Museums You’ve Never Heard Of
Paris has a plethora of museums. In fact, Paris has museums for everything. You name it, and voila, there it is. Ranging from centuries old famous paintings, sculptures to coins, to homes of famous people. Everyone visits the Louvre and Orsay, but have you ever thought of doing something different? Why not visit some Museums You’ve Never Heard Of. Here is a comprehensive list to make your life a little easier.
Or check out our other editions of Museums You’ve Never Heard Of:
Museums You’ve Never Heard Of – Art Edition
Museums You’ve Never Heard Of – History Edition
1. Musée Grévin
One of the oldest wax museums in Europe. “Meet” iconic figures from history. From Louis XIV, Mozart, Albert Einstein, Mahatama Gandhi to Barack Obama and Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II, you can see them all at Grévin and take selfies with these famous people.
wikipedia.org2. Musée des Arts et Métiers
Among its industrial design collection is an original version of the Foucault pendulum and the original model of the Statue of Liberty by Auguste Bartholdi. You can also find some of the first planes and Blaise Pascal’s Pascaline (the first mechanical calculator). The museum presents seven different collections: Scientific Instruments, Materials, Energy, Mechanics, Construction, Communication, Transportation.
Official Website: Musée des Arts et Métiers
Price: Varies. View prices here.
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm. Late night Thursday until 9:30 pm. Closed on Mondays.
3. Musée du Chocolat
This museum tells the story of the origin and the evolution of chocolate by means of a unique collection of a thousand objects. You will discover historical information as well as practical knowledge to help you learn to make your own chocolate. Check out the details of the workshop on chocolates which we tested, here.
Official Website: Musée du Chocolat
Price: €11 (reduced price tickets available)
Hours: Open every day from 10am to 6pm. Last entrances at 5pm.
4. Musée de la Contrefaçon
musee-contrefacon.comKnown as museum of counterfeiting. Over 300 hundred counterfeit objects in 6 rooms. It brings together varied collected works spanning from the luxury brands to the everyday products.
Official Website Of Musée de la Contrefaçon
Price: €6 (or €5 if qualify for reduced ticket price). See more here
Hours: Open Tuesday to Sunday from 14:00 to 17:30 (12:00pm-5:30pm). In the morning by appointment. Check website if going in August.
5.Musée du Parfum Fragonard
France has been a world center of the perfume industry since the 17th century, when Louis XV’s court at Versailles was known as la cour parfumée. This museum features the history of perfume manufacturing and packaging from ancient times and how natural ingredients are mixed with essential oil and varied fragrances to create modern perfumes. Here you can discover the art of perfume making.
Official Website: Musée du Parfum Fragonard
Price: Free guided tour!
Hours: Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm. Sundays and holidays 9am to 5pm.
6. Cinémathèque française
This is for the movies lovers out there. This museum presents the unique opportunity to discover a heritage of movies and theaters in the world covering film prehistory to the present. Legendary costumes, cameras and projectors, and manuscripts among other things form an amazing landscape for cinema lovers to explore and discover an exceptional ensemble in the cinema world. We recommend you pay a visit to this one of the museums you’ve never heard of.
Official Website Of Cinémathèque française
Price: €5 (reduced price available if qualify)
Hours: Monday through Sunday 12pm to 7pm. Closed on Tuesdays.
7. Musée de l’Erotisme
Located in Pigalle neighborhood, which is inundated with sex shops. The Museum of Eroticism of Paris is an unusual and singular place dedicated to erotic art in all its forms. With seven floors, you can find popular art from all time periods and from different countries. The art forms exhibit heavy inclination towards sexuality and fertility.
Official Website: Musée de l’Erotisme
Price: €10
Hours: Everyday from 10am to 2am.
8. Musée de la Musique
The Museum of Music showcases about 8,350 items including musical instruments and pieces of art which retrace the history of music from the 17th century to today. Of the museums you’ve never heard of, this one is great to go to with your kids and family. You should known that live performances are put on everyday in the museum.
Official Website: Museum of Music Paris
Price: €7
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm to 6pm. Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Closed Mondays.
9. Musée du Vin
A wine museum! Very close to the Eiffel Tower, right in the heart of Paris, this museum has a collection of wine-related objects spanning different centuries. Today there are over 2,200 items on display. Set in some crude limestone quarries that were mined between the 13th and the 18th centuries to supply the stones used to build Paris. Highly recommended.
Official Website: Musée du Vin
Price:€10 (You can also pay more for a wine tasting)
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm.
10. Musée Baccarat
Baccarat is a world famous brand for crystals. This Museum is simply known as Crystal Museum. Each timeless masterpiece signifies and underscores the subtle art of crystal making. Each decanter, every glass, every chandelier embodies the ultimate journey which the crystal art form has taken to evolve to its splendor today.
Official Website: Musée Baccarat
Prices: €5 (reduced price tickets available)
Hours: Open Tuesday through Sunday 10am to 12pm and from 2pm-6pm.
11. Musée de la Préfecture de Police
This museum of crime is prominent in showcasing the evolution of the various police forms throughout French history. It tells a story of an institution pivoted upon crime and punishment and how it has adapted to changes in society and the urban space. A gallery illustrates criminal activities and punishments that followed and it chronicles some stories of the past four centuries of bloody and grotesque crimes, terrorist attacks, and political killings and assassinations.
Official Website: Musée de la Préfecture de Police
Price: Free!
Hours: Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 5:00pm. And the 3rd Saturday of each month from 10:30am to 5:30pm.
12. Musée des Monuments Français
This museum contains architectural models of historical buildings, replicas, and stained glass from French churches and châteaux. Also known as the museum of plaster casts of French monuments. This museum is located within the Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine.
Official Website: Musée des Monuments Français
Price: € 8 (reduced price tickets available if qualify). Additional costs to see expositions.
Hours: Open Wednesday and Friday through Sunday from 11am to 7pm. Open Tuesday from 11am to 9pm.
13. Musée de la Poupée
It is a private doll museum located in the 3rd arrondissement. Established in 1994, it contains an assemblage of more than 500 French dolls. Arranged chronologically, the dolls range from the 18th century to the present. Exhibits are arranged in an array with scale-model furniture, accessories, and toys from a number of periods in the history. Also, there is a feature on doll-making and the materials used in dolls.
Offical Website: Musée de la Poupée
Price: €8 (reduced price tickets available)
Hours: Open Tuesday through Saturday 1pm to 6pm.
14. Musée de la Magie
This magic museum highlights items relating to magic shows including optical illusions, secret boxes, wind-up toys, magic mirrors, see-through glasses, posters, etc. It also provides magic shows for you and your kids. The museum is adjoined with the Musée des Automates, which also contains more than 100 historical and contemporary automative devices.
Official Website: Musée de la Magie
View prices here
Check hours here
Or check out our other editions of Museums You’ve Never Heard Of:
Museums You’ve Never Heard Of – Art Edition
Museums You’ve Never Heard Of – History Edition
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