2 Best Sights in Side Trips from Paris, France

A collection of 85,000 miniature soldiers—fashioned of lead, cardboard, and other materials—depicting military uniforms through the ages is on display in the Musée de la Figurine Historique.

Around the back of Notre-Dame, on Boulevard de la Reine (note the regimented lines of trees), are the elegant Hôtel de Neyret and the Musée Lambinet, a sumptuous mansion from 1751, with collections of world-class paintings, weapons, fans, and porcelain (including the Madame du Barry "Rose"). This lovely, serene mansion exemplifies the elegant life of the cultivated 18th-century Versailles bourgeoisie. Because the museum is rarely crowded, it's a pleasure to peruse at your leisure.