawings, models, sculptures, paintings, and watercolors. Climb the Victorian staircase to find Moreau’s famous L’Apparition, an opium-inspired painting of Salomé dancing before John the Baptist’s severed head. (14 rue de La Rochefoucauld, 9ème. Trinité. Make a right on rue St-Lazare and then a left onto rue de La Rochefoucauld. ☎01 48 74 38 50; www.musee-moreau.fr. Open M and W-Su 10am-12:45pm and 2-5:15pm. Admission €5, under 26 and Su €3, under 18 and 1st Su of the month free. MC/V.)

Musée Grévin. It’s easy to lose your grip on reality in the garish, mirrored halls of Paris’s wax museum, a treat but probably un peu trop cher for most budgets. Musée Grévin boasts models of everyone from Molière to Harrison Ford. Even in wax, the characters remain true to life: Charlie Chaplin is still silent and Michael Jackson is still creepy. Some gruesome scenarios involving Black Plague victims and a pre-execution Joan of Arc are also on display. The museum releases temporary exhibits every few months; past models have included a busty Madonna and a befuddled George Bush. ( 10 bd. Montmartre, 9ème. Grands Boulevards. From the metro, walk west on bd. Montmartre, towards Opéra Garnier. ☎01 47 70 85 05; www.grevin.com. Open M-F 10am-6:30pm. Last entry 30min. before closing. Admission €18.50, seniors and students €16, ages 6-14 €11, under 6 free. AmEx/MC/V.)

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