Museum of the History of Paris
(Musée Carnavalet)

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.

Accommodations near Musée Carnavalet: