Undoubtedly, one of the best parts of living in Paris is having a zillion amazing museums at your fingertips. Whit and I are major museum nerds. We like almost any kind of museum – fine art, science, natural history – whatever it is, we want to learn about it.

Paris has a number of world-famous museums that you shouldn’t miss if you’re in town for a few days (the Louvre, l’Orangerie, Centre Pompidou, Rodin, Picasso, etc.). But you might not know that there are DOZENS (hundreds?) of lesser-known museums that are also very much worth a visit.

Fun fact: On the first Sunday of each month, the city of Paris offers free entry to a number of these museums. One such rainy Sunday, we attempted to visit Centre Pompidou, but quickly turned away when we saw the hundreds of people queuing in line. We ended up around the corner at this adorable, hidden gem.

Also located in the Marais, the trendiest neighborhood filled with small cobbled streets and pretty, tiny boutiques (which we happened to live adjacent to!), le Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature is dedicated to the history of hunting and nature. Through artwork, taxidermy, and objects, the museum tells the story of the relationship between man and animal through the ages.

It’s a little offbeat (hello wall of stuffed deer heads), but it’s a fun and unusual way to spend a cold or rainy day in a city bursting at the seams with all kinds of art to be admired.

After a couple of rooms of taxidermy, you’ll find paintings, sculptures, tapestries, and objects, including a room of guns and hunting swords.

We particularly enjoyed resting in velvet-clad rooms pretending to be 19th century huntsmen drinking whiskey after a chase.

Would you visit this quirky museum the next time you visit Paris? In my opinion, it’s a fun little secret place!

Right now, you can tour the museum virtually via the website! Let me know if you do 🙂