On the program?
- The Museum of Hunting and Nature
- The Museum of Illusions
- The Cernuschi Museum
- The Museum of Arts and Crafts
Top 5 unusual museums to visit in Paris
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An extraordinary cabinet of curiosities, a church converted into a temple of the machine, a museum that makes you lose track of reality and a private mansion with little-known Asian treasures... Discover our top five most original museums that deserve their place in your itinerary.
#1. A polar bear in a private mansion: welcome to the Museum of Hunting and Nature
Inside the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, a collection of paintings, works of art, objects of all kinds (from ceramics to shooting weapons) and stuffed animals of all sizes (from the three-metre polar bear to the mole) testifies to the relationship that Man has had with animals from Antiquity to the present day.
Mixing the old and the present, the museum organizes exhibitions of contemporary artists twice a year that dialogue with the permanent collection.
A museum that likes to mix genres
The extraordinary cabinet of curiosities of the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature has taken up residence in a surprising place: a magnificent mansion in the heart of the Marais district of Paris (3rd arrondissement).
A luxurious mansion that alone is worth a visit, with its beautiful moldings, varnished parquet floors and a series of perfectly decorated lounges.
How to get to the Museum of Hunting and Nature by public transport?
62 rue des Archives, 75003, Paris
- Metro 11 : Rambuteau station + 6 min walk
- Metros 3 and 11 : Arts et Métiers station + 8 min walk
- Metro 1 : Hôtel de Ville station + 9 min walk
- Metro 4 : Étienne Marcel station + 11 min walk
#2. Lose your footing at the Museum of Illusions
The Museum of Illusions has been designed to make you doubt everything: your size, your position in space and even the reality of what you have right in front of your eyes.
Present in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Lille and... Paris, these trompe-l'oeil museums attract young and old alike who come to turn their senses upside down and learn while having fun about the tricks played on us by our brain.
On the program?
Trompe-l'oeil, rooms that defy the laws of physics or weightlessness and objects that change shape and meaning depending on the angle from which you look at them.
How to get to the Museum of Illusions?
98 rue Saint-Denis, 75001, Paris
- Metro 4 : Étienne Marcel station + 2 min walk
- Metro 11 : Rambuteau station + 5 min walk
- RER A, B, D and metros 1, 4, 7, 11, 14 : Châtelet - Les Halles + 5 min walk
- Metros 3 and 4 : Réaumur-Sébastopol station + 6 min walk
#3. Immerse yourself in the finesse of Asian arts at the Cernuschi Museum
Behind the façade of an imposing mansion, located at the entrance to the romantic Parc Monceau, is the Museum of Asian Arts of the City of Paris (aka the Cernuschi Museum).
An amazing museum that houses a collection of + 5000 works from Asia.
Behind the history of the museum, the story of a man
An Italian political refugee, economist and journalist, Henri Cernuschi (1821-1896) made two trips around the world during his life.
From these travels he returned with his arms full of works, which he surrounded himself with in a private mansion that he had built on the beautiful Avenue Velázquez, which would become, in 1898 and after his death, the Cernuschi Museum.
On the program?
A visit on a human scale without queuing during which you will discover magnificent pieces ranging from delicate ceramics to giant stone Buddha!
Temporary exhibitions take place regularly, check the calendar before your visit.
How do I get to the Cernuschi Museum by public transport?
7 Avenue Vélasquez, 75008, Paris
- Metro 2 : Monceau station + 4 min walk via the plush Parc Monceau
- Metros 2 and 3 : Villiers station + 4 min walk
- Metro 9 : Saint-Augustin station + 15 min walk up Boulevard Malesherbes
#4. Musée des Arts et Métiers: a former abbey that bears witness to human ingenuity
Which museum brings together under one roof?
- Beautiful automatons
- One of the first prototypes of an airplane, television or camera
- A paper-making machine
- Telegraphs and gigantic steam engines
- A watch collection
The Musée des Arts et Métiers, located in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris.
A sanctuary of inventions
Under the high ceiling of the former priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs, 80,000 objects and 15,000 drawings are on display for the eyes of the curious (since 1794!).
The collection bears witness to the evolution of scientific knowledge and technical progress over the centuries and offers lectures, temporary exhibitions and educational activities throughout the year.
Good to know
Until 10 January 2027, the metal horse Zeus, which galloped down the Seine during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is on display on the museum's forecourt with free access.
How to get to the Musée des Arts et Métiers by public transport?
60 rue Réaumur, 75003, Paris
- Metros 3 or 11 : Arts et Métiers station, a very beautiful station built in 1994, on the occasion of the bicentenary of the Conservatoire, by the Belgian cartoonist François Schuiten
- Metros 3 or 4 : Réaumur Sébastopol station + 4 min walk