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One of the stars of the Botanical Gardens, with more than 3,000 plants from the world’s many diverse Alpine regions. There are samples from Corsica to the Caucasus, from Morocco to the Himalaya.

Bistro with an inventive and inexpensive menu.

The remains of the 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre from the settlement of Lutetia (see Roman Settlement) lay buried for centuries and were only discovered in 1869 during construction of the rue Monge. The novelist Victor Hugo, concerned with the preservation of his city’s historic buildings, including Notre-Dame (see The Man Who Saved Notre-Dame), led the campaign for the restoration. The original arena would have had 35 tiers and could seat 15,000 spectators for theatrical performances and gladiator fights.

Spicy Seychelles cuisine, such as octopus curry or smoked swordfish. Vegetarians should book ahead.

One for game lovers, with lièvre à la royale (hare in a wine sauce) the house speciality. Boisterous atmosphere.

This magnificent tree was planted in 1734, and came from London’s Botanic Gardens in Kew, although a story grew up that its seed was brought here all the way from Syria in the hat of a scientist.

Not the best place for vegetarians, with pot au feu , tongue and other meaty delights, but there is also fish.

Outside the Palaeontology Gallery, which is crammed with precious dinosaur skeletons, is a huge dinosaur model, specifically designed for children to climb on (see Grande Galerie de l’volution).

One of the trees in the Botanical Gardens is the Ginkgo biloba , which is 150 years old but the species is known to have existed in exactly the same form in the days of the dinosaurs, 125 million years ago.