The greatest appeal of the National Archives and its small museum is the stunning twinset of hôtels particuliers ( mansions) they are squirreled away in – and the stunning gardens in which they languish. Dating from the early 18th century, Hôtel de Rohan and Hôtel de Soubise are extravagantly painted and gilded in the rococo style inside, with antique furniture and 18th-century paintings alongside a rather dry collection of documents on display (the most interesting and precious are hidden away in the archives).
