Museum Tips, Paris

I booked this trip just a couple of weeks short of my niece's 18 birthday and it ended up saving me quite a bit of money, everything we did except the boat ride on the Seine was free for children under 18 including Versailles! It doesn't matter what your nationality is for the under 18 benefit but if you are under 26 years old and a resident of the European Union, admission may also be free for you.

I bought myself a Paris Museum Pass and still was able to utilize the special lines to cut the queues, not once did they ask me to show proof of her age but I carried her passport just in case. At a couple of places, they did have to issue her a ticket showing she was free, other places they just waved her in. By the end of the trip, I wasn't even bothering to tell them she was 17.

Benjamin Spence sculpted The Angel's Whisper in 1857 based on a poem by Samuel Lover, which tell's of an Irish belief that when a "baby smiles in their sleep they are talking to an angel".

Unlike many sculpter's, Liverpool born (4 other lads from here became quite successful in there own right) Spence did not base his figurines on Greek or Roman mythology, but on characters from Shakesperian or English novels or in this instance the Bible.

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Had an dejeuner with ExGuy in a very interesting and beautiful setting, Musee Jacquemart-Andre.

After lunch at the pleasant cafe in the museum, we took a leisurely tour of what was a highlight from my Paris trips.

Musee Jacquemart-Andre lives up to and I think supasses its billing as a "magnificent 19th century residence built by Edouard Andre and his wife Nelie Jacquemart."

It is a wonderful trip back in time to what is in my opinion the glorious and beautiful era in Paris history, filled with art and furniture from the period, but even more important it really took me back to and shared a special lifestyle few in the history of the world ever were fortunate enough to experience. Highly recommended (food was good too).

Website for the museum is here:
Musee Jacquemart-Andre
so take the visual tour, but as Paul originally recommended years ago and I now heartily agree, find it at 158, bd Haussmann (Metro: Saint-Philippe du Roule or Miromesnil work pretty well), have lunch in the cafe, and enjoy a beautiful Paris treasure.

PS ... Like an insensitive ignoramus I took some fotos (non-flash) in the museum (they don't want you to) until a security guard discreetly and in a pleasant way informed me that was not policy. For that reason I'm only posting a couple of them.

Update: They finally posted some excellent interior photographs for everyone to check out.

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Le Musée Grévin est un musée de cire privé situé dans le IXe arrondissement de Paris, en France, et dans lequel sont regroupées des reproductions en cire de personnages célèbres, c'est le musée de l'illusion.

Il ne compte pas moins de 300 personnages de cire allant de Albert Einstein à Mahatma Gandhi en passant par Michael Jackson ou Alfred Hitchcock. De nombreuses scènes de l'Histoire de France y sont reconstituées, comme l'embastillement de Louis XVI ou Jeanne d'Arc sur le bucher. On y retrouve également les grands événement de XX siècle avec le premier pas de l'Homme sur la Lune ou l'effondrement du Mur de Berlin.

Régulièrement, de nouvelles stars font leur entrée au musée Grévin: la statue de Nicolas Sarkozy y est exposée depuis le 13 juillet 2006 et le basketteur français Tony Parker est entré au musée le 8 octobre.


The Museum Grévin is a museum of wax deprives situated in the IXth district of Paris, in France, and in which are regrouped of reproductions made of wax of famous characters, it is the museum of the illusion.

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Situé en plein coeur de Pigalle, à quelques pas du Moulin Rouge (autant dire, l'emplacement idéal), ce musée pas comme les autres vous expose sur 7 étages l'histoire de l'érotisme à travers le monde.
Vous y découvrirez tout et n'importe quoi, notamment : d'incroyables machines et mécanismes à vocation érotique, beaucoup de statues d'art traditionnel venues des Amériques, d'Afrique, d'Océanie et d'Asie, de nombreuses photos et cartes postales du XIXème siècle, etc. Un régal pour les coquins-coquines.

Situated in full heart of Pigalle, to some steps of the Moulin Rouge (as much to say, the ideal site), this museum not as the other expose you on 7 floors the history of eroticism through the world.
You will discover all there and whatever, notably : of incredible machines and mechanisms to erotic vocation, a lot of statuaries of traditional art come from America, Africa, Oceania and Asia, of numerous photos and post cards of the XIXth century, etc. A treat for the roguish roguish.

Tthere is a Museum/monument card which allows you to visit any monument or museum you want, even to repeat a visit. There are cards of 1 day, 3 days, 5 days, and they are really whorty.

For example, the last time I visited Paris, the entry of Versailles costed up to 20 Euros. A card for one day (allowing you to visit Versailles, not to wait 1 hour in the queue, and perhaps visit some more places, if you have time after) costed 15 Euros.

They also include a small guide of places, visitable with the card, which can be useful to give you some ideas. It can be bought in Tourism Offices, Metro stations and all the Museums included on its list.

french museums are free on the first sunday of the month. So if you want to go to the louvre on this day, know that you'd better wake up early ! Haha !
KEEP IN MIND THAT MOST MUSEUMS ARE CLOSED ON TUESDAY
some museums are always free :
Paris 3?me :
:: Mus?e Carnavalet : Histoire de Paris
:: Mus?e Cognacq-Jay : 18?me si?cle
:: Maison des photographes :
121, rue Vieille-du-Temple m?tro Filles-du-Calvaire
Paris 4?me :
:: Maison de Victor Hugo: Place des Vosges
Paris 6?me :
:: Mus?e Ossip Zadkine : Sculpteur
:: Grilles du Jardin du Luxembourg (around le jardin du luxembourg, photographs exhibitions)
Paris 9?me :
:: Mus?e de la Vie Romantique :
H?tel Scheffer-Renan
Paris 15?me :
:: Mus?e Jean Moulin : Lib?ration de Paris
:: Mus?e Bourdelle : Sculpteur
Paris 16?me :
:: Mus?e d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
:: Maison de Balzac
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:: Les Journ?es europ?ennes du Patrimoine
le 3?me week-end de Septembre - on the 3rd week-end of septembre, museums and govornmental buildings are open to everyone !
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for very small budget, I've just found this web page that informs you of free ("gratuit") places... but what the hell are you doing in Paris if you don't have money ?!!!

Like other European cities, Paris offers a museum pass good for a certain period of time. Though this generally covers most museums and other cites, when special exhibitions are involved, the pass is normally not accepted. If you intend to visit many museums in Paris, you might consider a 3-day or other extended pass.

Finally, I just wanted to mentioned another couple of great museums in Paris, one is the Musee Carnavalet, and the other one is the Picasso Museum. The first one has a great exhibiton on the origins of Paris, and anything related to this city history. The Picasso Museum has a great collection of the master's paintings, that were left in Paris, by the Painter. The picture here is a beautiful sculpture at the Louvre Museum, in the hall of sculptures.