Salut!
You’ve heard of le musée du Louvre and le musée d’Orsay. Perhaps even of le Centre Pompidou. Now, discover Parisians’ favorite museums and immerse yourself in French culture!
As a local, I’ll reveal my top picks, allowing you to enhance your oral comprehension while exploring the vibrant world of French art. Get ready to indulge in a captivating museum experience during your visit to Paris!
C’est parti.
1) The lesson in French (with translation and museum list)
Niché dans le centre de Paris, le musée Carnavalet raconte l’histoire fascinante de la capitale et de ses habitants. C’est un des musées préférés des Parisiens, qui se pressent à son guichet !
Nestled in the heart of Paris, the Carnavalet Museum tells the captivating history of the capital city and its inhabitants. A favorite among Parisians, the museum attracts a crowd eager to explore its treasures.
Le musée Carnavalet expose surtout des objets locaux du quotidien, à travers les âges. On peut y découvrir les pirogues préhistoriques des premiers Parisiens, des vestiges de l’ère gallo-romaine, des souvenirs de la Révolution française, des toiles de maître, des affiches célèbres, et de nombreux autres petits trésors exposés dans ses galeries occupant deux majestueux hôtels particuliers.
The Carnavalet Museum primarily showcases local everyday objects spanning various eras. Visitors can explore prehistoric canoes of the first Parisians, remnants from the Gallo-Roman era, mementoes from the French Revolution, masterful artworks, famous posters, and countless other hidden gems displayed across its galleries housed in two majestic private mansions.
Autre musée historique, le musée de Cluny, ou musée national du Moyen ge, est un de mes musées parisiens préférés. Explorez les ruines des thermes antiques lors d’une visite guidée, ou laissez-vous émerveiller par la magnifique tapisserie médiévale de La Dame à la Licorne, si mystérieuse et colorée.
Another historical museum, the Cluny Museum, or the National Museum of the Middle Ages, is one of my favorite museums in Paris. Explore the ruins of ancient Roman baths during a guided tour, or be enchanted by the magnificent medieval tapestry of The Lady and the Unicorn, so mysterious and colorful.
Autour de ces pièces maîtresses, le musée de Cluny possède l’une des plus importantes collections mondiales d’œuvres et objets d’art de l’Antiquité, du Moyen ge et de la Renaissance. Il expose peintures, sculptures, vitraux, bijoux et mobilier, au cœur du quartier Latin.
Surrounding these masterpieces, the Cluny Museum houses one of the world’s most significant collections of artworks and objects from antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. It showcases paintings, sculptures, stained glass windows, jewelry, and furniture in the heart of the Latin Quarter.
En face de la tour Eiffel, sur la vaste place du Trocadéro de l’autre côté du fleuve, les curieux peuvent explorer la Cité de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine.
Across the river from the Eiffel Tower, on the spacious Trocadéro square, curious visitors can explore the City of Architecture and Heritage.
Ce musée offre aux visiteurs un voyage à travers la richesse architecturale française depuis le Moyen ge jusqu’à nos jours. Notamment, par les reconstitutions grandeur nature des sculptures qui décorent les plus beaux monuments du pays.
This museum takes visitors on a journey through the architectural wealth of France from the Middle Ages to the present day. It notably showcases life-size reconstructions of sculptures that adorn the country’s most beautiful monuments.
Dans la collection permanente, on peut admirer des maquettes didactiques, des plans originaux, et même des vitraux et des bas-reliefs. C’est une plongée dans l’histoire sociale et culturelle, à la rencontre des dirigeants, architectes, artisans et artistes de chaque siècle.
In the permanent collection, one can admire educational models, original plans, and even stained glass windows and bas-reliefs. It’s a dive into social and cultural history that introduces each century’s leaders, architects, artisans, and artists.
Et cette année, l’exposition temporaire est consacrée à Notre-Dame de Paris, depuis sa construction jusqu’aux artisans qui y travaillent aujourd’hui. La cathédrale qui avait souffert un terrible incendie en 2019, est en reconstruction pour une réouverture prévue pour 2024.
And this year, the temporary exhibition is dedicated to Notre Dame de Paris, from its construction to the artisans who work on it today. The cathedral suffered a devastating fire in 2019 and is undergoing reconstruction with a planned reopening in 2024.
Enfin, le Musée des Arts et Métiers est un lieu que j’aime particulièrement. C’est un musée interactif dédié aux inventions et découvertes scientifiques.
Lastly, the Museum of Arts and Crafts is a place that I particularly love. It is an interactive museum dedicated to inventions and scientific discoveries.
J’y ai passé de nombreux après-midi en famille, à flâner entre les premiers avions et les premières voitures, les télégraphes anciens et les instruments de mesure datant du siècle des Lumières.
I have spent many afternoons there with my family, strolling among the early airplanes and cars, the antique telegraphs, and the measurement instruments dating back to the Age of Enlightenment.
Quels que soient votre âge ou vos centres d’intérêt, vous trouverez forcément à Paris un musée loin de la foule, et fait pour vous !
Regardless of your age or interests, you will find a museum in Paris away from the crowds tailored just for you!
Click here to learn more:
2) Vocabulary
Un musée = a museum :
- un guichet = a ticket counter.
- une collection permanente = a permanent collection
- une exposition temporaire = a temporary exhibition.
- l’exhibition = indecent flashing (embarrassing mistake!)
- une visite guidée = a guided tour.
- un vitrail (des vitraux) = a stained glass window.
- un meuble du siècle des Lumières = a piece of furniture, dating from the 18th century, the century that we call le siècle des Lumières (= “century of the Lights,” literally = the Enlightenment-era.)
Une toile = a canvas (for art and painting) or cloth (fabric)
- une huile sur toile = oil painting on canvas.
- On va se faire une toile ? = Let’s see a movie.
*** Le truc en plus:
A gorgeous French fabric is la toile de Jouy, a printed linen fabric that used to be made in the royal factory of Jouy-en-Josas (right next to where I grew up!) near Paris. This “cloth from Jouy” typically features complex scenes of pastoral life in a single color (often blue or red) on a white or off-white background. Its timeless elegance made it famous in both traditional and modern designs. And you can visit its museum too!
Click here to learn more: Museum of “la toile de Jouy” in Jouy-en-Josas
***
La foule = a big anonymous crowd.
- éviter la foule = to avoid the crowd.
- Il y a foule. = It’s crowded in here.
- Il y a pas foule. = There are very few people here.
Un hôtel particulier = a multi-story mension
Click here to learn more:
Les plus beaux hôtels particuliers historiques à Paris = the most beautiful historical mensions in Paris.
3) Extra Resources (blog only): more museums in Paris
- Le Musée de la Pharmacie = This is a very small museum on the history of medicine, with a unique collection of medical instruments and artefacts.
- Musée Jacquemart-André = Private mansion turned art museum for Italian Renaissance and 18th-century French paintings.
- Le Palais de Tokyo = The main museum for modern and contemporary art in Paris (and, some say, in Europe.)
- Le Musée de l’Homme = Museum of Anthropology, with a rich collection
- Le Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac = A vast museum celebrating non-European cultures
- Le Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature = An unusual museum combining fine arts, hunting artefacts, and natural history to explore mankind’s relationship with the natural world.
- Le Musée des Arts Forains = An enchanting museum showcasing fairground arts and antique carnival objects in a festive, immersive environment.
Congrats!
Keep learning more everyday scripts to prepare for your trip to France or reconnect with the language!
Click here to get your next lesson:
- Paris by Arrondissements: Essential Vocabulary
- Why The French Never Teardown Old Buildings
- Le Musée d’Orsay: Learn about French Art, Culture, and Numbers
- French Art Vocabulary — Learn Basic French By Talking About Art!
- Learn French Grammar + Explore Parisian Architecture With Me!
À tout de suite.
I’ll see you in the next video!
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I really enjoyed this lesson. Very interesting & some useful vocabulary
La dernière fois que j’étais à Paris, j’ai beaucoup aimé le Musée des Arts et Métiers.
On translating the phrase “qui se pressent a son guichet,” your interpretation is a bit fanciful: “attracts a crowd eager to explore its treasures.” May I say most respectfully that loose interpretation of words (unconnected to the literal French) makes learning difficult. S’il vous plait, no offense intended.
Merci, Madame!
On a visité le Musée Carnavalet mais on a encore besoin de visiter le Musée Cluny.