Museum d'Histoire Naturelle

The Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Dijon is a charming natural history museum housed in a former monastery in the city's Jardin de l'Arquebuse. Its collections span geology, paleontology, and zoology, with notable displays of regional fossils, minerals, and taxidermy. The museum is part of a larger cultural complex that includes a botanical garden and planetarium. Visitors can explore exhibits on Burgundy's prehistoric past, including dinosaur skeletons and ancient marine life. The museum's intimate scale makes it easy to navigate in a couple of hours, and its setting in the peaceful gardens offers a quiet retreat from the city center. While not as vast as major national museums, it provides a well-curated overview of natural history with a local focus.

Don't miss

• Fossil collection from Burgundy, including dinosaur bones and marine reptiles
• Mineralogy gallery with local and international gemstones
• Taxidermy displays of regional birds and mammals
• The attached botanical garden (Jardin de l'Arquebuse) with medicinal plants

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Museum d'Histoire Naturelle

Cheapest way inSecrets of Dijon: Explore the City with Clues and Stories4.1★ · 14 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$6 per personSee dates →Most bookedHouston Museum of Natural Science General Admission4.4★ · 653 travelers~3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$25 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleSmithsonian Museum of Natural History - Exclusive Guided Tour5★ · 463 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$95 per personSee dates →

Good for

How travelers rate it

Know before you go

• Allow extra time to explore the botanical garden and planetarium on the same site.
• Photography is allowed in most exhibits, but no flash near sensitive specimens.
• The museum has interactive exhibits for children, including a discovery room.
• Check for temporary exhibitions, which often focus on local natural history.

A bit of history

Founded in 1833, the museum originally housed the collections of the Dijon Academy of Sciences. It moved to its current location in the former Jesuit college in the 20th century, expanding its exhibits on regional natural history.