Institute of the Arab World. French architect Jean Nouvel is currently hot news for the upcoming Quai Branly museum, but in 1988 he was already wowing Parisians with this intriguing fusion of Arabian and French building traditions. Nouvel is a master of glass construction; here he tempers transparency with a beautiful facade of cameralike apertures that control the light entering the building and evoke a Moorish-style screen. The IMA's layout reinterprets the traditional enclosed Arabic courtyard; inside, the institute offers exhibitions about Arab culture, from painting to medicine, along with high-caliber performances, a sound-and-image center, a vast library and documentation center, and a permanent collection of Arab-Islamic art, textiles, and ceramics. Glass elevators whisk you to the ninth floor, where you can sip mint tea in the rooftop café. COST: Exhibitions EUR7, museum EUR3. Métro: Cardinal Lemoine.