Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle

Despite the name, the National Museum of Natural History is not a single building, but a collection of sites throughout France. Its historic home is in the Jardin des Plantes, home to the greatest number of branches: taxidermied animals in the excellent Grande Galerie de l’Évolution (a particular winner if you’re traveling with kids), fossils and dinosaur skeletons in the Galerie de Paléontologie et d’Anatomie Comparée, and meteorites and crystals in the Galerie de Minéralogie et de Géologie.