Not your typical Paris museum. Set across two magnificent Marais hôtels particuliers — the Hôtel de Guénégaud (1651, by François Mansart) and the Hôtel de Mongelas — this place explores the centuries-old relationship between humans and the animal world through a wildly original mix of Old Master paintings, antique weapons, taxidermy, and contemporary art inserts. You'll find a 17th-century hunting crossbow hanging next to a contemporary photograph, and that's exactly the point. It's quiet, uncrowded, and genuinely thought-provoking — a refreshing break from the blockbuster museum circuit.
Hunting trophies and antique firearms meet contemporary art in two stunning Marais mansions — Paris's most original museum experience.
Visit on weekday mornings for the quietest experience — the museum stays refreshingly uncrowded compared to Paris's major museums.
A brilliantly unconventional museum where Old Masters meet contemporary art
If you've done the Louvre and the Orsay and you're looking for something genuinely different, this is your stop. The Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature occupies two stunning 17th- and 18th-century hôtels particuliers in the Marais — the Hôtel de Guénégaud, designed by François Mansart, and the Hôtel de Mongelas — and uses them to explore the relationship between humans and animals across centuries. The muséographie is what makes it special: ancient hunting paintings, antique firearms, and taxidermy are displayed alongside contemporary art interventions, so you might find a modern photograph of a wolf staring down a 17th-century portrait of a stag hunt. It's clever, surprising, and never dull.
What reviewers consistently praise is how immersive and uncrowded the experience is. Unlike Paris's heavy-hitter museums, you can actually pace yourself here without fighting through tour groups. The rooms themselves are gorgeous — wood-paneled, ornate, full of character — and the curatorial choices keep you on your toes. Some visitors note the theme isn't for everyone (if taxidermy bothers you, skip it), but most are won over by the sheer originality of the presentation. At 4.5 stars across thousands of reviews, it's clearly striking a chord.
Plan about 1.5 to 2 hours. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions that are worth checking — they tend to be well-curated and themed around contemporary artists' takes on nature and the animal world. It's open Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays.