Visit the Sewers and Quai Branly

Take a trip into the guts of Paris – the awe-inspiring sewer labyrinth beneath the city – and then go global at Musée Quai Branly.

Entered at the southern end of Pont de l’Alma and a short descent underground, the Egouts de Paris (1, facing 93 quai d’Orsay) is no ordinary museum. Accompanied by the sound of rushing water – but not as smelly  as you might fear – these sewers are the real thing. Assorted dredging machines show how the tunnels are cleaned, and technical explanation panels (in French and English) reveal that the system also serves to bring drinking water to Parisians and to regulate water levels to prevent floods. Strange as it may sound, it’s captivating and impressive : 1 300 miles of sewers in a network of tunnels unique in the world are laid out like a Paris street map, with the same blue-and-white street signs you see aboveground. On exiting the Egouts, cross the southern end of Pont de l’Alma at place de la Résistance and follow the river as far as the passerelle Debilly. Cross quai Branly to the striking new Musée du Quai Branly (2, 37 quai Branly), set back behind a glass palissade. Inside the building, a ramp leads to theatrically lit collections of tribal art from Africa, the Americas, Australian and Asia. Displays include African masks, Peruvian  feather headdresses, painted American Indian cowhides, and carved columns from the Pacific. There are not many cafés in the area, so the Café du Quai Branly (3, 27 quai Branly) is a useful pit stop. The garden planted with marshy reeds, ferns, and swamp grass is also a hit : kids love the bands of stone that cross the paths – glass blocks within the bands each contain a shell, leaf, beetle, or other creature.

Metro Station : Alma Marceau (Line 9)