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Paris is a world leader in fashion and this wonderful museum, set alongside the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in the Louvre’s Pavillon de Marsan, features beautiful costumes and accessories dating from the 17th century to present-day haute couture designs. There are also several interesting collections on the history of textile design through the ages.

This delightful doll museum has a superb collection of 300 rare French dolls, including unglazed hand-painted porcelain dolls which were manufactured between 1850 and 1950. Many are imaginatively displayed in tableaux which portray various scenes, such as dolls having tea or playing with nursery toys. The museum is run by a father and son team, Guido and Samy Odin, who also handle doll repair.

This fascinating collection of anthropological and ethnological exhibits from around the world dates from prehistoric times to the present. All the African collections (soon to be followed by those from Oceania and the Americas) are in the process of being transferred to the Musée du Quai Branly, which is due to be opened in 2006. High-tech, interactive displays further explore such subjects as genetics.

The Army Museum contains one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of arms, armour and displays on military history in the world. There are weapons ranging from prehistoric times to the end of World War II, representing countries around the world. Housed in the Hôtel des Invalides, the vast galleries occupy the old refectories in two wings on either side of the courtyard. Many rooms on the east side contain Napoleonic memorabilia. On the west side, the Oriental gallery features arms from Asia and the Middle East.

The museum is set in Montmartre’s finest townhouse, known as Le Manoir de Rose de Rosimond after the 17th-century actor who once owned it. From 1875 it provided living quarters and studios for many artists. Using drawings, photographs and memorabilia, the museum presents the history of the Montmartre area, from its 12th-century convent days to the present, with an emphasis on the Bohemian lifestyle of the belle époque . There is even a re-created 19th-century bistro.

This extensive collection covers the decorative arts from the Middle Ages through to the 20th century. With more than 100 rooms, highlights include the Medieval and Renaissance rooms, the Art Nouveau and Art Deco rooms, and a wonderful doll collection.

On the fourth floor of the east wing is a collection of relief models of French towns showing the development of fortifications from the 17th century onwards.

This grand museum stretches along the river from the Pont Royal to the Pont des Arts. The wing that can be seen from the Seine was largely built during the reigns of Henri IV and Louis XIII in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.