Musée d'Aquitaine

About the museum

The Musée d’Aquitaine is housed in the former Palais des facultés, built by the architect Charles Durand from 1881 and inaugurated on January 17, 1886 as the faculty of sciences and letters. The building stands on the site of the former Feuillants convent, where the philosopher Michel de Montaigne was buried in 1593. The faculties left the building in the 1960s and 1970s, and the museum moved in in 1987.

The museum holds the “Musée de France” label and belongs to the City of Bordeaux. It brings together more than 1.3 million pieces of archaeology, history and regional ethnography, which show the lives of the people of Aquitaine and their links with the Atlantic world and the rest of the world. The building also houses the collections of the Centre national Jean Moulin on the Second World War, and the Goupil graphic arts collection.

In November 2019, excavations in the basement on Montaigne’s presumed tomb were carried out, and the research also uncovered a German bunker from the Second World War. The rooms devoted to the 16th and 17th centuries were renovated in 2024.

In December 2025, the Bordeaux Patrimoine Mondial interpretation centre opened in the museum. The museum also coordinates the City of Bordeaux’s missions on historic heritage and memorial policy, notably on slavery, colonisation and the Shoah.

Highlights

• “400 000 ans d’histoire(s)” route, from prehistory to the 21st century
• Venus of Laussel, the Garonne treasure and the Gallo-Roman Hercules
• Galleries on Atlantic trade and slavery in 18th-century Bordeaux
• Sensory trail with 29 tactile and olfactory stations
• Bordeaux Patrimoine Mondial interpretation centre, free of charge

Permanent exhibitions

• 400 000 ans d'histoire(s) : de la Préhistoire au 21e siècle – A chronological route over two levels traces the history of Bordeaux and Aquitaine from prehistory to the present day, with works such as the Venus of Laussel.
• Parcours sensoriel – Twenty-nine stations let visitors discover works from the route through touch and smell, using replicas made from the original materials.
• Bordeaux Patrimoine Mondial – A free 170 m² interpretation centre presents the evolution of Bordeaux’s architecture and landscapes, with models, tactile panels and scent stations.

Founded

1987

Operated by

Ville de Bordeaux

Visitors per year

approx. 187,099

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on the first Sunday of the month, except in July and August; activities led by a mediator remain paid.

Full price €8 and reduced rate €4.50 during temporary exhibition periods. The ticket gives access to the permanent route and the temporary exhibitions. Also free for recipients of minimum social benefits, holders of the Pass Musées Bordeaux or the Bordeaux Métropole CityPass, the Carte Jeune Bordeaux Métropole (plus one adult companion for under-16s), the ICOM card, journalists, tour guides and members of the Friends of the museum. Payment by bank card, cash and cheque; holiday vouchers (chèques-vacances) are not accepted.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• 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 to people with reduced mobility through the entrance at 18 Cours Pasteur, to the left of the main staircase: you need to ring the intercom. A lift opposite the cloakroom serves the floor, but it is currently out of service, which limits access to the collections from the 18th to the 21st century. The sensory trail has 29 tactile and olfactory stations (four are currently out of order), with texts in braille and in plain French. A French Sign Language app and a visio-guide are available at reception, as well as easy-read booklets. Quiet times take place on Thursdays at 16:30 and Saturdays at 13:30 in the temporary exhibitions. Guide dogs and assistance dogs are welcome.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Stroller-friendly
• Baby changing facilities

Two activity booklets are handed out free at reception: a treasure hunt from age 6 and a logbook from age 7. The sensory trail lets visitors touch and smell replicas. The “Polisson” activity is offered to under-3s with a booklet of nursery rhymes, and workshops for children are held regularly. Strollers are allowed in all rooms; baby-changing tables are in the toilets of the Middle Ages area (ground floor) and the 18th-century area (upper floor).

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check
• Lockers

No café or restaurant; vending machines and a rest area are on the ground floor, as well as an inner courtyard. Cloakrooms and lockers work with a token or a €1 coin; backpacks are not allowed in the galleries. Shop and bookshop on site. Food and drink are not allowed in the exhibition rooms.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Corporate events

Up to 212 guests.

Spaces for hire: the hall of the Palais des facultés (415 m², 150 standing guests), the rose window room (75 m²), an auditorium with 212 seats, a meeting room for 35 and the courtyard (cour carrée, 40 people for a cocktail). Quotes on request.

Plan your visit