Crowning Trocadéro Hill is the creamy-white, art deco Palais de Chaillot, built for the Exposition Universelle of 1937. By day, the broad terrace between the two pavilions throngs with tourists and souvenir hawkers. By night, flanked by the gargantuan statues of Apollo and Hercules, there’s no finer spot to admire a shimmering Eiffel Tower. Until recently, Chaillot was starting to seem like a palace without a purpose, thanks to the relocation of the Cinémathèque Française, and the removal of choice morsels from the Musée de l’Homme to the Musée du Quai Branly. The lavish new Cité de l’Architecture et Patrimoine (01 58 51 52 00) provides a much-needed boost.

Between here and the place de l’Alma, there’s a rich vein of culture. While hardly as comprehensive as the Pompidou Centre, the city’s Musée d’Art Moderne on avenue du Président-Wilson is nevertheless excellent. Next door, the Palais de Tokyo provides a raw space for contemporary artists to strut their stuff.

For fashion aficionados, the Musée Galliera lays on two or three extravaganzas a year, while the Fondation Yves Saint-Laurent performs its own magic on a smaller scale. Nearby, the Musée Guimet specialises in Asian art treasures and has been leased new life by a sensitive modern extension. A corner of place de l’Alma is occupied by the gilt replica of the Statue of Liberty’s flame. Since 1997, it’s been an unofficial memorial for Princess Diana, whose car crashed in the underpass below.