Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris
The "little" palace has a superb, sometimes overlooked, collection of excellent paintings, sculpture, and objets d'art, with works by Monet, Gauguin, and Courbet, among others, and entrance is free. The Palais also hosts a revolving series of excellent temporary exhibitions (€15). The building, like the Grand Palais across the street, is an architectural marvel of marble, glass, mosaics, and gilt built for the 1900 World's Fair, with impressive entry doors and gilded gates and huge windows overlooking the river. Search directly above the main galleries for the 16 plaster busts set into the wall, representing famous artists. Outside, note two eye-catching sculptures: French World War I hero Georges Clemenceau faces the Champs-Élysées while a resolute Winston Churchill faces the Seine. In warmer weather, head to the charming garden café with terrace seating. The museum is open until 8 pm on Friday and Saturday.
