The Musée de la Carte à jouer, a unique collection dedicated to our card games, in Issy (92).

Just south of Paris, in Issy-des-Moulineaux (92), you'll find a museum that's unique in France: the Musée de la Carte à jouer, a cultural venue devoted entirely to card games, from the first models to appear in the 15th century, right up to the present day.

From 7 familles to bataille, tarot to crapette, card games have become part of our culture. To find out more, head for the French Playing Card Museum in Issy-les-Moulineaux, south of Paris. Since 1997, the museum has been welcoming visitors to its unusual collection of playing cards. From the oldest, miraculously preserved cards dating back to the 15th century, to the most recent ones we use every day in our card games, step back in time and discover the singular history of card games, in France and around the world.

The permanent collections feature some exceptional pieces, such as the costume designed by André Derain for the Moscow Ballet, inspired by the motifs of playing cards. Clubs, spades, diamonds and hearts: these four essential symbols of our games tell, in their own way, the story of the evolution of these cards, once reserved for a very privileged social class. Throughout your visit, you'll find a wealth of card sheets on display (before they were cut up and packaged), as well as collectors' decks of great historical value.

You'll discover that the King of France used to learn the names of foreign counties (from a very early age) from a deck of cards, sorted geographically with spades, diamonds, hearts and clubs. That in India, cards are not rectangular, but round, that in Japan, certain decks were made on silk paper and embroidered with gold thread... Join us with friends or family (the museum is particularly kid-friendly) for a self-guided tour of these unique collections, or take one of the guided tours regularly offered by the museum.

Frommagical tours (organized by a real magician) to fun and escape games, the museum has a comprehensive program for all ages! The musée de la carte à jouer is open from Wednesday to Sunday, except during the second half of August, when it is closed for the year. The building is fully accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Prices range from €3 to €6 per adult, with no admission charge for the under-26s and free admission on the first Sunday of every month. To get to the musée de la carte à jouer, take metro line 12 (Mairie d'Issy stop), RER line C or the streetcar (Val-de-Seine stop). Enjoy your visit!