| Sure, you know about the Louvre and the | | | | Hotel de Wendel. Other of the 140 rooms are devoted |
| Impressionists at the Musee d'Orsay, but are you | | | | to such things as prehistoric artifacts from the Parisii |
| familiar with the Marmatton? Or Paris' Cluny Museum | | | | tribe who once inhabited the Ile de la Cite, souvenirs |
| on the Left Bank? In addition to the famous "first tier" | | | | from the Revolution, antique maps and important |
| museums, the city of light offers scores of fascinating | | | | paintings, as well as the furniture from the room where |
| and less crowded smaller museums. Whether this your | | | | Marcel Proust wrote his lengthy "A Recherche du |
| second (or third or fourth) trip to Paris, or if you just | | | | Temps Perdu." There is also a spectacular ceiling |
| want to try something a little different, consider visiting | | | | painted by the French muralist Le Brun. The gardens, |
| one of these exciting lesser-known Paris museums. | | | | too, are spectacular, and are a pleasant oasis in the |
| Marmatton | | | | middle of the bustling city. |
| Located west of downtown Paris, in the stylish and | | | | The Paris Fashion Museum |
| affluent 16th arrondissement, lies the Marmatton | | | | Brigitte Bardot's Dior wedding dress, a classic 1930s |
| Museum, a small gem of a museum, filled with the | | | | Chanel wool suit, and a robe worn by stage legend, |
| works of Impressionist painter Claude Monet and his | | | | Sarah Bernhardt: These are just some of the |
| talented friends. Named for the owner of the spacious | | | | treasures to be found at Paris' Musee du Mode et du |
| 19th-century town house that houses the museum, the | | | | Costume. Located in a 19th-century Renaissance-style |
| Marmatton's collection is centered on a group of 65 | | | | town house, this three-story museum's collection |
| Monet paintings bequeathed to it by the painter's son | | | | includes more than 100,000 outfits, dating from the 18th |
| Michel in 1965. This core grouping includes "Impression | | | | century to the present. Such fashionable women as |
| Sunrise," the painting that gave a name to the entire art | | | | Princess Grace of Monaco, the Duchess of Windsor, |
| movement, as well as one of Monet's series of Rouen | | | | and Baronne Helene de Rothschild have contributed to |
| Cathedral studies. | | | | the museum as have renowned designers including |
| The highlight of the collection, however, is the large | | | | Balmain, Givenchy and Balenciaga. |
| number of water lily paintings of Monet's garden at | | | | Because clothing is so delicate, and because the |
| Giverny, done late in Monet's life, mostly from memory | | | | collection is so vast, the displays are rotated several |
| as he had lost most of his eyesight. These massive | | | | times a year, usually arranged to focus on one time |
| canvasses are displayed in a round gallery, where they | | | | period or one designer's work. That means you're sure |
| virtually envelop the viewer. The Marmatton also | | | | to see something new, even if you have visited here |
| contains a number of paintings from Monet's personal | | | | before. (Take the metro to the Iena or Alma stations.) |
| art collection, including works by Pissarro, Renoir and | | | | The Cluny Museum |
| Sisley. The walk through the park from the Muette | | | | Set amidst the 19th and 20th century attractions of the |
| metro stop to the museum is a lovely throwback to | | | | Left Bank are ruins of the old Gallo-Roman baths from |
| the 19th century and helps to set the scene for a | | | | the Roman city of Lutece. These artifacts are part of |
| museum visit. | | | | the structure that makes up the Cluny Museum, |
| Le Carnavalet | | | | officially the Musee National du Moyen Age (middle |
| Paris' Musee Carnavalet, dedicated to the history of | | | | Ages). |
| Paris, is housed in a unique Parisian 16th-century | | | | This peaceful spot houses the elegant 15th century |
| mansion. The luxury town house, with a typical French | | | | "Lady with a Unicorn" tapestries, wonderfully displayed |
| center courtyard, was once home to Madame de | | | | in a round gallery space. The Cluny also boasts the |
| Sevigny, noted for her detailed letters to her daughter | | | | "Gallery of the Kings," a collection of 21 of the original |
| (more than 1500 of them) that tell of Parisian life in the | | | | 28 stone heads of the Kings of Judah, carved in the |
| late 17th century. The museum is located in the trendy | | | | 13th century and found during excavations in 1977 near |
| Marais neighborhood, just steps away from the Place | | | | the Place de l'Opera. Together with hand-lettered |
| des Vosges. | | | | manuscripts, gold artifacts, and other stone carvings, |
| Rarely crowded, the Musee Carnavalet is an intriguing | | | | they form the world's finest collection of Medieval art. |
| mixture of old and new. Entire rooms have been | | | | Periodic medieval poetry readings and concerts held at |
| recreated within the museum, such as an 18th century | | | | the museum are a special treat. (Take the Metro to |
| Louis XIV-style salon, complete with gold-leaf paneling, | | | | Cluny, St-Michel, or Odeon. |
| and the Art Deco early 20th century ballroom from the | | | | |