National Museum of Natural History

National Museum of Natural History

National Museum of Natural History
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About
This large museum of natural history combines three museums into one, including a four-story taxonomy wing, a building of skeletons and fossils and a separate structure devoted entirely to geology.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles1,346 reviews
Excellent
639
Very good
472
Average
150
Poor
54
Terrible
31

Miguel_Miguel_1709
The Hague, The Netherlands27 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020
I must say we expected a first class museum in a first class capital, but we found an outdated exhibition far far away from modern standards. We tried to obtain tickets online the night before, but we could not find our way through the website; no combined ticket (there are several separate galleries that apparently need separate tickets), no family ticket... so we tried our luck in the morning at the museum, only to find that there is no ticket booth, so we had to buy the tickets with our smartphones at the entrance. Annoying.
When we entered, we were soon disappointed. The main gallery is basically a collection of skeletons, hundreds of them, all crammed, with a few old style explanations in calligraphic texts (only in French). It reminded me of the natural history museums I used to visit in my school times, back in the 70's: brains and fetuses in preserve flasks, insect collections stuck on nails and stuffed cats. Only much bigger and with some truly impressive reconstructions of full size skeletons of whales, elephants, mammoths and dinosaurs.
We missed any sort of interactive content, colors, maps, diagrams, some explanations in English and, in general, the type of presentation you find these days in world class museums.
Our children were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of skeletons packed in the gallery and lost interest soon.
Written July 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The gallery brings together some 650 skeletons, as well as organs and other curiosities, which allow visitors to observe and compare the different species. The explanations are in French, you are right and we apologize for this inconvenience. If you would like to know more about the subject, we suggest that you consult our brochure on the museum's website.
Written August 3, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

premanka
1 contribution
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022
In the museum, I visited the Sant Museum Hall, which has a collection of all the prehistoric deep sea creatures. It has four different sections, namely: The Time Gallery,Carcharocles Megalodon, North Atlantic Right Whale(phoenix), and Indo-Pacific coral reef. When I first entered the premises, it felt like I was inside a sea. At first, I saw fossils of all the organisms and I was stunned as I was gawking at all of them. All the fossils were 3.5 billion years old. I was astonished to read about them on the information board. The journey through the Time gallery was astounding.
Then I reached the Megalodon section. I saw a giant jaw structure with 7 inches of teeth. At first, I was surprised that there really was such a big shark which had such a big jaw. Then when I read about it, it was written that its size was up to 4 school buses and it was 3X larger than a great white shark and weighed around 50 tons.

Overall, my experience was breathtaking and one should visit there.

Written August 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your enthusiastic comment! We are delighted to have welcomed you and that you enjoyed discovering the collections of the Paris Museum of Natural History. Do not hesitate to come and discover the other galleries of the Jardin des Plantes such as the Evolution Gallery, or the Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy Gallery. We look forward to welcoming you again, see you soon!
Written August 8, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Ruby Red
Greensburg, PA661 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2023 • Couples
We went to the museum of evolution. Yes I gave the experience 3 out of 5 stars; although the museum was huge and really impressive it was confusing too. We did not really know where to start our visit, there were displays everywhere and most everything was in French. A person could take days to go through just this section. Would have appreciated having a guide pamphlet to use and have something’s translated to English. Displays are well done, and children seem to like the experience. Most likely will not return.
Written April 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much, we are delighted that you enjoyed your visit. There is no one way to visit the Grande Galerie de l'Evolution. But don't hesitate to take a map to find your way around, it will be easier. We are aware that the lack of translation is difficult. Please note that this is part of our future plans. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. We look forward to welcoming you again.
Written April 17, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

yashhhh
1 contribution
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021
I was fortunate enough to be a part of a virtual tour hosted by the National Museum Of Natural History. In this short article, I will review "butterfly pavilion" tour I attended, so lets get started..

First Impression

The whole butterfly pavilion is segmented into 3 virtual rooms where we get to experience and gain in depth knowledge about the evolution of insects as a species over the years.

Now when I joined the first room, my immediate reaction was 'WOW'. I remember seeing wall arts on how various insects, birds, mammals drink nectar from flowers. The entire process was pictured on the wall and specimen of insects were also mounted on the wall to explain the process better. Overall the knowledge was easier to absorb and very easy to understand.

A mini forest in a museum!

The moment I thought nothing could be more impressive than the first room, I was mesmerized when I saw the second room. The second room can literally be described as a mini forest inside a museum.

I remember seeing a lot of trees, plants, flowers as far as I could observe. The motive of the mini forest was to educate us about the various plants and flowers used by insects to drink nectar .

Tough my tour was virtual, I was almost feeling the warmth of the room and the fragrance of the flowers with butterflies hovering around me.... I wish I was present there in person.

The ending not to be missed

While I was a bit sad that my tour was at it's final stage, I was very happy that I had been a part of this wonderful tour.

The third room was huge. It was bigger than the previous two rooms and it displayed a variety to Information about the evolution of butterflies and the diversity amongst the species.

The walls of the third room had graffiti of butterflies and wallpapers of flowers and various insects. Words won't be able to describe how beautiful the third room was.

Conclusion

And finally we are here at the end of this article. I had a lot of fun exploring and learning more about insects during my virtual tour. I hope you liked this article and definitely I will suggest everyone to take any virtual tour offered by the national museum of natural history, I promise you will enjoy it.
Written March 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

hlauren
Stoke-on-Trent, UK22 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Friends
Unfortunately, this wonderfully set out museum with many seemingly interesting exhibitions and information was sort of ruined through the fact I couldn’t understand any of it. Spent the afternoon just looking at the preserved creates etc. it’s a shame as many of the screens look as if they can easily be changed and therefore a small english sub section could be added. I understand I’m in a different country and of course french should come first, but I also know it’s sort of expected of large tourist institutions to cater to the English language since it’s so widely spoken and understood. Also bear in mind my friend, a fluent French speaker and full time resident fully expected their to be English available too! Also a note to bring your own food/snacks, this is the most expensive food I’ve seen in Paris yet!
Written June 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Himansu Ada
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
The museum is very appealing overall. There are three gorgeously decorated floors that feature various historical natural resources.

Regional features, creatures, birds, cafes, and stores tastefully delineated the ground floor.

It gave me goosebumps to learn that they dedicated the first floor to endangered elephants, extinct dinosaurs, aquatic animals, and human origins.

The second level, which is the final, is stunning and has lots of antiques and butterflies.
Written September 15, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your recommendation. We are delighted that you enjoyed your visit and that the collections gave you so much emotion. Do not hesitate to come and discover the other galleries of the Jardin des Plantes. We look forward to welcoming you again soon!
Written September 15, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Ellen N
Gothenburg, Sweden18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021
Come here ! The fee is 10E, you will have a great day, don't miss out on the upper levels where the dinosaurs at.
All the signs are in french, so google translate was very helpful to us.

The gardens outside was fantastic and don't forget to visit the palm house.
Written November 20, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your positive feedback!
Written November 22, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

D J Bryan
South Yorkshire, UK116 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
I visited this museum while staying in Paris with my wife and two young children. The staff were friendly and spoke very good English. The entrance fee was fair costing only twenty euros for the four of us. There are plenty of floors to explore as well as a few well-hidden back rooms with some great exhibits. My children really enjoyed themselves and we will definitely visit again when next in Paris.
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much ! We are delighted that your family had a good time. We look forward to welcoming you again. See you soon :)
Written February 11, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Arbooster
Kyiv, Ukraine96 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2013 • Couples
Its a wonderful museum with amazing expositions located in gorgeous building. I would advice anyone to visit. Make sure to pack your smartphone with text recognition and translation software as the museum does not have an english word anywhere on the displays.
Written April 4, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Hanna
30 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2015 • Solo
Travelled here with my 5 and 7 year old kids and we loved it. So much to see and do but beware that not all the attractions are translated into English. Also pick out the particular things you wish to see as they seem to be housed separately and you pay separate admission fee for each - for example: the animal skeletons were all in one building (called the 'Galeries d'Anatomie' and we had to pay to enter. The rocks and amethysts sections were housed elsewhere. However, if you present the tickets of the 'Galerie' you have just left at the next 'Galerie' you are entering - you get a small discount off the admission fee. Also it is a HUGE place set in a beautiful park and I think we would have needed 2 - 3 days to see everything. If you have only one day to spare with the little ones for this special place, I would recommend the 'Grande Galerie de l'Evolution' building. It is four stories high (with glass elevators) and is air-conditioned. This building houses the 'Galeries des Enfants' which you pay extra to enter but is well worth it. It also has a little café and toilets - am not sure if any kid under four would be interested however. I would also recommend alighting from Metro stop 'Austerlitz'. Also - when researching and looking for it look for 'Museum National D'Histoire Naturelle'.
Written July 5, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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National Museum of Natural History - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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