Paris: 10 most original museums for surprising visits

📍Have you already visited the Louvre, le Musée d'Orsay & Versailles? You want to discover a different side of Paris & explore the lesser known places? Or you really just want to ditch the crowd? 🏛️ I put together a list of 10 museums you are unlikely to find in the traditional guides : for each place you will have some informations about the place, the type of visit to expect & why I personally enjoy it. But really, the magic is in exploring it yourself! I can promise that you will learn plenty and informations you never though you'd need one day!

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In the center - 1st to 5th Arrondissement

Musée d’histoire de la médecine

@juliainbali

The museum some call the 'creepiest' of Paris. The museum of medicine, located still in the medical university is really a curiosity cabinet. Oddities & strange floating things in formol, tools that look useful for torture & not healing, collection of glass eyes... You are in for a surprising visit! If the strange doesn't scare you, you will love it. The gothic building is also beautiful & feels like travelling in the 19th century.

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Musée de Cluny

@juliainbali

Museum on medieval times with beautiful & unique pieces. A bit hidden and usually looked over but it's a wonderful experience. The building itself is stunning & adds atmosphere to the visit. The tapestry serie with the unicorn is world famous and still puzzles historians.

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Arab World Institute

@juliainbali

The institute is a rather recent museum, it opened in 1987. Putting the Arabic culture & its links to France at the center, you can find very original & well done exhibition, workshops & other events.

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Carnavalet Museum

@juliainbali

Falling in love with Paris? If you want to know more specifically about the city and it's long history, le musée Carnavalet is the perfect place for that. The themed museum does a great job at putting together the tortuous centuries of this great city : but also beautiful artifacts, old street signs & fun facts.

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Musée des Arts et Métiers

@juliainbali

Fun & interactive museum where parisian families love to go with the children. Great collection around inventions, scientists & hundreds of objects in every corner. Can be popular in the weekend but will be quiet in the week days.

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West Paris - 16th & 17th Arrondissement

Guimet Museum

@juliainbali

Another Asian Art & history museum, the collection is huge & wonderful. Generally quiet & lovely to stroll through.

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Paris Sewer Museum

@juliainbali

For a truly unexpected visit : the sewage of Paris! Surprisingly interesting, all underground, you discover Paris "sous-terre". It's fun, original & kids love it too. Perfect on a rainy day as well, but don't worry, you'll stay dray!

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Musée Jacquemart-André

@juliainbali

Stunning private house from the late 19th century and its personal collection of Art & precious artefacts. Absolutely worth a visit, the restaurant is also perfect for a tea in the afternoon in a lovely setting. It's never very busy & you can take your time through the building.

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Musée Cernuschi

@juliainbali

Second museum in France of Asian art, the museum is made of a collection belonging to a rich banker : Henri Cernushi. His "hotel particulier" in the heart of the 8th arrondissement de Paris is now a museum open to all and showing the private collection. Discover an art & what a rich private house was in the 19th century Paris. You also have a good chance to be totally alone!

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Paris suburb

Albert-Kahn Museum and Garden

@juliainbali

One of my personal favorite, the museum & garden was built by a rich banker at the turn of the beginning of the 20th century. The gardens are divided in regions of the world : French, English, but it's the Japanese garden that steals the show with an imported Japanese house, cherry trees & regular tea ceremonies organised there. Inside you will find a unique collection of colored photography from the early 10's & 20's : Kahn financed an expedition through the world to document it , in colors, using a new & expensive technique that disappeared quickly. It's a peaceful & lovely place, perfect for a lazy Sunday.

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✨ Bonus ✨

🏛️ If you want a different visit of the Louvre, head there for the 'Nocturnes' on Wednesday and Friday : the museum is open until 9PM! From 6 or 7, the Louve empties out and you will wander in corridors by yourself, under the night lights of the city. It's stunning & a one of a kind experience.

📍Enter the Louvre through le Carousel du Louvre, you will skip the queue from the Pyramid which is just security.

☕️ If you want to discover more of the lesser known Paris, head to the wonderful Passages Couverts de la ville :

Julia Basquin

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Discover another PARIS through the "passages" : a hidden gem

📍Paris is a city full of surprises and little secrets. The passages were built for the Bourgeois in the 18th & 19th century who wanted to shop with comfort. Crossing through the buildings, those indoor streets are a marvel of architecture & the perfect stroll on a rainy or cold day. 🏛️ They are also a very fun way to visit Paris and la Rive Droite (the right bank). You will find old book stores, shops of curiosities, high fashion and so much more. Pay attention to the little details... 🥐 Here you will find the most famous passages but also the lesser known. The ones I've find randomly, almost stumbled upon and love to go back to regularly. 🚶The most famous can be very busy on weekends and holidays, but most will be quieter & away from the crowd. Enjoy!

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🚗 If your next stop is the French countryside, then I have the perfect itinerary for you :

Julia Basquin

Available for hire

France's HIDDEN GEMS - 1 week in Dordogne

Let's head into the heart of France : it's countryside! 📍I'm creating this itinerary for my mom and I during our annual holiday. This year we picked a region we both wanted to visit for a long time : La Dordogne, or also known as Le Périgord. 🤷‍♀️ Who is this itinerary for? 🚶‍♀️‍➡️My mother is getting older & cannot walk for very long so the trip is planned on a slower pace with ample time to rest in between activities. And discovering the french countryside is not a race and it's even better to enjoy with leisure! 🏛️ If you find yourself with extra time, I'm including some extra activities you can add to your day. What you will find : 🏘️ Historical villages & old houses 🏰 Beautiful castles 🏫 Museums & cultural visits 🥖 Food : local specialties & best addresses. ⏰ Times of visits & schedules 🕣 How long is this itinerary for? It is designed to be 6 to 7 days, but it's easy to spend more or less time. The region is wonderful for hikes, but I will not be able to test them as well as other sportive activities. The theme of this trip is all about culture & accommodating an older person. Until I test it, this itinerary is free. After my trip, I'll vet or not the different adresses, places to visit & where we stayed. It will then become a paid guide so if you're an adventurer grab it now & test it for yourself! I will also update after the accessibility, GF & vegetarian options. Let's go explore!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julia Basquin

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🇫🇷 Hi, I'm Julia, I'm a frenchie who grew up in Normandy & studied history in Paris for 6 years. 🇮🇩 I have now been living in Indonesia for more than 5 years. Far away from the expat community I've settled in a more natural & tranquil area. I've learned the language and about the culture or the history of this region & the country. 🌴 Indonesia is now my home base but I travel regularly for work & to create trips, itineraries & unforgettable experiences around the world. 🥖 Paris is the city I've lived in the longest, I've spent 5 years walking through what became my favorite capital in the world : its monuments, corner shops, architecture & history. I even studied it during my history studies! I still go every year spend some time in the city and I can give you all my best tips to avoid the crowd, the places that are not in the guides & my personal favorites. 🛵 If you like to explore off the beaten path, you're in the right place : there's nothing I love more than discovering places that usually are not in the tourist spotlight. 🍛 I'm also a huge foodie, an ocean lover & a road tripper : trust me to taste the best every destination has to offer, 🤿 recommend unique diving spots & point at the most scenic roads . 🤫 From super budget to semi-luxury, I'll give you all my best adresses, send you to my favorite local guides & activities, give you my recommendations for an unforgettable & hassle-free holiday. ✒️ Keeping track of all my trips & places visited is finally paying off, here's some of the countries my guides will cover : (coming soon) 🇫🇷 More of France regions & cities 🇮🇹 Mexico 🇬🇷 Greece 🇺🇸 USA 🇲🇾 Malaysia 🇮🇹 Italy And more...

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Paris, France