Tour of the small Parisian museums – Part 1
What about choosing to visit Paris in another way ? The Louvre museum has no longer any secret? You already know the Palais de Tokyo like the back of your hand? The Raspail Montparnasse hotel invites you to discover small Parisian museums, less known and especially … Less crowded!
Sometimes secret, sometimes unusual, but all overflowing with history and incredible works of art ! In addition, many offer free access to the permanent collections. Here is a Parisian museum trail, leaving from the hotel, to discover them.
To start, let’s go to one of the most legendary and most visited places in Paris … Take the metro line 12 leaving the hotel, to Lamarck Caulaincourt.
Montmartre
This museum brilliantly represents the history of the Butte Montmartre and the city’s excitement at a time when creativity was plenty but not left one pennyless. Actually a small village in Paris, home of many artists such as Renoir, Utrilli, Modigliani …
Surrounded by the Renoir Gardens, the Montmartre museum offers an incredible view on the vineyard of Clos Montmartre. It is for us one of the most charming places of the French capital.
1300 meters farther away,(or 2 subway stops on line 12) you can find the Museum of Romantic Life.
Romantic Life
Enchanted interlude out of time, the Musée de la vie Romantique is an unknown haven of peace. Former residence of the painter Ary Scheffer, it concerns mostly the great figures of Ernest Renan and George Sand. If the museum itself is charming and owns a unique atmosphere, we also go there for its delicate garden offering an exceptional setting. Go and enjoy tea time in the greenhouse from April to October. Tea is real good and the pastries are delicious!
Then, only 3 metro stops away (Pigalle – Villier on line 2), there is a museum of another kind …
Cernushi
Like the Musée Guimet, the Cernuschi Museum exhibits works of Asian art. Located close to the beautiful Parc Monceau, this mansion built in 1871 takes you on a journey through several Far East dynasties. It is a refined museum that really deserves to be known. As it is located only 850 meters from the Jacquemart André Museum, you may well decide to kill two birds with one stone!
Jacquemart André
A sumptuous Parisian hotel in neoclassical style, the Jacquemart André Museum houses a bewildering collection! Masterpieces brought together by the esthetes Edouard André and his wife Nélie Jacquemart throughout their lives. David, Fragonard, Uccello, Rembrandt, Botticelli … For us, this is one of the most beautiful collections in Paris!
Take the metro 9 from Saint Phillippe du Roule to La Muette (6 stops). We are now taking you to a little haven of peace filled with history …
House of Balzac
In order to finish these small Parisian museums tour smoothly, let’s go to the house of Balzac, for an immersion in this great writer’s life. This house, in which Honoré de Balzac settled under a pseudonym (Mr. Breugnol) to escape his creditors, is full of treasures! It is here that Balzac wrote The Human Comedy. It is a place of a certain sweetness and a unique charm.
In the garden, while strolling between the roses, you may actually forget for a while that you are in Paris.
It’s now time to take the metro at Passy to return to the hotel (8 stops on the line 6). Your cozy bed awaits you for a well-deserved rest!
See you on March 15th for a second article devoted to the small Parisian museums …
