Musée Marcel Proust

About the museum

The house belonged to Jules and Élisabeth Amiot, Marcel Proust’s paternal uncle and aunt. The young Marcel spent holidays there between 1877 and 1880 and returned in 1886, when his aunt died. In “Du côté de chez Swann”, the first volume of “À la recherche du temps perdu”, it becomes the home of Aunt Léonie, and the town of Illiers takes on the form of Combray.

At the end of the 1960s the Société des Amis de Marcel Proust fitted out the house as a museum, which opened to the public in 1972. The site has kept the Amiot family’s furniture, the painted plates, the stained-glass windows of the dining room and the first-floor bedroom overlooking the street. A complete renovation took place from 2022 to 2024.

The museum occupies two connected buildings. The first is the house itself, preserved as the writer knew it. The second presents Proust and the arts, with personal objects, portraits of friends, letters, first editions, and paintings or watercolours linked to the world of the Recherche. The inventory includes 431 works. The museum is run by an association, holds the “Musée de France” label, and extends into the garden of the house.

Highlights

• Aunt Léonie’s bedroom on the first floor
• The magic lantern that opens “Du côté de chez Swann”
• The dining room with its painted plates and colourful stained glass
• Portraits, letters and first editions relating to Proust and his friends
• The garden of the house, near the Pré-Catelan

Permanent exhibitions

• La maison de tante Léonie – Visit to the Amiots’ house, preserved as the young Proust knew it, with Aunt Léonie’s bedroom and the magic lantern.
• Proust et les arts – Second building devoted to the writer’s links with the arts: personal objects, portraits of friends, correspondence and first editions.

Founded

1972

Operated by

Société des Amis de Marcel Proust

Visitors per year

approx. 9,399

Admission & discounts

Admission is also free for members of the Société des Amis de Marcel Proust, residents of the Entre Beauce et Perche community of communes, the press and ICOM members. Proof is checked at reception. Payment by bank card is preferred.

Accessibility

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

A lift and a platform lift allow visitors to avoid the stairs. Dogs are admitted only if they can be carried; for an assistance dog, contact the museum before the visit.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

By car from Paris: motorway A11, exit Illiers-Combray. By bike from Chartres: about 33 km.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit