Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rightifyou'rehereonlytobeseen.Snoopabouttofindthesidelibrary,informationpanels
describing costume management, and a portrait gallery of famous ballerinas and guests.
Nearby:
The ho-hum Fragonard Perfume Museum (described next) is on the left
sideoftheOpéra,andthevenerableGaleriesLafayettedepartmentstore(marvelousviews
from roof terrace) is just behind. Across the street, the illustrious Café de la Paix has been
a meeting spot for the local glitterati for generations. If you can afford the coffee, this spot
offers a delightful break.
Near Opéra Garnier, this perfume shop masquerades as a museum. Housed in a beautiful
19th-century mansion, it's the best-smelling museum in Paris—and you'll learn a little
about how perfume is made, too (ask for the English handout).
Cost and Hours:
Free, daily 9:00-17:30, 9 Rue Scribe, Mo: Opéra, RER: Auber, tel.
01 47 42 04 56,
www.fragonard.com
.
This thoroughly enjoyable museum-mansion (with an elegant café) showcases the lavish
home of a wealthy, art-loving, 19th-century Parisian couple. After visiting the Opéra
Garnier and wandering Paris' grand boulevards, get inside for an intimate look at the
lifestyles of the Parisian rich and fabulous. Edouard André and his wife Nélie Jacque-
mart—who had no children—spent their lives and fortunes designing, building, and then
decorating this sumptuous mansion. What makes the visit so rewarding is the excellent
audioguide tour (in English, included with admission, plan on spending an hour with
the audioguide). The place is strewn with paintings by Rembrandt, Botticelli, Uccello,
Mantegna, Bellini, Boucher, and Fragonard—enough to make a painting gallery famous.
Cost and Hours:
€11, includes audioguide, not covered by Museum Pass; daily
10:00-18:00, Mon and Sat until 20:30 during special exhibits; can avoid lines by pur-
chasing tickets online (€2 fee) and printing receipt, 158 Boulevard Haussmann, Mo: St.
Philippe-du-Roule, bus #80 makes a convenient connection to Ecole Militaire; tel. 01 45
62 11 59,
www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com
.
After Your Visit:
Consider a break in the sumptuous museum tearoom, with deli-
ciouscakesandtea(daily11:45-17:30).FromherewalknorthonRuedeCourcellestosee
Paris' most beautiful park, Parc Monceau.
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Petit Palais (and its Musée des Beaux-Arts)
This free museum displays a broad collection of paintings and sculpture from the 1600s to
the 1900s on its ground floor, and an easy-to-appreciate collection of art from Greek an-
tiquities to Art Nouveau in its basement. Though it mostly houses second-choice art, there
