Muséum-aquarium de Nancy
Natural history museum in Nancy combining a zoology gallery and aquariums of aquatic fauna in a 1930s modernist building.
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About the museum
The museum’s collections date back to 1752, when Duke Stanislas Leszczynski founded the Collège royal de médecine in Nancy, bringing together seventeen regional cabinets of curiosities. The zoology collections were first displayed in the former university palace and moved in 1930 to rue Sainte-Catherine.
The present building, designed by the brothers Jacques and Michel André, opened in 1933 on the initiative of Lucien Cuénot. Its modernist architecture was listed as a historic monument by an order of December 6, 2016. Tropical aquariums were added in the 1970s; in 1998, the museum and the aquarium merged. The museum holds the Musée de France label.
Today the route includes aquarium galleries with live animals and a zoology gallery on the second floor, which displays about 600 specimens. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions, a documentation center and a bookshop with a museum shop that is open to all.
Highlights
- Aquarium galleries with live fish and other aquatic animals
- Tropical aquariums
- Zoology gallery with about 600 specimens
- Modernist building from 1933, listed as a historic monument
Permanent exhibitions
- Galeries d’aquariums – Aquariums with live aquatic animals, including tropical tanks.
- Galerie de zoologie – On the second floor, about 600 stuffed specimens from the museum’s historical collections are on display.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €7.10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3.60All visitors from 17:15; teachers outside school hours, large families (three or more children), visitors over 65, holders of a disability card, groups of 9 or more, and holders of the Cezam and Inter CEA cards (with proof). |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 25 · Free admission for students and all visitors under 26 (with proof). |
| Seniors | €3.60Reduced rate for visitors over 65. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €3.60Reduced rate for holders of a disability card. |
| Students & apprentices | freeFree admission for students and visitors under 26. |
| Groups (9+ people) | €3.60 per personReduced rate from 9 people; paid guided tours for groups in addition to the entry fee; school groups and leisure centers: free. |
| Families | –No family ticket: large families (three or more children) receive the reduced rate. |
| Guided tour for a group of 2 to 15 people (in addition to admission) | €33.50 |
| Guided tour for a group of 16 to 35 people (in addition to admission) | €67.30 |
| Holiday activity for toddlers | €6.10 |
| Special evening event | €9.70Reduced rate of €6.10 for students and visitors under 26 |
| Birthday party | €112 |
| Muséo Solo (1 year, museums of Nancy and the Grand Nancy area) | €25 |
| Muséo Duo (1 year, 2 people) | €40 |
| Museums-PASS-Musées (1 year, 1 person plus up to 5 children under 18) | €129Reduced rate: €119 (1 adult with accompanying children) |
Free admission: First Sunday of each month; during orange or red heat alerts
Also free with proof for job seekers and recipients of the RSA (French minimum income), journalists, teachers and accompanying adults on school trips, and holders of the Pass Pro of the Meurthe-et-Moselle tourism board, the Muséo cards and passes, the Museums-PASS-Musées and the Nancy City Pass. Payment is accepted online, in cash (exact change), by bank card or with holiday vouchers.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The entrance is at ground level through the Godron garden; an elevator serves the first and second floors, and all restrooms are accessible. Three wheelchairs can be requested at reception; folding seats and “flâneuses” seats are available, tactile paving leads to reception, and the counter is fitted with an induction loop. Three noise-cancelling headphones can be lent. The museum holds the “Tourisme et Handicap” label. Only guide dogs and assistance dogs are admitted.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 25 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Baby changing facilities
- Kids’ birthday parties
Offers for toddlers, school-holiday activities and birthday parties (€112). Changing tables are installed on every floor, and children’s toilets are on the ground floor.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Division de Fer
Line T1 (trolleybus), stops “Division de Fer” and “Place Stanislas - Cathédrale”.
By car
Paid parking · 220 m to the entrance
Paid parking at the Île de Corse car park (80 spaces, 220 m away) and at the Sainte-Catherine car park (282 spaces, 280 m away), both €1.20 for 1 hour and €2.40 for 2 hours. Coaches park at the Île de Corse car park.
From Place Stanislas, the museum is about 375 m away along rue Sainte-Catherine. Vélostan’lib station no. 15 is 170 m away, bike racks stand in front of the museum, and lockers are in the lobby.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Lockers
Bookshop and museum shop open to all, without admission fee. Lockers for coats and bags.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
Spaces available for private hire: the museum-aquarium, the amphitheater, the blue hall and an events offer. Booking by email at reservationespaces-MAN@grandnancy.eu.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photos allowed; no flash near live animals. |
| Good to know | Guided tours for groups by reservation; adapted tours are designed for visually impaired visitors or visitors with neurocognitive conditions. Children aged 12 and over may visit without an adult. |
