The Cité de l'Architecture & du Patrimoine, located in a wing of the Palais de Chaillot, is the place to go if you want to immerse yourself in the architectural history of Paris.

Its brochure says "The Cité de l'Architecture & du Patrimoine is entirely dedicated to the discovery and knowledge of architecture and the city in all their forms, both past and present. As a resource centre for architectural, urban, and landscape culture, it contributes to the promotion of the built heritage and urban areas."

So what will you see if you go there?

Start with the Gallery of Casts, to the left as you enter. These halls contain 350 full-scale plaster casts of various religious and public buildings in France, dating from the 12th to the 18th century. Most of the casts were made before 1900 and thus show the condition of the buildings before they were damaged by modern pollution or restored.

Wandering through you'll pass casts from buildings such as Notre-Dame de Paris, the Cathedral of Reims, and other churches from across France. You'll also see casts from the Arc de Triomphe, including the head of La Renomée, or La Marseillaise, representing France, and you can compare your small hand to his giant one.

The Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Architecture presents models, films, documents, and more, from 1851 to the present. Included here is a reproduction of a Le Corbusier house. Temporary and changing exhibits round out the contemporary wing.

Across the hall from the main entrance, don't miss the chance to climb the wide staircase to the Gallery of Wall Paintings and Stained Glass. These exhibits present full-scale reproductions of French mural art from the 12th to the 16th century, as well as copies of stained glass windows from those periods. It's a wonderful, peaceful place to explore and see all in one spot excellent representations of these art forms.

The Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine is in the Paris Wing of the Palais de Chaillot. The Passy Wing includes both the Musée de la Marine and the Musée de l'Homme. You can easily combine a visit to one of those museums along with one to the Cité de l'Architecture.

And as you walk from one to the other, you can enjoy the terrace (and café if you're hungry) and the wonderful view of the Eiffel Tower, just across the river.

Paris Museum Pass accepted. Closed Tuesdays.

Métro: Trocadéro
Bus: 22, 30, 32, 63, 72, 82

Cite de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine
Palais de Chaillot
1, Place du Trocadero
75116 Paris, France
+33 (0) 1 58 51 52 00

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