🖼️ Unexpected Museums in Paris You’ll Fall in Love With

While the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay rightfully claim the spotlight, Paris is brimming with lesser-known museums that offer unique collections, intimate atmospheres, and a refreshing escape from the crowds. These unexpected gems often provide a deeper, more personal connection to art, history, and the city’s quirky charm.

🖼️ Unexpected Museums in Paris You’ll Fall in Love With

These museums are perfect for those who’ve seen the major highlights, or simply prefer a more curated, tranquil, and often surprising cultural experience.

Tip: Many of these museums are part of the Paris Musées network (museums run by the City of Paris) and offer free permanent collections. The Paris Museum Pass also includes many of them (check specific museum status). Always check official websites for current opening hours and any temporary closures for renovations.

1. Musée Nissim de Camondo (8th Arrondissement)

Why it’s special: Step into a remarkably preserved Parisian mansion from the Belle Époque era, designed as a tribute to 18th-century French decorative arts. This house museum feels like a time capsule, showcasing exquisite furniture, tapestries, porcelain, and silver exactly as they were when its last owner, Moïse de Camondo, lived there. The tragic story of the Camondo family, who perished in the Holocaust, adds a poignant layer to the visit.
Collection: An unparalleled collection of French 18th-century decorative arts.
Ambiance: Elegant, refined, and surprisingly intimate. It offers a glimpse into the opulent daily life of a wealthy Parisian family at the turn of the 20th century. The quiet setting on the edge of Parc Monceau adds to its serene atmosphere.
How to Visit:
- Metro: Villiers (Line 2, 3) or Monceau (Line 2).
- Ticket: Included in the Paris Museum Pass. Individual tickets available.
Google Maps: Musée Nissim de Camondo

2. Musée Zadkine (6th Arrondissement)

Why it’s special: This charming, intimate museum is housed in the former studio and home of Ossip Zadkine (1890-1967), a Russian-born sculptor who was a prominent figure in the School of Paris. The museum thoughtfully showcases his powerful Cubist-influenced sculptures in dialogue with his living and working spaces, spilling out into a tranquil garden filled with his works.
Collection: Primarily sculptures by Ossip Zadkine (wood, stone, bronze), alongside drawings and photographs, and some works by his wife, Valentine Prax.
Ambiance: Peaceful, contemplative, and personal. The interplay of light, sculpture, and greenery in the garden creates a unique atmosphere, making it a true hidden gem just a stone’s throw from the Luxembourg Gardens.
How to Visit:
- Metro: Notre-Dame des Champs (Line 12) or Vavin (Line 4).
- Ticket: Generally free for permanent collections, with a fee for temporary exhibitions. Check their official website for current exhibition pricing and hours. Included in Paris Musées card. Note: Museum was closed for restructuring until May 19th, 2024. Reopened collections on May 20th.
Google Maps: Musée Zadkine

3. Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (3rd Arrondissement)

Why it’s special: Far from a traditional hunting museum, this is a fascinating cabinet of curiosities housed in two beautifully restored 17th-century mansions in the Marais. It explores the complex relationship between humans and the animal kingdom through art, taxidermy, ancient weapons, and contemporary installations. It’s quirky, thought-provoking, and often surprising.
Collection: A diverse array of taxidermied animals (from tiny birds to majestic deer), ancient hunting weapons, mythological artifacts, and contemporary art installations that often challenge perceptions of nature.
Ambiance: Evocative, whimsical, sometimes unsettling, and consistently engaging. It encourages reflection on humanity’s place within the natural world.
How to Visit:
- Metro: Rambuteau (Line 11), Hôtel de Ville (Line 1, 11).
- Ticket: Entry fee applies (e.g., €13 full price, €9 reduced). Included in the Paris Museum Pass. Free for under 18s.
Google Maps: Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature

4. Musée Carnavalet (3rd Arrondissement)

Why it’s special: Dedicated to the history of Paris, this vast museum is housed in two magnificent mansions in the Marais. It takes you on a journey through the city’s evolution, from Gallo-Roman times to the present day, with reconstructed rooms, historical artifacts, paintings, and fascinating memorabilia from the French Revolution.
Collection: An incredibly diverse collection covering Paris’s political, social, and cultural history, including archaeological finds, revolutionary artifacts, shop signs, and personal effects of famous Parisians.
Ambiance: Grand, sprawling, and immersive. You wander through centuries of Parisian life.
How to Visit:
- Metro: Saint-Paul (Line 1), Chemin Vert (Line 8).
- Ticket: Permanent collections are FREE! A fee applies for temporary exhibitions.
Google Maps: Musée Carnavalet

5. Musée Marmottan Monet (16th Arrondissement)

Why it’s special: Located in a beautiful mansion near the Bois de Boulogne, this museum houses the world’s largest collection of Claude Monet’s works, including his seminal painting “Impression, Sunrise” (which gave Impressionism its name). It also features important works by other Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.
Collection: Over 300 works by Monet, including many “Water Lilies” and other key pieces from his personal collection. Also features works by Berthe Morisot, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, and Auguste Rodin.
Ambiance: Elegant, serene, and bright, with a focus on the mastery of light and color that defined Impressionism.
How to Visit:
- Metro: La Muette (Line 9), Ranelagh (Line 9).
- Ticket: Not included in the Paris Museum Pass. Individual tickets available.
Google Maps: Musée Marmottan Monet

6. Musée des Arts et Métiers (3rd Arrondissement)

Why it’s special: A fascinating museum of industrial design, scientific instruments, and inventions, housed in a former priory. It’s a treasure trove of ingenuity, showcasing everything from Foucault’s Pendulum to early airplanes, automata, and scientific models.
Collection: Divided into seven collections: Scientific Instruments, Materials, Construction, Communication, Energy, Mechanics, and Transportation. Highlights include the original Foucault’s Pendulum, Pascal’s calculator, and Blériot’s airplane.
Ambiance: Engaging, educational, and often whimsical. It’s a journey through human innovation. The adjacent Arts et Métiers Metro station is also themed like a Jules Verne submarine.
How to Visit:
- Metro: Arts et Métiers (Line 3, 11).
- Ticket: Included in the Paris Museum Pass. Individual tickets available. Free first Sunday of the month, and Fridays 6 pm – 9 pm.
Google Maps: Musée des Arts et Métiers

7. Musée de la Vie Romantique (9th Arrondissement)

Why it’s special: Housed in a charming townhouse in the “Nouvelle Athènes” district, this museum celebrates the Romantic era of the 19th century. It was the former home of painter Ary Scheffer and a salon where figures like George Sand, Frédéric Chopin, and Eugène Delacroix gathered.
Collection: Features memorabilia from George Sand’s life (portraits, jewelry, furniture) and works by Scheffer and his contemporaries. The garden and a charming tea room add to its allure.
Ambiance: Intimate, charming, and poetic. It feels like stepping into a private, artistic home.
How to Visit:
- Metro: Saint-Georges (Line 12), Pigalle (Line 2, 12).
- Ticket: Permanent collections are free. Note: Museum is currently closed for renovation until March 2026.
Google Maps: Musée de la Vie Romantique

8. Deyrolle (7th Arrondissement)

Why it’s special: While technically a taxidermy shop, Deyrolle is widely considered a living museum and cabinet of curiosities. Established in 1831, its two upper floors are filled with an extraordinary collection of meticulously preserved animals, insects, and botanical specimens, displayed in a stunning, old-world setting.
Collection: Thousands of taxidermied animals (from tiny birds to lions, zebras, and polar bears), butterflies, insects, shells, and geological samples.
Ambiance: Fascinating, whimsical, awe-inspiring, and slightly surreal. It feels like stepping into a forgotten natural history museum. Photography is generally not allowed inside due to its status as a private shop.
How to Visit:
- Metro: Rue du Bac (Line 12).
- Ticket: Free entry (it’s a shop, but treated like a museum).
Google Maps: Deyrolle

9. Musée National Eugène Delacroix (6th Arrondissement)

Why it’s special: This small, tranquil museum is housed in the former apartment and studio of Eugène Delacroix, the master of French Romantic painting. It offers an intimate glimpse into the artist’s life and work, set around a beautiful hidden garden.
Collection: Works by Delacroix (paintings, drawings), his personal belongings, and works by his contemporaries.
Ambiance: Serene, contemplative, and very personal. The highlight is the peaceful garden, a true oasis in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
How to Visit:
- Metro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés (Line 4).
- Ticket: Included in the Paris Museum Pass. Individual tickets available.
Google Maps: Musée National Eugène Delacroix

10. Musée Jacquemart-André (8th Arrondissement)

Why it’s special: A stunning private mansion transformed into a museum, showcasing the exquisite art collection of 19th-century art lovers Édouard André and Nélie Jacquemart. It recreates the opulent Parisian lifestyle of the Second Empire.
Collection: An impressive array of Italian Renaissance art (Botticelli, Donatello, Mantegna), Dutch masters (Rembrandt, Van Dyck), French 18th-century paintings, and decorative arts, all displayed in a grand, residential setting.
Ambiance: Elegant, intimate, and luxurious. It feels like visiting the private home of passionate collectors. The grand staircase and the delightful café (in the former dining room) are highlights.
How to Visit:
- Metro: Saint-Philippe du Roule (Line 9), Miromesnil (Line 9, 13).
- Ticket: Not included in the Paris Museum Pass. Individual tickets available.
Google Maps: Musée Jacquemart-André

These unexpected museums offer a refreshing dive into different facets of Parisian art and history, promising a more intimate and surprising cultural journey away from the typical tourist routes. Enjoy discovering them!