This major annual event is the favorite celebration for art and heritage enthusiasts. Even the more scientifically minded will find it worthwhile: yes, in Paris, there’s a museum for every passion! So mark the date in your calendar: this Saturday, May 23, 2026, the Nuit des Musées is back in full swing!
Once again this year, the Musée des Arts et Métiers welcomes curious young and old alike to the rooms of the museum dedicated to the inventions of all time. Cars, airplanes, monumental buildings, computers and music boxes, cathedral models... The museum's collections offer a glimpse of mankind's most extraordinary inventions.
As you make your way through the collections, let yourself be hypnotized by the oscillations of Foucault's pendulum as you watch the Earth spin, by flying machines in pursuit of Icarus' dream, be electrified by the sparks of human genius, captivated by demonstrations from the past. Organized into seven thematic sections, the tour features some of the finest pieces in the museum's collection.
The iconic Saint-Martin-des-Champs Church is packed with technical treasures. Let yourself be surprised by this mystery flash tour, guided by the mediator’s favorites.
Meet at the church, ground floor - Duration: 15 minutes
Want to see life through rose-tinted glasses? Or would you rather be scared out of your wits? Tonight, anything could happen! Put on your spectacles to add a splash of color to your life and imagine a whimsical world in the spirit of the artist Jacques Carelman.
Same-day reservations at the museum’s reception (tickets can be picked up from 6:00 PM).
Following a look at various optical toys, children aged 7 to 12—accompanied by an adult—will craft a thaumatrope on the theme of night.
Reservations on the day at the museum's reception (tickets available for collection from 6 p.m.).
Before the instruments and objects used by the renowned scientist, discover the remarkable experiments and theories he developed. This tour is also an opportunity to learn more about the extraordinary path of the man widely regarded as the father of modern chemistry.
Meet at the Scientific Instruments collection, 2nd floor - Duration: 15 minutes
With this piano, the melody won’t come from fluid motions or the nimbleness of our fingers. It all depends on the power in the calf…
Join us in the Mechanics collection, 1st floor - Duration: 15 minutes
This unusual achievement dates from the first half of the 19th century and represents years of dedicated effort. It has been part of the museum’s collection since 1862, thanks to a donation from the artist: René Lambourg. Why is this work considered a genuine technical tour de force?
Meet at: Materials Collection (1st floor). Duration: 15 minutes
A membrane, a steel needle, and a stand—the trio you need to cut grooves and then hear the music you treasure or the melodic inflections of a voice. The earliest phonographs feel magical, for even in their simplest form they reveal the full complexity of sound.
Rendez-vous: Collection Communication (1st floor), projection space. Duration: 15 minutes
The iconic Saint-Martin-des-Champs Church is brimming with technical treasures. Let yourself be surprised by this mystery fast tour, guided by the curator’s heart (favorites).
Meeting point: Saint-Martin des Champs Church (ground floor). Duration: 15 minutes
The challenge Clément Ader faced in designing the first airplane was enormous: to build a steam-powered machine light enough to break free from gravity. By 1890, a peculiar mechanical bat is poised to take a decisive step in the conquest of the skies.
Rendez-vous: Collection transports (rez-de-chaussée) - escalier d’honneur. Durée: 15 minutes
In 1769, military engineer Nicolas Cugnot built the first vehicle capable of breaking free from animal-powered traction. Come discover the story of this audacious project that sparked widespread fascination.
Meet at: Transport Collection (ground floor). Duration: 15 minutes
When James Watt perfected his steam engine in 1776 and claimed to have created the universal machine, was he not exaggerating a tad?
Meeting point: Energy Collection (1st floor). Duration: 15 minutes
1793: the war-torn landscapes of revolutionary France witness the emergence of strange towers crowned with articulated masts. Claude Chappe has just inaugurated the first line of his optical telegraph, the ancestor of telecommunications.
Visit: Communications Collection (1st floor). Duration: 15 minutes
Take part in this extraordinary nocturnal journey through the Musée des Arts et Métiers. An adventure worthy of Jules Verne's novels for all curious and scientific minds. Shall we go?
Dates and Opening Time
On May 23, 2026
Location
Museum of Arts and Crafts
60 Rue Réaumur
75003 Paris 3
Access
Metro line 3 or 4 "Réaumur Sébastopol" station, line 3 or 11 "Arts et Métiers" station
Prices
Free
Official website
www.arts-et-metiers.net
