My Favorite Paris Museums—Now Free

Friday, Jan. 25, 2008
Paris, France

Read more about France in International Living Postcards—your daily escape

Most national museums in France have at least one open-house (free) day a month…but from now until June 30, you can visit 14 national museums and historic sites throughout France and you won’t pay a cent.

In Paris, here are three of my favorites that you can visit as part of this free deal:

Musée National du Moyen Age
Come to the national museum of the middle ages to visit the Gallo-Roman baths with a mosaic of a cherub riding a dolphin, or browse some of the extensive collections. Exhibits range from Celtic gold bangles to quartz lion heads, medieval miniatures, and the intricately illustrated books of hours. Don’t forget to stop by the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, carefully displayed in their own room. The building itself, the Hôtel Cluny, is a visit in itself, being one of the oldest private homes with a garden and courtyard. (This museum is also known as the Musée Cluny.)
Address: 6, Place Paul Painlevé, Paris 5e
Métro: Cluny or St. Michel. (Closed Tuesday)

Musée Guimet
This museum holds treasures and porcelain from the East, including sculptures and other works of art from Afghanistan, India, Korea, and Southeast Asia. My favorite exhibits are the delightful Tang figurines with the quirky hairdos in the China section, and an exquisite scarf with a gold thread design from Sumatra. The museum shop here is particularly well stocked with tasteful gifts.
Address: 6, place d’Iéna, Paris 16e
Métro: Iéna. (Closed Tuesday)

Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers
Founded in 1794, this technical instruction museum makes a fascinating visit if you’re more technically minded, with displays of work environments, technology through the ages, and mathematical and scientific instruments. This is where one of Foucault’s pendulums (from 1851) is displayed to show the rotation of the Earth. The automaton collection is also worth a detour—three times a month, the robots come back to life. Next dates: Feb. 6, 14, and 17. You’ll need to reserve ahead.
Address: 60 rue Réaumur, Paris 3e
Métro: Arts et Métiers. (Closed Monday)

In the provinces, certain museums in Toulon, Pau, Reims, Bourges, and Pierrefonds are also free to visit until June 30. Also free, and a convenient day trip from Paris, are:Musée Renaissance (Renaissance Museum), at Ecouen, Musée D’archéologie Nationale (National Archeology Museum) of St. Germain-en-Laye, and the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace (Air and Space Museum).

Leigh Fergus
Roving Europe Editor, International Living

Editor’s note: Leigh Fergus will speak about the benefits of living in France at the Ultimate Event in Cancun, Mexico, May 28–31. If you register for this event by Feb. 8, you get a $200 early-bird discount…plus a free hotel night.