The Musée Carnavalet is the museum of the history of Paris, and its permanent collection is free. It fills two connected mansions in the Marais with everything from prehistoric canoes found by the Seine to the shop signs, paintings and furniture that tell the story of the city through the centuries. If you want to understand the Paris you are walking around, this is one of the best places to start, and it rarely feels as crowded as the big national museums.
Why visit the Musée Carnavalet
The museum's full name is Musée Carnavalet, Histoire de Paris. It occupies the Hôtel Carnavalet, a sixteenth century mansion where the letter writer Madame de Sévigné once lived, and the neighbouring Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau. After a long renovation the museum reopened in 2021 with a clearer route through the collection, better access and more space for younger visitors.
The appeal is variety. One room holds painted panelling from a vanished townhouse, the next has models of old Paris, and further on you reach the Revolution, the Belle Epoque and the twentieth century. It is a museum about ordinary life as much as kings and politics.
Getting to the Musée Carnavalet by metro
The nearest station is Saint-Paul on Line 1. From the station, walk north into the Marais along Rue de Sévigné; the museum entrance is at number 23, a walk of around five minutes. Line 1 makes this easy to combine with the Louvre, the Hôtel de Ville or the Bastille.
Alternatives include Chemin Vert on Line 8, a similar distance to the east, and the Bastille interchange (Lines 1, 5 and 8), which is a slightly longer walk through Place des Vosges.
Tickets and opening hours
Entry to the permanent collection of the Musée Carnavalet is free. Temporary exhibitions usually charge, and at busy times the museum may ask visitors to book a free time slot online. Like other City of Paris museums, it is usually closed on Mondays and some public holidays. Check the official website, carnavalet.paris.fr, for current hours, exhibitions and any booking requirements.
Highlights of the collection
Shop signs and old Paris
The first rooms show a wonderful collection of painted and wrought iron shop signs that once hung over Paris streets. Nearby are models, maps and views of the city before Haussmann's boulevards changed it.
The French Revolution
The Revolution rooms are among the most interesting in the museum, with paintings, everyday objects and souvenirs from the period, including items linked to the royal family's imprisonment.
Recreated interiors
Several period rooms have been reassembled inside the museum. The best known is the Fouquet jewellery shop designed by Alphonse Mucha around 1900, an Art Nouveau interior moved here whole. You can also see a reconstruction of Marcel Proust's bedroom.
The courtyards and garden
The formal courtyards, with a statue of Louis XIV in the main one, are a pleasure in themselves, and there is a garden and a cafe-restaurant for a break.
Tips for visiting with children
The renovated museum has made an effort to welcome younger visitors, with displays placed at a lower height and objects children can relate to, such as toys, signs and models of the city. The shop signs and the Revolution rooms tend to hold their attention best. Strollers can be useful, as the route is long, and there are lifts between floors.
If you only have an hour, focus on the shop signs, the Revolution rooms and the Mucha jewellery shop, then finish with a coffee in the garden.
Best time to visit and how long to stay
Weekday mornings are the calmest. Weekends get busier, especially on rainy days when the Marais crowds look for somewhere indoors. Allow at least an hour and a half to see the highlights; history fans can easily spend half a day. The museum is large and spread across several floors, so pick up a plan at the entrance.
Nearby on the same metro stop
Saint-Paul is a good base for exploring the Marais on foot:
- Place des Vosges: the elegant arcaded square a few minutes east.
- Maison de Victor Hugo: the writer's apartment on Place des Vosges, also a free City of Paris museum.
- Musée Picasso Paris: a short walk north through the Marais.
- Rue des Rosiers: the heart of the old Jewish quarter, known for falafel.
- Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis: the baroque church right beside the station.
See what else is close on the Musée Carnavalet page, or browse the Paris guide for more ideas by metro station.