Fodor's Expert Review La Maison Baccarat

Playing on the building's Surrealist legacy, designer Philippe Starck brought an irreverent Alice in Wonderland approach to the HQ and museum of the venerable Baccarat crystal firm: Cocteau, Dalí, Buñuel, and Man Ray were all frequent guests of the mansion's onetime owner, Countess Marie-Laure de Noailles. At the entrance, talking heads are projected onto giant crystal urns, and a lighted chandelier is submerged in an aquarium. Upstairs, the museum features masterworks created by Baccarat since 1764, including soaring candlesticks made for Czar Nicholas II and the perfume flacon Dalí designed for Schiaparelli. Don't miss the rotunda's "Alchemy” section by Gérard Garouste, showcasing the technical history of cutting, wheel engraving, enameling, and gilding. If you’re in the mood for shopping, contemporary crystal by top-name designers as well as stemware, vases, tableware, jewelry, chandeliers, and even furniture are sold in the on-site shop. Set aside a few moments to enjoy the little park just outside in the Place des États-Unis with impressive statues of Washington and Lafayette. The spectacular Crystal Room restaurant, decked out with the house's colorful crystal vases and dinnerware and crowned by a majestic 157-light Baccarat chandelier, is a lovely place for lunch, dinner, teatime, or a drink in the outdoor Garden Lounge.