Here I'll not just be diverting your attention to museums in Paris you mightn't otherwise have known existed, but I'm also giving you some information on the more well known museums that you mightn't have come across. The first three are all in the Marais.

Musée de la Curiosité et de la Magie

This is a museum dedicated to the art known since 1815 as prestidigitation. It features real magic shows and instruments for "physical amuseument" - those that make objects disappear included. You'll see the actual boxes used for sawing women in half (always women...?), secret boxes, mirror games, optical illusions and magical robots. The collection was put together by magician Georges Proust, and you'll find it in the Marais district.

Visitor Information

Musée de la Serrurerie (Musée Bricard)

If you're interested in lock and key-making, and door-knockers, this is the place for you. Beautiful works of craftsmanship gathered together by the Bricard society in a beautifully restored private mansion. They have keys in bronze and in Gallo-Roman iron, gothic knockers from the Middle Ages and locks and keys from the 16th to the 19th centuries. They also have a locksmith's workshop on site.

Visitor Information

Musée de la Poupée

Slightly strange, this one. It's a museum of dolls and there are some mightily scary looking dolls in this place. They have a permanent exhibition of over 500 dolls dating from 1800, and you'll see a selection on this peculiar page from the website of the Musée de la Poupée. They also run family activities and operate a doll's hospital. They also sell dolls and books about dolls in their shop.

Visitor Information

Louvre

Okay, it's not quirky, but here are some interesting facts which you mightn't know about the Louvre;

• The Louvre owns over 300,000 works of art, and has only a fraction of these - 35,000 - on show at any one time.


• During World War II all the valuable works were removed from the museum and hidden in a safe place. The location of this hiding place is still a secret, just in case they have to do it again.


• There are alternative entrance at Porte des Lions and in the Galerie du Carousel (99 Rue de Rivoli). The Porte des Lions entrance is often deserted - and there's a shop that sells tickets to the museum in the Galerie du Louvre the last time I was there.


• The Louvre is a central location in the 1979 serial City of Death in the Doctor Who tv series.


• It's also featured in the films "The Age of Innocence" by Martin Scorsese; Merchant Ivory's "Mr and Mrs Bridge; "Funny Face" and of course the "Da Vinci Code"..


• One of the pleasantest things you can do in Paris is visit the Cour Carré at night - there's always a lone musician there, creating beautiful music that echoes brilliantly around the historic walls - very atmospheric and romantic.