While many feel like they should visit the top museums in Paris, like the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, there’s actually an amazing array of smaller museums across the city. With over 200 museums, there’s something for all interests. Visiting smaller museums also gives you a more sustainable experience by avoiding overcrowding the most popular museums while also discovering some very cool, lesser-known aspects of the city. From quirky specialty topics to the former homes of artists and writers, here are our top picks of the most unique museums in Paris.
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(WA = Wheelchair Accessible)
Image Courtesy of Fluctuart Street Art Museum via Facebook
Fluctuart Street Art Museum
Paris has some fantastic street art and if you’d like to learn more about this urban art form, drop by this cool museum within a glass barge on the Seine River. It displays works by top street artists and hosts temporary exhibitions. After touring these, grab a drink on its sunny rooftop bar overlooking the river. To see street art in an area renowned for this modern art form, join this Street Art tour of Belleville led by an artist.
Fluctuart Street Art Museum | 7th Arrondissement | WA
Image Courtesy of Phono Museum via Facebook
Phono Museum
Sitting at the base of Montmartre and in the heart of Paris’s music district is this funky gramophone museum. It displays a small but notable collection of vintage gramophones and other early musical recording devices. It’s perfect for music lovers and visitors to the Montmartre and South Pigalle area who are looking for something original to do.
Phono Museum | 9th Arrondissement | WA
Image Courtesy of Maison Victor Hugo
Maison Victor Hugo
The former apartment of this famed French author overlooks the gorgeous Place des Vosges in the Marais. A City of Paris museum (which all have free entrance), here you’ll visit a series of rooms displaying personal artifacts of the writer and other memorabilia. It also has a lovely courtyard café where you can enjoy a break after visiting the museum. If you’d like to further explore this great district, book this Marais Neighborhood Tour or this Marais Food Tour.
Maison Victor Hugo | 4th Arrondissement | WA
Image Courtesy of Museum of Counterfeiting
Museum of Counterfeiting
Situated in the 16th district within an elegant mansion, itself a copy of an older historic mansion, this museum delves into the crafty world of counterfeiting. Its displays feature over 300 items, with copies next to genuine items including Louis Vuitton bags, Rodin statues, and ancient examples of counterfeiting dating back to Roman times.
Museum of Counterfeiting | 16th Arrondissement
Image Courtesy of Montmartre Museum via Facebook
Montmartre Museum
Of all the millions of visitors who venture to Montmartre, few stop in at its great local museum. Occupying the former studio of Renoir, Suzanne Valadon, and other artists, it chronicles the area’s history, artistic heritage, and cabaret culture. It also has a café in its serene garden. Enjoy an insider tour of the museum as well as the Montmartre vineyard (normally closed to the public) on this exclusive Montmartre tour.
Montmartre Museum | 18th Arrondissement | WA* (*Temporary exhibitions only)
Image Courtesy of Museum of Fairground Arts via Facebook
Museum of Fairground Arts
Suitable for families and couples alike, this offbeat museum is found within historic wine warehouses in eastern Paris. It showcases vintage carnival rides, games, and other historic fun fair items. The whimsical venue has also been used as a set for TV and movies, such as Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris and in an episode of season one of Emily in Paris. You can only visit it by joining a tour, but they provide an English leaflet so you can follow along even if you don’t speak French.
Museum of Fairground Arts | 12th Arrondissement
Image Courtesy of Méliès Cinema Museum
Méliès Cinema Museum
France is one of the birthplaces of film, so movie fans won’t want to miss this museum at the Cinemathèque, the national cinema center in a building designed by famed international architect Frank Gehry. The museum focuses on pioneer filmmaker Georges Mélies and features original costumes, maquettes, posters, and film clips. The Cinemathèque also has some screening rooms, so check its schedule in advance to pair your visit to the museum with viewing a classic film. It’s not far from the Museum of Fairground Arts, so you could also visit both while you’re in the area.
Méliès Cinema Museum | 12th Arrondissement | WA
Image Courtesy of Gustave Moreau Museum via Facebook
Gustave Moreau Museum
One of the better-known on our list of the most unique museums in Paris, this beautiful museum is dedicated to 19th-century symbolist artist Gustave Moreau. Found within his former mansion and art studio in the South Pigalle neighborhood, the artist himself started to create the museum towards the end of his life. It’s filled with an impressive collection of Moreau’s paintings, drawings, and personal belongings. A great option for art lovers and those looking for a lesser-visited gem, it offers a romantic window into the turn of the 20th-century Belle Epoque period.
Gustave Moreau Museum | 9th Arrondissement
Image Courtesy of Museum of Romantic Life
Museum of Romantic Life
This unique Paris museum is hidden on a small side street of South Pigalle, near the Gustave Moreau Museum. It’s focused on the artists, musicians, and writers of the romantic movement of the early 1800s. It occupies the home of Ary Scheffer, a leading artist of the era, and popular meeting point of the period. After visiting the museum, let the romantic moment linger over a drink or light meal in its pretty garden cafe.
Museum of Romantic Life | 9th Arrondissement | WA* (*Ground floor only)
Image Courtesy of Mineralogy Museum via Facebook
Mineralogy Museum
If you’re looking for a truly offbeat experience where very few visitors dare to venture, pop into this small museum displaying the mineral collections of the School of Mines. Established during the French Revolution and situated within a dazzling historic building in the Latin Quarter, you’ll discover over 100,000 specimens of shimmering crystals, rare stones, and even meteorites.
Mineralogy Museum | 6th Arrondissement
Image Courtesy of Université Paris Cité
The Museum of the History of Medicine
This is another quirky museum of the Left Bank. Europe’s oldest collection of historic medical devices and images occupies a stunning room of the former Medical College in the Saint Germain neighborhood. It’s a good match for medical professionals or those seeking a truly unique museum in Paris.
The Museum of the History of Medicine | 6th Arrondissement
Image Courtesy of Museé des Arts et Métiers
Museé des Arts et Métiers
If you’ve got an innovative mind or curious kids, you might like to visit the French National Museum of Arts and Crafts. Founded in 1794 within a former monastery, its industrial design collections include a wide range of scientific instruments, inventions, transport, technology, and more. These themes are illustrated by an original model of The Statue of Liberty, early airplanes, and the first mechanical calculator designed by French mathematician Blaise Pascal.
Museé des Arts et Métiers | 3rd Arrondissement
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