Out of the ordinary Parisian museums

We all know Paris most famous museums: the Louvre Museum, the Orsay Museum are some of the must-see tourist attractions in Paris for tourists passing by. Why not discovering other places, out of the ordinary and little known? Here is our selection, among the institutions and monuments accessible via the Paris Museum Pass.

Cluny Museum

Dedicated to the Middle Ages, the Cluny Museum is located in an old private mansion dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is a prestigious institution, famous for its collections of statues, liturgical objects, fabrics, illuminations and jewels dating back to medieval times. Exceptional collections and an extraordinary setting to shelter and highlight them: an unmissable museum in Paris for History fans or simply curious people.

Address: 6, place Paul-Painlevé, 75005 Paris

The Relief Map Museum

How to analyze closely France’s protection infrastructures before Google Maps? By building very precise models of fortifications, fortified cities and their surroundings! The Relief Map Museum, located in the Hôtel des Invalides, offers a stunning collection of models of fortified cities, dating back to the reign of Louis XIV up to the French Second Empire and Napoleon III.

Address: Hôtel national des Invalides, 75007 Paris

Nissim de Camondo Museum

Located in an old private mansion built in the early 20th century, between 1911 and 1914, the Musée Nissim de Camondo shelters an amazing collection of objects and furniture dating back to the 18th century. The institution owes its name to the family of bankers that gathered many exceptional pieces and absolute masterpieces by attending prestigious auctions. If you are a lover of furniture and decorative arts or an 18th century enthusiast, you must absolutely visit this museum.

Address: 63, rue de Monceau, 75008 Paris

Expiatory Chapel

Located at the square Louis XVI, the expiatory chapel was built during the Bourbon Restoration under the reign of Louis XVIII, upon what once was a revolutionary cemetery. There were buried Louis XIV and Marie-Antoinette, last sovereigns of the Ancien Régime, along with true royalists like Charlotte Corday. More than an out of the ordinary museum of Paris, it is a memorial building awaiting you.

Address: 29, rue Pasquier, 75008 Paris

Delacroix Museum

Get immersed in the daily life of the talented artist Eugène Delacroix: the museum bearing his name is indeed located inside his old apartment. There you will admire drawings and paintings of the artist, discover some objects that belonged to him, and admire his studio located in a private garden.

Address: 6, rue de Furstenberg, 75006 Paris 

Air and Space Museum

The adventure of aviation and space exploration fascinates you? Then the Air and Space Museum is made for you! Located in the Paris-le Bourget Airport, Europe’s first business airport, shelters an exceptional collection of flying machines, prototypes and mythical aircrafts. There you will admire the Concorde, the legendary supersonic airliner, the fighter jet Mirage, Ariane rockets and others spacecrafts. A playground was designed for children from 6 to 12 years old, so the whole family can enjoy the museum.

Address: Aéroport de Paris-Le Bourget, 93 350 Le Bourget (Seine-Saint Denis).

Villa Savoye

Are you interested in contemporary architecture? The Villa Savoye is a masterpiece of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. Built during the interwar period, it is a textbook case to understand the five points of modern architecture. It is based on reinforced concrete, an exceptional technological advance that revolutionized shapes and elevations.

Address: 82, rue de Villiers, 78 300 Poissy

French National Museum of the Renaissance

Located in Écouen in the North of Paris in a magnificent castle of the 16th century, golden age of the Renaissance, the French National Museum of the Renaissance has surprises in store for you. When visiting you will admire magnificent collections and you will learn more about an era that saw Versailles spring up.

Address: Rue Jean Bullant, 95440 Écouen

Paris Sewer Museum

Another institution very little known by tourists and even Parisians: a visit of Paris sewer through an exceptional museographic tour, both picturesque and authentic. If you are not claustrophobic, you will enjoy touching on the secrets of this city under the city. Reopening at the beginning of 2020.

Address: face au 93, quai d’Orsay, 75007 Paris

Basilica of Saint-Denis

The grave of Saint-Denis, martyred around 250, is a major religious place, and a monastery and a church were built there. Dozens of French kings were buried between the walls of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, and from a pilgrimage site it became a major tourist attraction while keeping its catholic function.

Address: 1, rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 93 200 Saint-Denis

Other out of the ordinary museums in Paris

Do you like exoticism? You can also discover Paris museums dedicated to cultures from the whole world, such as the Guimet Museum (French national Museum of Asian Arts) or the Arab World Institute.