my favorite museum
Carnavalet
Let's go to a very curious, beautiful museum, which is also... free? Come on, I'll show you around!
Welcome to Carnavalet!
Today, we explore Paris most-underrated museum (according to me): Carnavalet museum. Located in two private mansions of the XVIth and XVIIth centuries, it retraces Paris's history since its fondation and is filled with objects and art works from every style. It is the perfect continuation of a Parisian tour, and an enchanting place where I like to get lost for hours...
It is a little Parisian gem, and I don't understand why it isn't more famous. It is a perfect place for impress your friends, go with kids and know more about Parisian history (always something I love!).
the museum of Paris's history 🏰
Welcome to the most ancient museum of Paris's city: opened in 1880 in the middle of the Marais, its collection of more than 4 000 pieces tells the whole Parisian history, from Antics to today's new architecture and art. With plans, posters, objects and reconstructions, we are literally emerged in the great adventure of the City of Lights! We basically don't know where to look because the things to see and learn are so diverse.
Extensively renovated between 2015 and 2021, the museum has since offered a new tour, which exposes all the traces of the lost Paris and reconstructs entire rooms, as they were at the time, and takes us on a magnificent journey through time. I particularly like the first rooms, where you can admire the signs that filled the streets of Paris, true works of art that preceded advertising and overflow with visual imagination.
In my eyes, it's the perfect museum to complete a week of Parisian explorations. You can find everything you have observed and loved, with lots of explanations as a bonus. My visits to the museum are always dialogues with my walks in Paris, which prolong, enrich and give meaning to my discoveries.
An extraordinary place 👑
And to top it all off, the museum is housed in two of the most beautiful private mansions in the Marais, no less! These two small palaces of the nobility were built during the Grand Siècle, with the beautiful architectural fashions of the time: a set of courtyards and very bright gardens, high windows and finely wrought woodwork on the ceiling. The history of Paris could not have chosen a better setting!
What I prefer is the way the light changes throughout the day, revealing unique atmospheres depending on the time of your visit. If you’re a morning person like me, the artworks are lit very softly, and some rooms are still almost dark, while in the middle of the afternoon, the gilding shines brightly in the sunlight.
Liberty, equality, Carnavalet 🇫🇷
What makes Carnavalet my favorite museum in Paris is the fact that it is free for everyone, all the time. While the price of culture continues to rise in Paris, this free admission is a relief for the wallets of curious visitors!
Because what free admission offers is not just accessibility, but freedom. The freedom to explore the museum at your own pace, to go for lunch before tackling the next room, or even to come back the next day—or every day, if you wish. Personally, I take advantage of it to explore the galleries in every possible direction, always returning to admire certain signs or the paintings on the upper floors.
What to do in the neighborhood?
The museum is in the middle of the Marais, so, once you're done, you have the choice of program!
For food lovers, if the museum's restaurant doesn’t tempt you, the area is full of charming little cafés where you can sit after a day of exciting discoveries. Among my favorites is Fika, the café at the Swedish Institute. Located in the courtyard of a former private mansion, this Nordic café offers cinnamon rolls and original drinks for a well-deserved moment of serenity.
If you're still hungry for discoveries, the Place des Vosges is just across the street. With the Victor Hugo House Museum, charming bistros, and the tranquility of its park, this square is sure to enchant you.
Finally, for the more stylish, the streets of the Marais are always the best place to find trendy shops and admire beautiful window displays, nestled between traditional bakeries.