France is covered in beautiful bastions of art and culture. But all too often visitors only seek out the top hits, the Louvre, the d'Orsay, the Pompidou... leaving some of the nation's most special museums empty, their collections rarely seen. All that's about to change, or so they hope. As part of a little experiment to attract more visitors to the nation's lesser known museums, fourteen of them are free through June.
Paris is home to three of these little gems which lie about two miles apart from each other. Geographically they form a perfect isosceles triangle around The Westin Paris, which itself lies about a mile away from each museum. Sounds like some Da Vinci Code stuff going on here. Anyway, guests of the luxurious hotel can easily hit up all three. The Musée des Arts et Métiers is fascinating and unique. It's dedicated to scientific inventions like Foucault's Pendulum, and features an exhibition on Benjamin Franklin. Cool! The Musée National du Moyen Age includes exceptional tapestries like The Lady and the Unicorn, and other enchanting objects from the Middle Ages. And the Guimet Musée National des Arts Asiatiques hosts an array of Buddhas, vases, and more from Egypt, China and beyond. Through April 21 highlights of its collection are on view in the exhibition "From India to Japan - 10 Years of the Guimet." If you stay at the Hotel Prince de Galles - Paris Champs Elysees, this museum is only about a 300 meter stroll away. I can't wait to find out the conclusion to the experiment. My hypothesis? Record sales at the gift shop!
