Hôtel de la Marine — Attraction in Paris

Hôtel de la Marine sits on the corner of Place de la Concorde, the biggest square in Paris. Visitors have often passed by and admired the stunning architecture, it’s an iconic site. But now you can go inside too: the Hôtel de la Marine opened to the public in June 2021. The palace on the eastern side of the square became the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne. Basically it was the King’s furniture store. Beds, chairs and tables, linen, arms and armour and also the crown jewels were stored here. During the French Revolution the building was transformed into the primary place of residence for the head of the French Navy, hence Hôtel de la Marine. Place Louis XV became Place de la Revolution and then Place de la Concorde (1795). During the German occupation of France, German naval forces set up their headquarters in Hôtel de la Marine until August 1944. The building was then occupied by French naval staff up until 2016 until they moved into a new building. There followed a major restoration project to return the building to its former glory, furnish it and open it up.

You’ll be given a set of headphones to wear when you visit the monument. And you do need them because otherwise you’ll miss out on the incredible history of this building.

The rooms are sumptuously furnished. You’ll be taken through  them with the voices of “previous inhabitants” who talk about their day to day life to give you a flavour of the 18th century in Paris. It’s very well done. In each room you’ll be told about the furniture, the use of the room. Exquisite pieces are on display, gorgeous lanterns made to fit on a fire guard, games tables complete with games. The history of this building is entwined with that of France. And, it’s astonishing to walk in the footsteps of some of the most famous people who shaped France’s destiny from here. Don’t miss the views from the balcony overlooking the Place de la Concorde looking out towards the Eiffel Tower. It was here where in 1836, then King Louis Philippe stood to watch the 3000 year old obelisk being erected in the square.

The restoration is without a doubt an absolute triumph. It feels as if time has stood still here in this beautiful palace. An absolute must-see for your Paris...

Yes, very nice but... CAUTION: there are 3 spaces to visit:

1. Collection Al Thani (you can skip that)
2. Apartments: yes
3. State rooms (Les Salons): the best part!

Meanwhile, the confusion started when we purchased our tickets. They told us we could start the visit but wait until a specific time to visit the other part. They explained that before we go to the other part of the visit, we would have to come back to the ticketing office, but go talk to the other desk, so they would switch our headset program version to the other part of the visit, which would also show a different LED color on the side of the headset. Hmmm, ok.

So we started our visit to the Collection, then the Apartments. Just so you know, we were not clear initially where and how to start the visit, so we ended up randomly to the Collection, and then the Apartments. The end of this visit took us to the gift store, and then completely outside of the museum. We still had the headsets in our hands!

We had to make our way back through the gift store to return to the museum, so we could visit the State Rooms. So here we go one more time, going back to the ticket counter, to explain this time we were told to come back so our headsets would be switched. One lady talks to another who talks to another, and one of them finally switched the headset version, which changed the LED color on the headset, allowing us to pass the security guard to visit the 3rd part of the museum.

Understand that there is no signage or explanation whatsoever on how, and in which direction to visit the museum. The museum is beautiful but the visit is...

Rain in Paris. I had my ticket to enter the museum at 4.15 pm. The first surprise was that I had to validate my ticket purchased online. In other words, if there was a huge queue to buy tickets to the museum, it doesn't matter that you have bought the tickets in advance, you have to wait in line just like the others who have not yet bought their ticket. So I don't know what is the advantage of buying a ticket online in advance. I arrived about 20 minutes early and the lady who validates the tickets, even though there was practically no one there, told me that I couldn't come in until 4.15 pm. I see this as correct when there is a large crowd in the museum. Not when there are only a few visitors. When I returned and it was finally my turn to validate the ticket, the employee stopped abruptly and told me to go with another one. She could see my anger and made a gesture of I don't care. Really, this annoying and disappointing inconvenience had never happened to me in any of my visits to France. The museum is great. A place for art and history lovers to enjoy. I really give one star for the incompetence of only two staff members and for the incorrect handling of the ticket service which are part of the...