Museum of the History of Paris
(Musée Carnavalet)
Musée Carnavalet chronicles the fascinating history of Paris
This very special museum is a must-see if you are going to be spending any time in Paris and really want to know what the city is all about. The Musée Carnavalet is a museum all about the history of Paris itself and it is truly an amazing and extremely educational opportunity to see the artistic, creative and cultural history of one of the world's most iconic and artistic cultures.
The Musée Carnavalet actually chronicles the history of Paris right from its inception and travels forward through time to contemporary Paris today. The entire museum occupies two mansions, one built in the 11th century and one built much later in the 17th century. There is a gallery that was built to connect the two together so that it is now possible to simply cross from one mansion to the other via the convenient gallery. The two mansions were actually both hotels. The one was originally called the Hotel Le Peletier and the other was known as the hotel Carnavalet, this last is where the museum gets its name from.
One of Paris' most famous citizens, the Madame de Sevigne (who wrote a series of famous letters to her daughter), once lived in the Hotel Carnavalet and it is actually now the home of the museum's collection that chronicles the prehistoric all the way through time to the reign of Louis XVI. The other mansion, the former Hotel Le Peletier Saint Fargeau houses the collection that spans from the French revolution to modern present day Paris.
The museum was first opened in 1880. It has since displayed its intriguing collections to tourists from all over the world who come to view the history of this remarkable and beautiful city.
Facts For Your Visit
Fee: No - Free admission to all permanent collections and themed exhibitions. Charges may apply for temporary exhibitionsMusée Carnavalet Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Wednesday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Thursday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Friday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Saturday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Address: 23 Rue de Sévigné, 75003 Paris, France
Phone: 01 44 59 58 58
Official Website: Musée Carnavalet
Musée Carnavalet Reviews
Rated out of 5
This a great free museum all about the history of the city of Paris. It has many fascinating objects from the ancient beginnings of what is now Paris as well as galleries displaying the evolution of the city. Time periods are well defined and there are decorative arts, examples of furniture, many historical objects and paintings. There is a lovely courtyard as well. This museum is well worth a visit!
11/10 learned a lot
Loren McGuire - a week ago
Its absolutely beautiful and historical. The museum itself have provide lots of information about the history with 2 languages French 🇫🇷 & English 🇺🇸🇬🇧 it’s very helpful for me to learn more about this place in the country as well. And the most important is it’s free entry!
Susana's World - a week ago
Awesome and overwhelming free museum covering 8500 years of Paris history. You can easily spend 5-6 hours here going through everything from the Paleolithic inhabitants of Paris, Roman period, Middle Ages, wars of religion, Louis XIV, the revolution, the 19th century and beyond.
This museum requires a lot of reading. There are great visuals throughout, but the general format uses portraits and other visual material to illustrate explanatory text; if you don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of Paris history, get ready to read or you might not get the much out of it. For me, it was awesome!
Evan Landman - a month ago
It's an interesting museum where you can learn about French history.
Personally, I prefer it to the Palace of Versailles.
You can truly feel how little Paris has changed from the past.
It's truly wonderful that this museum is free.
It's also a wonderful museum for French learners, because there are always children's explanations available.
中尾桶屋 - 3 weeks ago
A very extensive museum that goes into detail about the history of Paris, right from the old era of the mesolithic to the 21st century. Very well maintained and beautiful displays. The audio guide on the app is also superb, just scan the qr at the entrance from the courtyard to the interior of the museum. You can spend 2 hrs just passing by, or 2 days if you listen to the audio guide in detail. Amazing experience
Likhit K - 4 months ago
Directions
| Metro / RER Line | Nearest Station | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | Saint-Paul | 5 minutes |
| M8 | Chemin Vert | 7 minutes |
How to get to Musée Carnavalet by Metro / RER
By Metro: exit Metro M1 at Saint-Paul station and walk west on Rue de Rivoli and go left (north) on Rue de Sevigne to the entrance or exit line M8 at Chemin Vert station and walk west on Rue St. Giles continuing on Rue du Parc Royal then go left on Rue de Sevigne to the entrance.
Map & Instant Route Finder
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Accommodations near Musée Carnavalet:
Photo Gallery
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Paintings and exhibits inside the Musée Carnavalet cc licensed photo by OliverN5 -
Intricate scale models help visitors visualize the history of Paris cc licensed photo by NealeA -
Photo Credit: dalbera - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: dalbera - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: ajleon - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: TijsB - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: TijsB - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: TijsB - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: TijsB - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: TijsB - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: TijsB - cc license via Flickr
