Built as part of the Exposition Coloniale Internationale of 1931 when all seemed right with the world at home and abroad, the lavish ‘Palace of the Golden Door’, which retains some delightful Art Deco elements including frescoes of the peoples of the world, today houses two major attractions.

Built for the colonial exhibition of 1931, the former Musée des Colonies retains the tropical aquarium from this period. With a learning trail, primitive and electric fish, Asian waters, and aquatic life from Africa and South America, not forgetting the show with the crocodile pit, sharks, and piranhas. Built for the colonial exhibition of 1931, the former Musée des Colonies retains the tropical aquarium from this period. With a learning trail, primitive and electric fish, Asian waters, and aquatic life from Africa and South America, not forgetting the show with the crocodile pit, sharks, and piranhas.