The dusty museum of old is a mere memory – after six years for a complete renovation, the new Musée de la Marine (Marine Museum) at Trocadero is now bang up-to-date with modern facilities and a wider scope that includes ecology and history.

It really is a brand new interactive, immersive museum! With free entrance the weekend of 18th/19th November 2023! And lots of events! And even a special perfume to remind you of the sea as soon as you enter!

The story of the sea is also the story of the exploration of the globe, the discovery of new countries and new creatures, the realisation that there is still a lot to explore, and that the future of the world may well depend on the health of our oceans.

The Marine Museum in Paris is one of the last in the city to undertake modernisation, and it really was time – the interior of the building has been completely gutted and rebuilt, and the presentation of the 1,000 pieces on show is brand new.

The museum has one of the world’s oldest and most important collections related to the sea, and can now reclaim its status as the reference in its domain.

Your visit is undertaken like a sea voyage, with three ‘stopovers’ and three ‘crossings’, during which you’ll see numerous paintings and models as before, but also new video presentations of people who work with or on the sea, interactive screens, an in-depth look at how navigation evolved, how the weather affected long sea trips, how France extended its reach abroad and more.

All information is presented in French and in English, videos have subtitles and sign language interpreters, and there are special provisions for partially-sighted and blind visitors, with braille and models to touch.

Soon, the museum will also be offering temporary exhibitions, the first of which called Objectif Mer: l’océan filmé (13th December 2023 – 5th May 2024) is all about the sea and cinema and is organised together with the French Cinémathèque. Expect adventures, catastrophes, wars, shipwrecks and more.

Meanwhile, the museum has been careful to be as inclusive as possible, with certain visit times offering less sound and moving images, and a special space called ‘La Bulle’ especially for visitors with mental handicaps or on the autistic spectrum. There’s also a new restaurant, new giftshop, new bookshop, and Astrolab for professional events…

You’ll find a lot more information about all the work that has gone into this completely new version of the museum in the English press release (yay!) embedded at the bottom of this article.

The Musée de la Marine (here) is open every day except Tuesdays from 11am-7pm (10pm Thursdays)

Admission: 15€ / 11€ if there’s a temporary exhibition (1€ less if you book online), 12€ / 10€ when no temporary exhibition is on offer

Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube / 𝕏

What3Words ///defeat.reminder.womanly

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

Une publication partagée par Musée national de la Marine (@museemarine)

To check out the full English press release, simply click the ‘fullscreen’ button at the bottom right of the image below.