I visited the Musee de la Marine through the Paris Museum Pass and had a great time. The audio guide is in several languages and was very informative. Learned about the history of the Obelisks and how they came to be in Paris, along with seeing dozens of amazing scale miniatures of all different kinds of boats.
Went here because it was included in our museum pass. We were positively surprised, the museum was interesting. A major part is dedicated to the marine from the 17th to 19th century, featuring models and parts of actual boats, in impressive size. Another part shows the history of the French navy in the 20th century, mostly through models. We really enjoyed this museum, it won't take a lot if time. Go there if you have some interest in navy history, and are on a museum pass. It's worth spending an hour or two.
You have been to the east wing of Palaise de Chaillot for the architectural treasures,now tack to the west wing for a smorgasbord of model boats,paintings and historic vessels that recount the seafaring history of France. I love the wooden sculptures that once decorated the prows and sterns of large vessels, as well as,the gigantic paintings that detail ports,battles and ships. There are navigational instruments galore and a full cover of maritime ships from the 18th century battleships to the modern era of aircraft carriers,submarines and torpedoes. The premier experience for me, has to be, the sheer elegance and delicacy of Napoleon's imperial barge with its gilded statue of Neptune riding a dolphin. It was used by the big man to inspect the fortifications of Antwerp. So, if you want to traipse through the development of French naval engineering till the early 1900,then come and check out the ship- models,some 3-4 m length used to train officers and engineers. they display a remarkable degree of detail. Sadly,the English explanations on every item have suffered a Gaullic language cleansing. Refer to a good guide book. Ps...... the terrace of Palaise Chaillot provides some great views of Paris and Eiffel tower.
Situated inside the Palais de Chaillot atop the Trocadéro (with its lesser-known, but underrated view of the Eiffel Tower), the Musée national de la Marine (National Navy Museum) is a must-see for Paris visitors interested in naval history. It is a small museum compared to the more well-known ones in Paris, but boasts an astounding model ship collection whose detail has to be seen to be believed. We also visited the superb National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London area during our trip, and the Paris museum's models were even better than the excellent models in London. Aside from the fantastic models, the museum's model workshops are also open to view, and it is fascinating to see their artists at work. This workshop viewing is something quite unique amongst museums in Paris. As well, there are many paintings and other naval artifacts, such as marine chronometers, to see.The museum's size and simple layout mean that it can be rushed through in as little as 30 minutes, which we did, as we had so much else to see in Paris. Or, it can be taken in slowly for a couple of hours or so. If one is looking for something historical/mechanical to see while visiting the great vista that is the Trocadéro, then we cannot recommend the Musée national de la Marine enough. Again, for naval buffs, it is simply a non-negotiable, and not to be missed.
For 7€ you can see the permanent collection and for only 3€ more, you can see both the permanent and whatever temporary exhibit is on display. You can take pictures of anything in the permanent collection and audio guides are included (if you purchase both the permanent and temporary galleries). Also, the musée is in the Trocadéro so before or after you go inside, you can see an great view looking over a grand courtyard directly at the Tour Eiffel. In the summer, the rather large fountains come to life on every hour. It's cool to see. So if you have any interest in the navy, ships, etc. I would recommend this musée.
I took my father-in-law, a maritime buff, to this obscure museum and it turned out to be the highlight of our Paris visit! It basically covers French naval history,focusing mostly on the last 400 years, but it goes in to much more depth than just "boats." They cover, for example, the societal and economic factors that enabled the rise of French naval power in the 17th and 18th century. I'm no naval buff, but I was absolutely fascinated! We ended up spending way more time here than we thought we would, and we absolutely loved it!Some logistical notes: The Museum Pass covers not just entry, but an audio guide as well. (The Paris Museum Pass really is a must have for any tourist visit to Paris!) There were lots of audio guide enabled displays in English, so it is an essential part of the visit. This museum is on the southwest corner of the Palais de Chaillot on the Place de Trocadero (the place where you go to get a good view of the Eiffel Tower across the river,) so it's easy to get to and has lots of other stuff to do once you leave the museum. Also, the cafes around the Place de Trocadero are solid, not too touristy or pricy, and offer good value for lunch.I hope you enjoy this wonderful underrated gem as much as we did!
The audio guide is a must when visiting this attraction, as it is very informative about a large number of the exhibits. The ship models are works of art in themselves, and range from minute ivory creations to very large "teaching" models. It covers warships from the middle ages to modern times, but for some unknown reasons I could not find any reference to Trafalgar. It would have been interesting to see the french perspective on this.
Included in the museum pass and well worth a short visit. The collection is very good, it contains of both paintings, pieces and models of a lot of ships and ship related stuff. The information provided in quite interesting.
all the ship models are amazing and stunning, i really loved it and we took pictures of almost every vessel we have seen! I really loved how we could leave our coats and bags at the entrance!
We went to Paris for my husbands 60th birthday so wanted to find some interesting museums that were a bit different and this really fitted the bill (along with the Arts et Metiers museum).I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.Beautiful models of ships and planes and a window into the workshop where the modellers work.Aviation and sailing buffs will love it.