Our guides
Cluny Museum, Paris
The Musée de Cluny — National Museum of the Middle Ages: opening hours, €14 tickets, free first Sundays, the Lady and the Unicorn and the closed garden. Checked October 2026.
Baths and abbots under one roof
The Musée de Cluny, the National Museum of the Middle Ages, occupies two buildings that are centuries apart: the Gallo-Roman baths, from the first to the third century, and the late-Gothic mansion of the abbots of Cluny, rebuilt between 1485 and 1510. The baths’ cold room, the frigidarium, is room 1. The mansion became the museum after the State bought it in 1843 with a private collection.
Photo: GFreihalter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The series known as La Dame à la licorne, six hangings in all, has a room to itself; the museum is open every day but Monday, with late openings twice a month.
Photo: Didier Descouens, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
What is closed in 2026
- The garden. Closed to the public until further notice, for safety reasons.
- The frigidarium. Closed on Saturday 31 October 2026, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saint-Michel, line 4. The station is closed until 19 December 2026; Cluny – La Sorbonne, on line 10, is 96 metres away as the crow flies.
Photo: Traumrune, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the museum
The museum’s main entrance is on the place Paul-Painlevé, and its address is 28 rue du Sommerard. Nearby sites have their own guides: the Sorbonne, the church of Saint-Séverin and the rue de la Huchette; for how the district got its name, see the history of the Latin Quarter.
Hotels near the museum
The section below lists the hotels of our database nearest to the museum, in a straight line. Our list of hotels near Saint-Michel widens the comparison, and the Latin Quarter guide places the museum within the district.
History and distinctive features
- The mansion of the abbots of Cluny was rebuilt between 1485 and 1510 in the Flamboyant Gothic style, enlarged under Jacques d’Amboise, abbot of Cluny; the buildings had housed the abbots since the thirteenth century. Source : fr.wikipedia.org
- Sold as national property during the Revolution, the mansion was bought by the State in 1843 with the collection of Alexandre Du Sommerard, whose son Edmond became the first director of the “Musée des Thermes et de l’Hôtel de Cluny”. Source : fr.wikipedia.org
- The six tapestries of La Dame à la licorne are shown in a room of their own in the museum. Source : musee-moyenage.fr
- The frigidarium of the Gallo-Roman baths (room 1) is the surviving hall of the old cold bath; the baths date from the first to the third centuries. Source : fr.wikipedia.org
Hotels near the Cluny Museum
Other hotels
- Hôtel Cluny Square ★★★ 2 min walk · 150 m
- Hôtel Central Saint-Germain ★★★ 2 min walk · 150 m
- Hôtel Belloy Saint-Germain ★★★★ 2 min walk · 150 m
- Hôtel Saint-Pierre ★★ 2 min walk · 150 m
- Hôtel du Savoir ★★★ 2 min walk · 150 m
- Hôtel Mercure Paris Notre-Dame Saint-Germain-des-Prés ★★★★ 2 min walk · 150 m
Within 600 m as the crow flies, nearest first. Walking times are estimates: straight-line distance × 1.3, at 80 metres a minute, to the station, not to a specific exit.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Cluny Museum’s opening hours?
From 9.30 a.m. to 6.15 p.m. every day except Monday. The ticket office closes at 5.30 p.m. and the rooms are cleared from 5.45 p.m. On the first and third Thursdays of the month the museum stays open until 9 p.m.
How much is a ticket?
€14 at the full rate and €12 at the reduced rate, including on the late-opening Thursdays. A one-hour guided visit adds €4, and a two-hour workshop €9.
Is the Cluny Museum free?
On the first Sunday of each month, without booking. It is also free for under-18s, for EU residents aged 18 to 25, for job-seekers and for holders of the Paris Museum Pass.
Where is the Lady and the Unicorn?
The six tapestries are shown in a room dedicated to them in the museum, which is open every day except Monday.
Is the medieval garden open?
No. The garden inspired by medieval gardens is closed to the public “until further notice”, for safety reasons. In addition, the frigidarium, room 1, is closed on Saturday 31 October 2026 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Do I need to book?
Online booking is recommended but not compulsory; on the first Sunday of the month, free entry needs no booking.
Which metro station is nearest?
Cluny – La Sorbonne on line 10, about 96 metres away. The RER B and C platforms at Saint-Michel Notre-Dame are about 187 metres away; the line 4 platforms there are closed until 19 December 2026.