Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris
The Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris, located in the Marais district, is dedicated to the history of Paris. It occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. The museum’s extensive collection includes paintings, sculptures, and artifacts that depict the city’s evolution from prehistoric times to the present. Notable works include portraits of historical figures and representations of significant events in Parisian history. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, offering free access to its permanent collections without prior booking. Temporary exhibitions may require a fee. The museum is closed on Mondays and specific public holidays, including January 1st, May 1st, and December 25th. For more information, visit the official website.
Planning your visit
The Carnavalet is the museum of Paris itself, and it is enormous in scope: the city from prehistory through the Revolution to the present, across two linked Marais mansions and around 3,800 works on display after a four-year renovation completed in 2021. The Revolution galleries are the strongest — a model of the Bastille carved from one of its own stones, revolutionary tricolours, the guillotine blade, and the personal objects of the condemned, including items connected to Marie Antoinette's final imprisonment.
Elsewhere the museum preserves complete Parisian interiors relocated wholesale: shop signs, art nouveau rooms including Fouquet's jewellery boutique designed by Mucha, and Marcel Proust's cork-lined bedroom, moved here with his furniture. Paintings and photographs record streets erased by Haussmann's rebuilding.
Permanent collections are free and require no booking, which is unusual in central Paris. The Hôtel Carnavalet's courtyards and gardens are pleasant in themselves.
Allow two hours minimum; the chronological route is long. Bookable options are guided visits, which help considerably given the collection's sprawl and the amount of Parisian and revolutionary history it assumes. Some tours combine the museum with a walk through the surrounding Marais. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris?
Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris is in Paris, France. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris?
Allow two hours. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris in advance?
Guided tours run to a fixed schedule and small group sizes, so they are usually booked ahead.
