2 Best Sights in Eastern Paris, Paris

Parc de la Villette’s music museum contains four centuries' worth of instruments from around the world—about 1,000 in total, many of them exquisite works of art. Their sounds and stories are evoked on numerous video screens and via commentary you can follow on headphones (ask for a free audioguide in English). Leave time for the excellent temporary exhibitions. On the plaza adjacent to the museum, the outdoor terrace at Café des Concerts ( 01–42–49–74–74) is an inviting place to have a drink on a sunny day.

This unique museum in the historic Pavillons de Bercy in the Bercy Village shopping district chronicles Paris’s Belle Époque heyday of carnivals and the fairground arts. Visitors discover a world of colorful, fantastical objects that conveyed all the romance and whimsy of 19th- and early 20th-century funfairs, culminating in a ride on a vintage carousel. The museum is open by reservation only.