Two mansions for one city
The museum occupies the Hôtel Carnavalet, at 23 rue de Sévigné, built between 1548 and 1560 for Jacques des Ligneris, a president of the Parlement of Paris, and the Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, at number 29, built between 1688 and 1690 by the architect Pierre Bullet and joined to the museum in 1989. Two eras, two styles, and a pale stone courtyard where the centuries meet.
A story that starts in 1866
The City of Paris bought the Hôtel Carnavalet in 1866 and the museum opened to the public on 25 February 1880. The writer Madame de Sévigné, who gave the street its name, lived there from 1677. The museum closed in October 2016 for a long renovation and reopened in March 2021.
What you will see
The collections hold more than 618,000 items, from prehistory to today, across ten departments: paintings, sculpture, furniture, panelling from vanished mansions, shop signs, memories of the French Revolution. You follow the thread of Paris room after room, with period interiors as landmarks. Most of the collections come from donations, built up over more than 150 years.
Preparing your visit
- Allow half a day: the route is long and the rooms are many.
- Pair it with Place des Vosges (100 m from the hotel), close by.
- Continue with the other museums of Le Marais, including the Picasso Museum.
Why Hôtel de la Herse d'Or is the best base to visit the Carnavalet Museum
The hotel is at 20 rue Saint-Antoine, in the 4th arrondissement: the Carnavalet Museum is a few minutes on foot, Place des Vosges 100 m away, Bastille 200 m, and Notre-Dame and the Louvre under 20 minutes. You can come back to rest between two rooms and set out again without taking the metro. The front desk is open 24 hours a day.
Good to know. Opening hours, prices and booking rules change: check the museum's official website before you go.
Frequently asked questions
When did the Carnavalet Museum reopen?
The museum closed in October 2016 for renovation and reopened in March 2021.
Where is the Carnavalet Museum?
At 23 rue de Sévigné in Le Marais, a few minutes on foot from Hôtel de la Herse d'Or.