Taxidermist workshops pepper the streets in the sleepy quartier around the Jardin des Plantes. France’s main botanical garden has grown like topsy since Louis XIV established it as a medicinal garden; it now contains the Grande Galerie d’Évolution, a zoo and more besides. Nearby, behind white crenellated walls is a little corner of North Africa: the Mosque de Paris. Within the complex, the traditional hammam is open to all; the courtyard tearoom is deliciously cool among the olives in summer, and the restaurant is richly exotic. Overlooking the Pont de Sully, the sleek Institut du Monde Arabe is another of the area’s pleasant surprises. It’s very much a public space, with stunning views and a good self-service cafeteria on the roof terrace. When you’ve taken your fill, you might head down quai St-Bernard to the Jardin Tino-Rossi, to rub shoulders with sculptures by Brancusi, César and Zadkine.