Paris Museums: 10Best Museum Reviews

One of Paris’ main draws is its timeless devotion to fashion. The city certainly has carved out a place for itself on the throne of world fashion centers. And it has done so largely thanks to its designers and its reverence for the decorative arts. This museum, dedicated to all things decorative, whether that be interior design, textiles, furniture or fashion, puts the spotlight on outstanding creative talent and collections.

For example, during the summer of 2017 the exhibiton was devoted to Christian Dior’s collections mainly from the 50s and early 60s. The museum is located just next to the Louvre at the beginning of the Tulieries. It covers over 6OOO square meters of exhibition space and houses more than 6000 objects of historical and decorative value.

The most popular time to visit is in the afternoon after lunch, so if you don’t want to wait in line or be rubbing shoulders with big crowds, it’s probably best to go at off hours. The exhibits change every few months so check the website to see what you will be able to take in while there.

The elegant museum devoted to the 18th century arts, the Cognacq-Jay Museum began its existence as a private museum. It was established by Ernest Cognacq and his wife, Marie-Louise Jay with the intent to enshrine 18th c. art and furniture/ decorative arts. M. Cognacq was the founder of the iconic department store, La Samaritaine, recently re-opened after years of renovations undertaken by LVMH Groupe.
The building itself, the Hotel de Donon, is one of the rare still-existing mansions that the Marais became famous for in its 16th ad 17th c. heyday when it was home to French aristocracy.

The permanent collections here are worth the visit and, incidentally, the admission is free. If you’d like to take in the temporary exhibits as well (highly recommended!) there is a small admission price.

An interactive children’s area allows youngsters the privilege of making their own discoveries about the physical world through play and experimentation. The Cite itself sits on Europe’s largest landscaped park and is thought to be the biggest science museum in Europe. In 2012 renovations to the entrance way made it even more accessible when arriving by public transport.

Occupying the site of a former slaughterhouse, this museum of science and technology acts with a more benign hand these days. Exhibits range from scientific exploration, medicine, technology, industry, space, botany and more.

The site also includes the G�ode, an IMAX cinema in a metallic sphere, a submarine and the Parc de la Villette, which extends either side of a canal. Ideal for the entire family. METRO: Porte de la Villette (line 7)

In 1923, Picasso made Paris his home, creating his most memorable and lasting works here. After his death in 1973, his family � faced with an astronomical tax debt � donated more than 3,288 works from his estate, including his own private collection of contemporary art.

This collection houses complete works by Picasso including sculptures, sketches and paintings. Displayed in chronological order in the elegant, restored H�tel Sal�, the works make an informative statement of creativity, continuity, and genius. They also give credence to his famous motto, “I do not seek, I find.”

The H�tel Sal— was named after the salt-tax farmer who built this most impressive of Parisian mansions back in the mid-17th c. (sal— means salty in French). All of Paris has flocked to the museum since it reopened in the fall of 2014 after extensive renovations.

The museum in Paris devoted to Photography (yes, with a capital P) is located in the heart of the Marais. The museum’s curators seemingly have no narrow style guide they strictly follow save for what moves and what provokes in terms of imagery.

The exhibits at the museum are under one theme and usually show for several months, after which the entire exhibit is refreshed with new works and a new theme. The building itself is indelibly charming withe three floors of show rooms. Thank goodness the creaky old stairwell has been re-carpeted of late.

The photographers selected to show here seem to have only one thing in common – their works push the propverbial envelope on some level.

The Museum of the Federation Francaise de Tennis, otherwise known as the Tenniseum, is a one-of-a-kind museum devoted to the sport of tennis. Other features that make it outstanding is that it is situated on the stadium grounds of Roland-Garros. Also its media rich archives, with films and digitized historical documents about tennis, offer lots of fun distractions for an afternoon.

The French Tennis Open, known by the French as ‘Roland Garros’ takes place every year at the end of May. If you are a tennis buff, this is a not-to-miss event. But plan on pouncing on your online ticket purchases as soon as they open up, or you might miss out.

There are many good reasons to visit this National Museum of the Middle Ages housed in the heart of Paris’ most ancient quarter, the Latin Quarter. To begin with the medieval artifacts on display here are some of the most treasured in Europe, including the famed Lady and The Unicorn tapestries woven in Flanders of wool and silk based on designs drawn in Paris around 1500 c.e. There are also the stained glass collections (an entire room of it), the Reliquary of the Holy Umbilical Cord, and the Illuminated Manuscripts.

The structure itself, the Hotel de Cluny, is fascinating too since it was built over what was once the 3rd c. Gallo- Roman baths. The baths were actually located where the second building, the frigidarium or cooling room, was built over the “Thermes de Cluny.” All of this is to be found right in St. Michel, the center of Paris.

This museum in Paris is devoted fully to the art of perfume. It is a private museum funded partially with state funds and partially by private investors. Perfume is as integral to French culture as couture, fine wine and art. That there had not yet existed in the French capital a museum wholly devoted to perfume, unaffiliated with a perfume brand, was seen as something of an empty space that needed filling.

The museum’s location is just a block or so away from the French White House, the Elysee. It is devoted to sensory perception and has been designed to be highly interactive. Visitors are easily and luxuriously drawn into testing their olfactory senses and playing at finding the scents that most please them.

In the four floors of the perfume museum (including the Roederer-like champagne cellars basement) of the renovated private mansion, the visitor is introduced to the history of perfum and its importance at the King’s court especially Versailles. The upper floors are devoted to sensory and smell perceptions. This is a museum that is certain to appeal to both young and old, male and female.

The Bel Air house, the 17th c. mansion which houses the Mus�e Montmartre and the Renoir Gardens, is the oldest building in Montmartre. It once drew celebrated artists such as August Renoir, Suzanne Valadon and Emile Bernard, all of whom had their artist studios on rue Cortot, which served as a sort of central meeting place for the artists of the day.

The museum itself was only recently re-opened (fall 2014) after extensive renovations. It was first established in 1960. The artworks housed at the museum recount the history of Montmartre including the cabarets of the Moulin Rouge and the animated Lapin Agile. There’s even an entire room dedicated to the French can-can.

Paintings, posters and drawings signed by Valadon, Utrillo, Modigliani, Kupka, Steinlen and, yes, even Toulouse-Lautrec make up the museum’s permanent collection.

A museum dedicated to the history of Paris, from its beginnings to the present, is the Carnavalet. With exhibits highlighting Paris from Neolithic times to the present day, this museum has a broad historical range. It was first opened in 1880 and is housed in two 16th and 17th c. mansions, the spectacular “Carnavalet” and “Pelletier de Saint-Fargeau” mansions, which have been restored to period authenticity. A variety of collections includes memorabilia from the French Revolution, Gallo-Roman archaeological treasures, paintings, sculpture and rare furniture.

A recent exhibit was all about the wardrobe of one of the first female French fashion designers. Major exhibitions and dynamic programming is part of this museum’s personality today. Its Marais location sets you right in the middle of one of Paris’s most charming and most historical quarters.