Founded in 1794, the Musée des Arts et Métiers (now branded MuAM) is one of the world’s oldest museums of science and industry. It occupies the former priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs on Rue Saint-Martin in Paris’s 3rd arrondissement, and visitors come for its inventions, prototypes and machines that shaped modern life.
Refurbished in 2000, the museum displays about 2,400 inventions across seven collections: Scientific Instruments, Materials, Energy, Mechanics, Construction, Communication and Transport (Musée des Arts et Métiers). Highlights include Pascal’s calculating machine, Lavoisier’s laboratory instruments, and Cugnot’s 1770 steam carriage. The finale is the deconsecrated Gothic church, where Foucault’s pendulum swings beneath the vaults. Clément Ader’s bat-winged Avion III and Louis Blériot’s monoplane hang overhead, and a model of Bartholdi’s Statue of Liberty stands nearby (Exhibitions Paris).
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
The museum is typically closed on Mondays, and Friday evening hours are often extended. Confirm current times and buy tickets on the official site. Weekday mornings are the quietest. Rainy weekends and school holidays draw families, so plan for crowds then. Allow at least three hours, and save the church for last.
To get there, take the Métro to Arts et Métiers (lines 3 and 11). Look for the copper-clad, Jules Verne-inspired line 11 platform. Afterward, walk south into the Marais or visit the nearby Square du Temple.
