Musée national de la Marine: tickets, opening hours and highlights

Updated on September 30, 2026

Housed in the Passy wing of the Palais de Chaillot, facing the Eiffel Tower, the Musée national de la Marine (National Maritime Museum) tells the maritime history of France, from Louis XIV's galleys to today's ocean challenges. Founded in 1827 at the Louvre and based at Chaillot since 1943, it reopened on 17 November 2023 after six years of renovation. Its themed galleries display more than 1,000 restored pieces: ship models, paintings, sculptures, navigation instruments and objects from life on board. Around fifty audiovisual and interactive displays accompany the visit, which also covers the economic, environmental and military issues linked to the sea in the 21st century. Don't confuse it with the Hôtel de la Marine on Place de la Concorde, which is a different visitor attraction.

Highlights

The stern decoration of the Réale

These fully gilded wooden sculptures once adorned the stern of the Réale, Louis XIV's flagship galley launched in 1694. Apollo on his chariot, surrounded by the gods of Olympus, forms an allegory of the Sun King, framed by two large figures of Fame blowing trumpets.

Joseph Vernet's Ports of France

Commissioned by Louis XV in 1753 to celebrate the kingdom's naval power, this series of harbour views is one of the museum's treasures, and thirteen of its fifteen canvases are on display here. The Interior of the Port of Marseille (1754) teems with everyday scenes: merchants, sailors and strollers fill the quays.

Infos pratiques

Tips

A ticket costs €15 (reduced rate €12) and covers both the permanent collections and the temporary exhibitions; admission is free for under-26s (prices checked in September 2026). Unlike many French national museums, it is not free on the first Sunday of the month. From 14 October 2026 to 4 April 2027, the exhibition "L'appel des profondeurs. Une aventure sous les mers de l'Antiquité à nos jours" brings together around 280 pieces on the exploration of the deep sea. Last entry is one hour before closing.