Dedicated to all things musical, Cité de la Musique sprawls across Parc de la Villette in the northeast corner of Paris. While we still think of it as Cité, the musical complex was vastly expanded with the 2015 opening of the ultra-modern performance center, Philharmonie de Paris. It now encompass a museum, special exhibitions, educational activities, a restaurant, and state-of-the-art performance halls venues. Here are ten good reasons to visit the Cité de la Musique.

10 Great Things About Cité de La Musique

Musée de la Musique

2012 Bob Dylan Exhibition at Musée de la Musique, part of Cité de la Musique

1. Musical Instrument Collection

The museum has a collection of 7,000 musical instruments and thousands of related music and art objects. The collection was first open to the public back in 1864. Remember?

2. Chopin's Piano, Violas & Harpsichords

1,000 instruments are in the permanent collections with national treasures like Frederic Chopin's piano and a guitar owned by Georges Brassens (a famous French singer-songwriter). Don't miss the rich collection of baroque guitars, violas, and Flemish and French harpsichords used at the Chateau of Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV.

3. A Walk Through Music History

The museum visitor path follows a musical trail from the 16th century to present day. Here's your chance to see 200 classical guitars, violins made by Stradivari, harpsichords from the 18th century, and saxophones made by Adolph Sax himself.

4. State-of-the-Art Concert Hall

In 2015, the Cité de la Musique was expanded by a new neighboring complex,the Philharmonie de Paris. The new concert hall within the complex has a capacity of 2,400 guests.

Philharmonie de Paris, exterior

5. Not Just a Concert Hall

The Philharmonie de Paris includes not only concert halls, but exhibition spaces, rehearsal rooms, educational activities, restaurants and bars.

6. Parc de la Villette

The Cité de la Musique/Philharmonie complex is located in Parc de la Villette in the 19th Arrondissement, which was once the slaughterhouse district of Paris. It was revitalized under François Mitterrand's Grands Projets. The park is also where a major science museum is located. Cité de la Musique opened in 1995.

Concert hall at Philharmonie de Paris

7. 20th Century Music

Although the instruments are all important examples of their genre, not all of them are that old. When we were there we saw a guitar owned by Frank Zappa and an early synthesizer, about the size of our bathroom!

8. The Italian Baroque

Voyage to the Italian Baroque era in a model of the music room at the Palace of Mantua where Monteverdi's Orpheus, the first known opera, was performed. See the collection of historic instruments including keyboards, cornets, citterns (a stringed instrument from the Renaissance), and lutes.

Drone view of Parc de la Villette

9. World Music at the Museum

There are five permanent collections covering instruments of the Arab world, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.

10. The View

There is a spectacular rooftop viewpoint from the top of the Philharmonie. Architect Jean Nouvel designed the building with access to the top. From the rooftop you can catch spectacular views of Paris including Buttes-Chaumont park, Montparnasse Tower, the dome of Les Invalides, the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur Cathedral, even La Défense and the Stade de France. The rooftop is closed during winter months.

Cité de la Musique Resources

The Musée de la Musique is located in the 1995 Cité building designed by French architect Christian Portzamparc, while the new Philharmonie de Paris was designed by Jean Nouvel. Both buildings are bold and modern and show a brave new face of Paris. With three concert halls in total, a vast museum, and a media library, the Cité de la Musique in the 19th Arrondissement is a must-see for music lovers, no matter what their musical tastes.

• 221 avenue Jean Jaurès
• 19th Arrondissement
• Metro – Line 5, Port de Pantin
• Open Tuesday to Sundays, closed on Mondays
• Philharmonie Website…
• Museum Website…