Paris is chock full of museums. Naturally everybody visits the Louvre, Notre Dame etc., but if you’re a traveler rather than a tourist, there are many smaller, little-known museums. Here are some of my recommendations (I have listed English language websites wherever possible, but do check opening times and dates, as I cannot be sure that the sites given are up-to-date).
This wonderful little museum, with exhibits including execution orders from the French Revolution, was deserted on the day of my visit. The attendant kindly gave me a very informative personal tour. Note that you have to enter the police station to access the museum, so not for the nervous or those wanted by Interpol.
On my last trip to Paris, I planned to visit this museum the day before leaving … only to find it closed by a strike. C'est la vie … well, there's always another time. It seems that forgery is nothing new, one of the museum's exhibits being a 2,000 year old wine bottle.
Now, what better to do with your Wednesday afternoon in Paris than to tootle along to a museum of dental art? Yes, I said dental art. Paintings, books and 19th-century toothbrushes. Who needs the Louvre?
The Musée D'Art Dentaire Pierre Fauchard is a quirky little gem tucked away in the 8th arrondissement. It's a tribute to the history of dentistry, named after Pierre Fauchard, a pioneer of dental surgery. Inside, you'll find a curious collection ranging from dental instruments that look more like medieval torture devices to antique toothpaste pots. And for those with strong stomaches, there are even examples of historical dental prosthetics. It's the perfect spot to sink your teeth into the odder side of Parisian history—just maybe not right after lunch.
Erm … who?? No, I’d never heard of him either. Apparently M Biegas was a Polish painter actually, so pop along on Thursday (there’s an obscure museum for every day of the week it seems) and pay him a visit.
Just trips off the tongue, doesn’t it? Actually, this being an anatomy museum, there probably is a tongue somewhere. You get Tuesday AND Thursday to visit this one … oh wait, Thursday is for Biegas, so it’ll have to be Tuesday. Hope there’s not a clash with a Tuesday-only museum …
Oh, come on! You must be dying to visit a museum devoted to French trade guilds. Your life will not be complete unless you do! AND it’s open every weekday afternoon!
Now, this seems almost normal. Learn everything you ever needed to know about locks and door-knockers. May be useful research if you’re planning a life of crime.
This may have disappeared into total obscurity, since the website above lists admission prices in francs, about 10 years after the franc itself disappeared into obscurity. Let us hope not, since I can’t believe that I have visited Paris countless times without viewing a museum of military scale models.
Pop out to the suburbs for this one. I challenge you to view all 6,500 playing cards. Do not miss one, or you cannot call yourself a true aficionado of obscure museums.
Now this must be the ultimate obscure museum -so obscure that it doesn’t even open. The Lost and Found museum contains such treasures as a wooden leg and a fireman’s helmet. Dear readers, my life will not be complete until I view the 100kg roll of copper that some poor soul lost (just how DO you mislay something so large?).
Which of these is your favourite? Have you visited any weird and wonderful museums around the world?
Top Photo Credit: **Al Ianni**