Upon entering Palais de Chaillot, you're welcomed by an inscription by the poet Paul Valéry which ends with the phrase: "Everything depends only on you: friend, do not enter without desire". This is an invitation to you to observe the artwork with a passionate spirit.
Your visit begins on the left side called Ala Passy: here you can visit the Musée de la Marine and above all, the important Musée de l'Homme.
You'll love the first one if you love the sea. In the museum you can admire a good deal of equipment and naval set-ups, but above all an extraordinary series of models that outline the entire history of the French Navy, from the war galleons of the 1600s up to present-day submarines and aircraft carriers.
The Musée de l'Homme is an even more fascinating historic institution dating back to the end of the eighteenth century that follows the evolution of human beings. It offers an immense amount of documentation relating to anthropology, biology, evolution, and the history of knowledge. Following a simple, clear itinerary, you'll learn about the history of man on earth at the dawn of prehistory, the spread of ethnicity, and how knowledge and techniques have developed.
Now go to the other wing of the palace, which is called "Paris" because it is turned towards the city's historic center. It is occupied by Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, the museum that's actually a combination of two museums that were created at the end of the 19th century: the first on comparative sculpture and the second a national museum of French monuments. It may not sound too enticing, but it is a very interesting and entertaining museum: inside you'll see a great deal of actual size casts and reproductions of parts of French architectural and monumental sculptures, especially from the Romanesque and Gothic periods. You'll cross portals, walk along side cloisters' arches, and see columns and capitals: it's a spectacular re-enactment of the past, and it will also be a great opportunity to review all the peculiarities and differences of the various styles!
FUN FACT: the Passy area alongside the Trocadéro esplanade has long been famous for its thermal waters. Rich in iron, the springs of Passy were used mostly during the 1700s because they seemed to be miraculous for male fertility. To make them even more effective, men were told to drink the water while walking and turning around in a circle every five steps!
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