If your visit to Paris happens to coincide with the regular monsoons which besiege Paris, don’t let them get you down!  There is as much to do INSIDE Paris as out….here are a few ideas off the beaten track, aside from the regular ones you’ve already tried:

1)      Unusual museums.  We’ll leave the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay aside; even the Rodin and the Jacquemart André, two other wonderful Paris museums, and even the Orangerie and the Jeu de Paume.  There are still 250 more!  Here are a couple of consider:

1. The Marmottan: a tribute to Monet and other Impressionists, 2, rue Louis-Boilly 75016 Paris France; Tél. : 01 44 96 50 33.
   

   Andre Maillol

   Metro  La Muette (line 9).  Closed Mondays.

2. The Musée Maillot: for lovers of sculpture, often considered the greatest French sculptor after Rodin.  59-61 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris.  Tel 01 42 22 59 58.  Metro Rue du Bac (line 12).  Closed Tuesdays.
3. Le Musée du Cristal de Baccarat : a truly breathtaking collection of cristals, glass, vases and dishes produced in 19th and 20th centuries by one of the most famous French manufacturers.  Also houses a delightful restaurant, overlooking the Place des Etats-Unis.   Recently relocated to 11, place des Etats-Unis, 75116 Paris.  Metro Iena, line 9.  Closed Mondays.
4. Le Musée Cognac-Jay: Tucked away on a quiet street in the Mrais, a triumph of restoration, a beautifully furnished interior suggestive of how the upper classes lived in 18^th century France.  8 rue Elzévir, 75003 Paris. Tel: 01 40 27 07 21. Metro St. Paul (line 1) Closed Mondays.

2)      The sewers of Paris. Since you’re already wet and soggy, why not visit the most humid monument in Paris, les égouts de Paris.   A tribute to 19^th century city planning, Closed Thursdays & Fridays.  Located in front of 93, quai d’Orsay, Paris 7e. Metro Pont de l’Alma

3)      Spa Anne Fontaine .  An underground steam room, hamman-style, and several different soins are offered in this elegant tasteful spa boutique of 5000 sq ft.  Created in 2008, as many men frequent the spa as women, attesting to the power of word of mouth.  370, rue Saint-Honoré, Paris 1^er. Tél. : 01 42 61 03 70.  Reservations only.

4)      Wine tasting at O Chateau .  A giagantic hit by a young French entrepreneur, this hip spot proposes wine tastings of all sorts, wine courses, and delicious meals.  Now located in a delightful hotel particulier built by Mme de Pompadour.  In the 18^th century,  lieu propose trois salons de dégustation aux décors cosy, privatisables gratuitement, à partir de 6-7 personnes. Pour la petite histoire, cet hôtel particulier construit dans les années 1640 a appartenu à Mme de Pompadour. Au XVIIIe siècle, Louise-Marie Dupin, aïeule de George Sand, y tenait un salon fréquenté, entre autres, par Voltaire et Rousseau. 68, rue Jean-Jacques-Rousseau, Paris 1^er Tél. : 01 44 73 97 80.

5)      The hot chocolate cure.  There’s nothing like Angelina’s thick, rich, old fashioned hot chocolate  accompanied by its own jar of

whipped cream to perk you up on a rainy day.  Her tea salon on the Rue de Rivoli [226 rue de Rivoli, Paris 1^er, Tel 01.42.60.82.00] is open daily. 7:30 am to 7 pm, but is often crowded and lines of eager tourists snake around the corner, so you might consider partaking of this divine beverage at the Galeries Lafayette on the Boulevard Haussman (1^st floor, Mode des Femmes), or in the Tea Salon of the Jardin de Luxumbourg, 19, rue de Vaugirard , Paris 6 ème . 01.46.34.31.19

6)      The crypte at Notre Dame de Paris is considered the most important archaeological crypt in Europe. Indeed, it preserves the foundations and vestiges of buildings which were constructed between the Gallo-Roman period and the 18th century.  Life and settings of the Ile de la Cité from the 3rd to the 19th centuries.  Closed Mondays.  Metro Cité; RER, Saint-Michel/Notre Dame.

7)      The covered passages of the 19^th century: Les Passages Couverts.  A magnificent series of covered passageways which

allowed our 19^th century belles to do their shopping and visiting in the rain without getting wet—a forerunner of the modern day mall—these covered passages are both architecturally stunning and delightfully practical. You can shop, eat, browse, walk around….there are several different passageways, each more interesting than the next.  Try the Passage Verdeau which starts on the rue Faubourg Montmartre in the 9^th and continues across the Boulevard Poissoniere to become the Passage Panorama in the 2^nd.  Another is the Galerie Vivienne, spectacular, behind the Palais Royal, off the rue des Petits Champs in the 2^nd.

8)      The galeries of the Palais Royal: discover the excellent second-hand shops which sell vintage Chanel and Dior in these lovely passageways designed in the 19^th century.  Several good tea salons and restaurants here as well.   Galerie de Montpensier, Paris 2e.