After a dark year where all we could do was dream of returning to Paris, we are finally starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel (hoping it's not the train coming from the opposite direction). The time has come for most of our population to be vaccinated, the vaccination campaign in France is starting to progress, and Macron has even announced a plan to return to normal, at the end of which we will be able to freely walk around Paris and enjoy its museums and attractions (you can find detailed information about the plan to return to normal and the Corona guidelines in this article ).
And if all of this wasn't enough to make you start looking for plane tickets to Paris , we have some particularly exciting news that no less than four fascinating museums and cultural centers are about to open their doors during the month of May. In this article, I'll tell you a little about these places, each of which, in my opinion, is worth a flight to Paris.
4 museums that will open just in time for the return of tourists from Israel
Hotel Carnaval
With your permission, let me start firing right away with the “heavy guns” and tell you about the museum, the opening of which I have been eagerly awaiting for more than four years. I am referring, of course, to the Hotel Carnaval, which is scheduled to open to the general public on May 29, 2021.
For anyone who doesn’t know, this is my favorite museum in Paris, because it deals with the subject for which I founded the site – the history of the City of Lights. If you haven’t heard of this museum yet, let me recommend you run and read the article Carnavalet Museum – Why is it my favorite museum in Paris?
Louis XIV in the courtyard of the Hotel Carnaval (photographed during renovations at the site). Photographed by: Zvi Hazanov” class=”wp-image-14″/>Whether you know the museum or have only just learned about it, following the article, you will surely ask yourself why it took the museum management more than four years to complete the renovation?
It turns out that this was a complete renovation that included, among other things, the facades, the courtyards, and of course the various rooms, each of which is dedicated to a specific period or an important historical figure.
Beyond all this, two new rooms have been added to the museum, the first giving an overview of the history of Paris, while the second deals with the history of the long renovation of the place. The management has not forgotten the gluttons either, and a café-restaurant will open in the hotel's garden, which I promise to sample for you as soon as I visit the place.
And finally, two more very important changes have been added to the place. The first is the complete accessibility of the place for people with disabilities . The second change is the translation of the explanations, which are in each room, even for those who do not speak French, so that you can read them in English.
In short, I am very excited about the opening of the place, and until you and I arrive in Paris, you are welcome to visit the Carnival Museum website and start getting excited with me.
And one more little thing before we continue: If you decide to visit this museum, let me recommend that you include it as part of your itinerary following Madame de Savigny . After you read the article, you will understand why 🙂
How do you get to the Carnival Museum?
Address : 23 Rue de Sévigné.
It is recommended to arrive by metro line number 1, get off at Saint Paul station and from there walk along Sévigné Street until you arrive.
If you want to arrive by bus, you are welcome to take lines 69, 76, 96 and get off at Saint Paul station and from there continue on foot to the museum.
Victor Hugo's house
Not far from the Carnival Museum, in the southeastern part of the Place des Vosges, is the Victor Hugo Museum. This is the house where the famous poet/writer/politician/interior designer lived from 1832 to 1848 and which was turned into a museum in his honor in 1902.
The museum consists of three main sections dealing with the life of Victor Hugo: before the exile (1802-1852), during the exile (1852-1870), and after the exile (1870-1885). You will find portraits of him, his family, and friends, as well as quite a few objects and works of art that he collected during his life.
The museum began renovations in 2019 and was scheduled to reopen in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed its opening to the public. Barring any last-minute surprises, it will reopen to the public on May 19, 2021 (in accordance with French COVID-19 guidelines ).
By the way, if you come to visit this museum, I highly recommend that you combine it with one of these two walking routes:
How do you get to Victor Hugo's house?
Address : 6 Place des Vosges
It is recommended to arrive by taking metro line number 1 and getting off at Saint Paul station, and from there walk through Hôtel de Soleil until you arrive.
If you want to arrive by bus, you are welcome to take lines 69, 76, 96 and get off at Saint Paul station and from there continue on foot to the museum.
And finally, if you would like more information about Victor Hugo's house, you are welcome to visit the official website of the place.
Hôtel de La Marine
While I eagerly await the opening of the Carnival Museum, my dear friend Ronen Sass, owner of Hôtel Violette , is eagerly awaiting the opening of Hôtel de la Marine. Really? Quite rightly so.
This is one of the iconic buildings of the Place de la Concorde , designed by the famous architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel (1698-1782), and housed the offices of the French Navy for 200 years, starting in 1798.
It is important to note that before that, the office that handled the royal furniture was located there, and therefore quite a few workshops and exhibition spaces were built there. The director of the royal furniture office, Pierre-Elisabeth de Fontanieu (1730-1784), built himself a luxurious living suite in the palace, overlooking the square, and which was considered, in terms of the interior design theory of the period, the ideal apartment. This suite was also supplemented by an exhibition hall whose original purpose was to display some of the royal furniture and quite a few art objects.
The French Navy left the palace in 2015 and the Office of National Monuments took over the building and began an extensive renovation. This renovation, which cost 130 million euros, restored all the splendor and beauty of the original 18th century palace and now allows us to come and visit it. In addition to the rooms, which I mentioned, you will also find a restaurant and a hall that will present changing exhibitions.
Are you curious? You are invited to read Ronen Sass's comprehensive article about Hôtel de la Marine and run to buy tickets (all the details about how, where and when are in the article).
How do you get to Hôtel de la Marine?
Address : 2 Place de la Concorde
The most convenient way to get there is by metro line 1, 8 or 12 (get off at Concorde station).
The Trade Exchange
The last place I want to talk about is about to open on May 22, 2021 and is located not far from La Halle , with its many culinary attractions around it and the Church of Saint Eustache.
This is a beautiful building located on the site of the Hôtel de Soissons, where Queen Catherine de Medici lived (all that remains is a column on which the Queen’s astrologer, Cosimo Rogieri, built an observatory). During the 18th century, the Queen’s palace was demolished and in its place was built the Halle aux blés (Wheat Market), with a magnificent metal dome, which Thomas Jefferson said was “the most superb thing on earth.” The building burned down several times and was rebuilt in the late 19th century, preserving its grandeur and splendor.
After many years of being used as a commodities exchange, the mayor of Paris decided to lease the building for 50 years to businessman François Pinault for 15 million euros. In 2017, renovations began on the building and its conversion into a museum that would display Pinault's vast collection, which mainly contains modern art. The renovations were completed in 2020 and the place was supposed to open in the summer, but the coronavirus pandemic caused the opening to be postponed to May 22, 2021.
Like the Hôtel de la Marine, this is also a museum that costs money to enter, but in my opinion, the mere visit to this beautiful building is a must, even if you don't like modern art that much. To book a ticket to the place, go to the museums page on my website.
If you would like to learn more about the museum and the building in which it is located, you are invited to read the article Bourse de Commerce (Commercial Exchange) – A journey from the 16th century to Paris' most talked-about modern art museum.
By the way, if you like modern art, you'll be happy to know that the Pompidou Center is about a fifteen-minute walk away.
How to get to the Bourse du Commerce?
Address: 2 Rue de Viarmes
The easiest way to get there is by taking metro line 1, getting off at the Louvre-Rivoli station and walking north on rue du Louvre (the museum will be on your right).
Looking for more museums in Paris and interesting attractions?
I really hope that this article has whetted your appetite and that it will be useful to you when planning your next trip to Paris . If you are looking for additional attractions and museums, let me recommend the attractions page on my website. There you will find not only museums but also churches, gardens, amusement parks for children and quite a few other places that are definitely worth visiting.
Keep planning a pleasant trip!
More on the subject
Shabbat Shalom. Pure escapism indeed. What fun. Enjoying these beautiful sights in the hope that we will find peace, tranquility and a little sanity here too. Thank you very much
Minister Monsieur Hazenov,
Thank you for the fascinating updates you provide us. It is a vital supply of cultural oxygen in a time of chaos.
Thank you very much
Jacob
Thank you very much for the support 🙂