Musee Nissim de Camondo

The Musée Nissim de Camondo is one of Paris's most exquisite and moving house-museums, an elegant early-20th-century mansion near Parc Monceau, preserved exactly as its owner left it, filled with one of the world's finest collections of 18th-century French decorative arts. Count Moïse de Camondo, a wealthy banker and passionate collector, built the house (modelled on the Petit Trianon at Versailles) to display his furniture, tapestries, porcelain, and paintings. He bequeathed it to the French state as a museum in memory of his son Nissim, a pilot killed in the First World War.

The story behind it is profoundly poignant: the Camondo family, a prominent Jewish dynasty, was later deported and murdered in the Holocaust, ending the line. The house thus stands as both a sumptuous showcase of the Ancien Régime and a haunting memorial. It's an intimate, uncrowded alternative to Paris's grand museums, wander the perfectly preserved rooms, including the kitchens, and feel the weight of its history.

Don't miss

• A world-class collection of 18th-century French decorative arts
• The mansion preserved exactly as the count left it
• The remarkably complete period kitchens
• Its setting near elegant Parc Monceau
• The poignant story of the Camondo family

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Musee Nissim de Camondo

Cheapest way inParis: Luggage Storage close to Louvre Museum4.2★ · 19 travelers~24 hoursFree cancellationFrom$9 per personSee dates →Most bookedLouvre Museum Masterpieces Guided Tour with Access4.5★ · 12,892 travelers~3 hoursFree cancellationFrom$74 per personSee dates →Top ratedParis Notre-Dame Interior or Exterior Walking Tour4.9★ · 2,293 travelers~2 hoursFree cancellationFrom$35 per personSee dates →

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How travelers rate it

Know before you go

• An intimate, uncrowded alternative to Paris's blockbuster museums.
• Don't miss the remarkably preserved period kitchens.
• The audioguide tells the family's moving story, well worth it.
• Combine with a stroll in nearby Parc Monceau.

A bit of history

Count Moïse de Camondo built the mansion in 1911–14 to house his collection of 18th-century French art, and on his death left it to the state as a museum named for his son Nissim, killed in WWI. The rest of the family perished in the Holocaust, giving the immaculately preserved house a deeply tragic resonance.