Palais de la Découverte

Housed in a wing of the Grand Palais, this science museum was created in the 1930s to popularise scientific discovery through live demonstrations and experiments. Its galleries cover physics, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics and the life sciences, with hands-on stations and a historic planetarium that projects the night sky. The famous electrostatic demonstrations, which make visitors' hair stand on end, have delighted generations of schoolchildren. It pioneered the idea of showing science in action rather than behind glass.