Musée Carnavalet

About the museum

The museum occupies the Hôtel Carnavalet, built in the mid-16th century for a president of the Paris Parlement and attributed to the architect Pierre Lescot. In the 17th century François Mansart enlarged it, and the Marquise de Sévigné lived there for several years. In 1866 the prefect of the Seine, Baron Haussmann, had the City of Paris buy it to create a museum devoted to the history of the capital.

The first collections were destroyed in the fire at the Hôtel de Ville in 1871, and the museum opened to the public in December 1880. It was later expanded: the neighbouring Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, linked by a gallery, opened to the public in 1989.

Closed in 2016 for a major renovation, the museum reopened in May 2021 with a chronological route that begins in prehistory and continues to the present day. It holds around 610,000 objects, including paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, shop signs and souvenirs of the French Revolution, as well as reconstructed period rooms and salons, mainly from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Highlights

• Chronological route from prehistory to the present day
• Collections on the French Revolution
• Hall of Paris shop signs
• Period rooms and salons from the 17th and 18th centuries
• Gardens of the Hôtels Carnavalet and Le Peletier
• Free admission to the permanent collections

Permanent exhibition

• Collections permanentes – Chronological tour of the history of Paris from prehistory to the present day, with the Revolutionary period, the shop signs and reconstructed period rooms.

Founded

1880

Operated by

Paris Musées (Ville de Paris)

Director

Jean-Marc Léri

Visitors per year

approx. 1,081,903 (2025)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

The permanent collections are free, open access and need no booking. Temporary exhibitions are charged (Paris Musées rates); admission is free with proof for job seekers, recipients of minimum social benefits and people with disabilities together with their companion. A timed ticket booked online is strongly recommended for temporary exhibitions.

Accessibility

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

The museum is accessible by elevators and adapted ramps, except for three small rooms described by a compensation panel. Wheelchairs are lent free of charge at reception without booking. Accessible toilets in the basement at the end of the shop signs hall. Parking is difficult: the nearest car park is about 300 m away (7 rue Barbette), and the museum recommends being dropped off at the entrance. Induction loops can be borrowed at reception; guided tours in French Sign Language with a Deaf guide are offered regularly. Simplified texts and Braille, tactile elements in some displays, and an “easy-to-read and understand” booklet available to download.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly

Workshop visits from age 4 (masks and mascarons), age 7 (goose game, “jeu de l’oie”) and age 8 (diary of a revolutionary), a sensory session “Mon petit Carnavalet” for ages 3–5 (€5 per child, free entry for the accompanying adult), family weekends and a programme during school holidays. The museum is accessible with strollers, with elevators along the route.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant
• Museum shop
• Lockers

Joli restaurant and bookshop. Self-service lockers (40 × 36 × 36 cm) after reception and the ticket desks, to be emptied the same day; suitcases and large bags are not accepted.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties: not available
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies: not available

Up to 300 guests.

Hall of Shop Signs (up to 130 seated or 220 standing), orangery with an independent entrance on rue Payenne (100 seated or 200 standing), temporary exhibition rooms (170 seated or 300 standing, outside exhibition periods) and gardens. Breakfasts, seminars, ceremonies, concerts, cocktails and dinners; the museum does not host private personal celebrations or dance parties.

Plan your visit