The Carnavalet Museum is located in the trendy Marais quarter in Paris. If you want to know more about the city you will visit, you must definitely visit this place. The museum deals with the history of Paris from its origins to the present.
We prepared you complete guide of informations you should know about the Carnavalet Museum in Paris, including exhibition highlights, history, tickets, tours and helpful information on how to get there.
What can I do at the Carnavalet Museum in Paris ?
In Carnavalet Museum, visitors can experience the history of the French capital and its inhabitants up close.
This is not only due to the fact that the museum has outstanding exhibits, but also because the Musée Carnavalet is located in two historic mansions.
In the historic and magnificent premises of the mansions, visitors can take a look at the extensive collection, which illustrates the development of the city of Paris, from the Celtic settlement of Lutetia to the present day.
A total of over 60 000 exhibits are presented in 100 halls.
Archaeological remains, art objects, sculptures, true-to-scale models of old monuments, but also ancient artifacts, furniture, portraits of famous residents as well as historical anecdotes and contemporary eyewitness reports are shown.
The exhibition on the French Revolution with numerous original relics is particularly worth seeing.
Equally interesting is the collection of old clocks and the personal belongings of famous French people, including Napoleon I, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Marie Antoinette.
The Museum Building
The museum is housed in two historic mansions, the Hôtel de Carnavalet and the Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau. Both buildings are connected by a gallery.
The magnificent exhibition rooms are characterized by a grand decor, which can be admired just like the collection.
The 16th century Hôtel de Carnavalet, with its impressive facade, is considered one of the most beautiful mansions in the Renaissance style. It is the oldest, still preserved mansion in the city.
The historical backdrop makes a decisive contribution to the journey of discovery through Parisian history - one more reason why the Musée Carnavalet stands out among the museums in Paris.
Garden
The museum garden is also very impressive. Magnificent flowers, rose bushes and lush hedges invite the visitor to linger.
Temporary Exhibitions & Events
The Carnavalet Museum organizes two large temporary exhibitions a year. For an up-to-date overview of the temporary exhibitions, please consult the Carnavalet museum's official website.
The museum program is regularly enriched with concerts, plays, events, lectures and workshops.
Bookstore
Inside the museum there is a bookstore as well as a museum shop with a range of books, souvenirs, gifts, and more.
Entrance, Tickets and Tours
How to get to the Carnavalet Museum in Paris ?
The Carnavalet Museum is located in the historic Marais quarter in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, near Place des Vosges.
It can be easily reached with the metro 1 to the “Saint-Paul” station or by bus 29 to “Payenne”. Bus lines 69, 76 and 96 also stop near the Carnavalet Museum.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
The regular opening hours of the Musée Carnavalet are Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. For the lastest information about opening hours, please consult the official website.
The Musée Carnavalet is located in the historic Marais district in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, very close to the Place des Vosges. The address is: Musée Carnavalet, 16 rue des Francs-Bourgeois 75003 Paris
Admission to the permanent exhibition of the Musée Carnavalet is free all year round. An entrance fee is only due for temporary exhibitions.
The Musée Carnavalet can be easily reached by metro 1 (to “Saint-Paul”) or by bus 29 (to “Payenne”). Bus routes 69, 76 and 96 also stop near the Carnavalet Museum.
History of the Musée Carnavalet
The Musée Carnavalet was founded in 1880. At that time it was located exclusively in the mansion Hôtel de Carnavalet, which was built between 1548 and 1560 by the architect Pierre Lescot as a city residence for the nobility.
The expansion of a library made it necessary to build new wings, which were erected in the garden. Due to the continued increase in exhibits, the new wings were insufficient.
Construction work began in 1907, which included doubling the museum building. With the outbreak of the First World War, the work was delayed and could only be completed in 1920.
In order to do justice to the constantly growing collections, the neighboring mansion Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau was acquired in 1989 and became part of the Carnavalet Museum.
Renovation work is currently taking place, which is why the museum is expected to remain closed until 2021.