Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine

About the museum

The Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, housed in the Palais de Chaillot, brings together a museum, a library, an archive centre and the École de Chaillot, which has trained heritage architects since 1887. It opened in 2007 and will celebrate its twentieth anniversary in 2027.

Its national collections descend from the Musée de sculpture comparée, founded in 1879 on the initiative of the architect Viollet-le-Duc and opened to the public in 1882. This former Musée des Monuments français aimed to present, through full-scale casts, the masterpieces of French medieval architecture and sculpture. Murals and stained glass, gathered from 1937 onwards, enriched the ensemble.

At around 8,000 m², the museum is considered the largest museum of monumental art in the world. It consists of three galleries: the gallery of casts, the gallery of murals and stained glass, and the gallery of modern and contemporary architecture, which traces more than a century of French achievements with models and a full-scale reconstruction of a Le Corbusier apartment.

The Cité also presents temporary exhibitions, lectures and activities for all audiences.

Highlights

• Full-scale cast of the portal of the Moissac abbey church
• Dome of Cahors and cathedral stained glass, reproduced or on display
• Gallery of modern and contemporary architecture of 1,800 m²
• Full-size reconstruction of a Le Corbusier apartment
• View of the Eiffel Tower from the galleries

Permanent exhibitions

• Galerie des moulages – Full-size reproductions of portals, sculptures and fragments of French monuments from the Middle Ages to the classical period, including the Moissac portal.
• Galerie des peintures murales et des vitraux – Copies of 11th- to 16th-century murals and medieval and Renaissance stained glass, with the dome of Cahors cathedral.
• Galerie d'architecture moderne et contemporaine – Around a hundred buildings from 1850 to the present, shown with models, photographs and a reconstructed Le Corbusier apartment.

Founded

2007

Operated by

Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine

Visitors per year

approx. 223,921

Admission & discounts

Free admission: First Sunday of each month, free for everyone (museum and temporary exhibitions).

The museum is accessible with the Paris Museum Pass. Entry is also free for 18- to 25-year-olds from the European Union, job seekers, recipients of minimum social benefits, holders of the Pass Éducation, the ICOM or ICOMOS card or the Carte Culture, journalists, guides-conférenciers and members of Operation Sentinelle, with proof. Payment by card, cheque, chèque culture, Chèque-Vacances and cash.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

Most of the spaces are accessible to visitors with reduced mobility: museum route, temporary exhibitions, workshops, bookshop, restaurant and toilets. A temporary ramp at the Trocadéro entrance, lifts and platform lifts; some lifts are currently out of service. Two areas are not accessible: the level of the reconstructed Le Corbusier apartment and two rooms of the gallery of murals, which are under works. Free loan of wheelchairs, folding seats, optical aids, noise-cancelling headphones and induction loops. Easy-read document on request. Contact: handicap@citedelarchitecture.fr.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

Workshops, tours and courses for children, teenagers and families at weekends and during school holidays. A free play trail from age 4 is available on request at reception. Hands-on elements in the museum route and workshop sheets to download for home.

Getting there & parking

Main entrance at 1 place du Trocadéro et du 11 novembre (museum and exhibitions). Entrance for school groups at 45 avenue du Président Wilson; auditorium entrance at 7 avenue Albert de Mun. Vélib’ station no. 16014.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

Two restaurants within the Cité: Girafe and La Suite. Free lockers at the Trocadéro entrance (40 x 35 x 45 cm). Suitcases, scooters and large bags are prohibited.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit