Now here was a museum that required some amount of homework to appreciate the historical context of what we were seeing. That's because it wasn't that visually interesting, especially after seeing the stunning stained glass windows of Sainte-Chapelle. Like many twofer-driven tourists before us, Jamie W and I bought the combo 25€ ticket that allowed us entry into the chapel and then into this medieval building afterward. Even though the focus is on the last days of Marie Antoinette, this is no Versailles even though the Gothic secular architecture was structurally impressive, especially the vaulted Hall of the Guards. Cleverly they offer tablets which show animated recreations of what the former royal palace looked like in its heyday. The Marie Antoinette Chapel is the site of her last prison cell, but there is little visual sense of that pivotal point in French history. RELATED - Exploring Paris? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/TDhdgjoONI read more

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We bought a combo ticket with Sainte Chapelle for 30 euros, kids under 18 are free. We really enjoyed this museum, a former royal palace & prison for Marie-Antoinette. The best part is that we get an interactive iPad. You scan a QR code in each room & there's a 360 degree image that shows you what the room looked like in the past. It also had videos & games that taught you about the history of Conciergerie. We spent 1.5hrs here. The first Sunday of the month is free from Jan-March & Nov-Dec. read more

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If residing at Versailles' Petit Trianon was the zenith of Marie Antoinette's happiness, then certainly the nadir was her dismal cell at the Conciergerie. A sad coda to her life. Right next to Sainte Chappell, is the Palais de Justice and the infamous Conciergerie where the young French Republic housed its many political prisoners. The museum is a sobering reminder of the abuse of power and weaponized law; it's also a great place to learn about this transitional era of French history and the role the Conciergerie played. It's fascinating to peruse the cells, jailers' offices, kitchen facilities, and of course, the cell - now shrine - of Marie Antoinette. The building's interior architecture is ironically beautiful with its soaring buttresses and arches. Well worth the combined entry ticket with Saint Chappell. read more

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To be honest, I didn't really know what the Conciergerie was. I had heard about it because of combined bookings for Sainte Chapelle, but that's about it. After we were done with Sainte Chapelle, we were walking by the Conciergerie, which was right next door and decided to pop in since it was a part of the Museum Pass. And that's the beauty of the Museum Pass - you discover things you normally wouldn't go to/be interested in. It was a Sunday at around 3:30, and it wasn't too crowded. The coolest thing about the visit was that they had a 'Histopad', which is this little iPad you walk around with that uses AR to reimagine what each room would have looked like back in the day. It was used as a prison, with its most famous prisoner being Marie Antoinette. We spent probably about 30 minutes before getting bored. I would say it definitely worth a visit if you have the time and a Museum Pass, or if you're really into history. Otherwise, I would count this as one of the 'must sees' of Paris. read more

Musée de la Conciergerie - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

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The concierge museum. Housing many high ranked French officials as well as Austria princess Marie Antionette and her husband Louie XVI. It was previously a prison for many including Marie Antionette and Louie XVI for a short time. It was also part of parliament and imprisoned both rich and poor criminals with the rich having a rather luxurious prison life. It's now final state is as a museum with hundreds of visitors a day. A super interesting and cool museum and memorial with lots of history. They also have some super cute gifts include the red dragon plush and key chain which I purchased as a gift. read more

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Plans were to see the Chapelle, but stumbled upon the Marie Antoinette exhibit here trying to find the Chapelle. Buy a joint ticket here for the exhibit and then to get into the Chapelle. Discounted price. The exhibit was about Marie Antoinette. The main floor space was filled with fabulous artifacts. The original documents that listed the charges against her. The shroud and cap she worn during her be heading was on display too. Books, portraits and items over the centuries representing Marie Antoinette. So much information. Use the map and follow the numbers to discover more about the space. The cell and the private chapel that MA was held in and used. And all this time I thought she was held at the Bastille. Learning history is so much more fun in person. read more

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This seems like a "we wanted to see St. Chapelle but we couldn't get in so here we are" type of a place. You can get a twofer ticket to see both at a discount, but Sainte-Chapelle wasn't accessible on the day of our visit. There are some historical things to learn about Marie Antoinette here. Probably half an hour's worth of time to visit unless you're really in to this. read more

There is not much to see here. There are three small sections and an outside area. Basically looking at prison cells. Nothing wow. I guess the audio would be useful. We were not interested in the audio. The interior is super open. read more

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I was lucky to come at the time when they were exhibiting artifacts, jewelry, fashion about Marie Antoinette, who was one of the famous figures in the history of France to have been imprisoned here while awaiting her trial. I walked into what seemed like a large dungeon/basement area where it was displayed, very interesting exhibit with a ton of artwork, books, clothing, etc. It was free for first Sunday of every month, highly recommend coming here if you're new in town! read more

Musée de la Conciergerie - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

Definitely get the 5€ Histopad to share in your group for a richer museum experience with more historical context. If I hadn't had that, I would have spent much less time here, and the descriptions on the walls would have felt incomplete and insufficient with the large empty spaces to walk around. However, the spaces definitely came alive more with the interactive content in my hands to explore while also looking at each space. I also liked that the iPad kept track of what rooms I had been in (green) and hadn't been in yet (blue), which helped me see that I missed a space and could go back and find it. Easily spent 2hrs here by myself exploring the spaces. It only felt occasionally crowded when large groups took over the smaller spaces- but they were easy enough to escape in the layout. read more

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The Location: Metro #4, Exit "Cite", few minutes walk from the metro station. Right next to Sainte-Chapelle. The Admission: 8.5 euro This vestige of the first Capertian palace with its grand Gothic halls, converted into a prison in the 15th century. Not much to see... except the big hall. There is a gift shop there. The architecture and river view are beautiful. read more

Musée de la Conciergerie - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

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All hat, no cattle, as they say in Texas. Of all the museums I visited in Paris, and there were many, this was by far the least interesting. Not sure if something was lost in translation, or I expected too much. All of my guide books played up the haunted aspects of the building's history and would say the ghosts of the guillotine must still wander the eerie halls. Oh, the menacing grandeur! And while it is beautiful outside and in, befitting its creation as a royal residence, the exhibits caused me to shake my head not in terror, but in bemusement. The Conciergerie gained fame, more like infamy, by being the prison and execution point for most prisoners (4,000) during the French Revolution. All told, it operated as a prison from 1391 until 1914, and its most famous prisoner was Marie-Antoinette. In one of the upstairs galleries you can see a list of prisoners and their occupations. And I did find a friend's name (same surname and first initial) which was an unexpected surprise. There are so many other museums that have well curated exhibits and such attention to detail, this was a let down. The only high point (or was it a low point), was the ridiculously flirtatious guard collecting tickets. To give you an example, most of the "highlights" mentioned in my guidebook turned out to be recreations. So, while they attempt to reconstruct what Marie-Antoinette's cell would have looked like, there were renovations so it is a reasonable facsimile. What was oddest to me is that the main hall was filled with all sorts of "prison art" most of which was just plain bad. And the topper were the castle recreations, by those masters at Playmobil and Lego. I really don't need to see Harry Potter's Hogwarts at a historic site in Paris. I was doing some serious head scratching here. The only good news for me was that I didn't pay much because it was part of my Paris Museum Pass. But, this was the only location where I didn't get to jump the ticket line with my pass because they do the security screening first and everyone queues up in the same line. Saint-Chapelle is in the same complex, and I found that a bit more interesting. So the structure and surroundings were engaging, but the museum's contents were not. read more

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We walked right up to the conciergerie and almost walked past it! It is easy to miss if you are expecting a line outside to get in. This building has housed so many different things in its time. One of the more famous uses for the building was a prison. Marie Antoinette was held here before she was prosecuted. Very cool to read about the history of the building and see the amazing architecture. read more

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Honestly, I have no idea why the Musee de la Conciergerie is considered a "top" tourist attraction in Paris. It's small and really doesn't offer much to see. There are so many other things to see and I'd highly recommend you spend your time elsewhere. That being said, it is included on the Paris museum pass and if you're really hard up looking for something to do then it's an OK place to waste a half hour. It's so small and really doesn't take anymore than 30 minutes to go through. They have 2-3 rooms with signs to look at that discuss the paris revolution and prison, and they have 1 prison cell setup to look out. Other than those few rooms and the pretty architecture, there's nothing else to do or look out. Everything from the prison and revolutionary era has been stripped so the only things of interest are those few rooms inside the museum. I definitely don't recommend you go out of your way or pay to make a visit here. It's just not big enough or interesting enough to warrant your time/money. 0 read more

Whatever the definition of a history buff is I'm pretty much the polar opposite. How weird then, that on this trip to France I found myself actually picking up some knowledge of French history and retaining it. Will wonders never cease. Stumbling into this place only a few days after touring ALL of Versailles, I found myself interested to stand at ground zero for France's "Reign of Terror". Here's where "prisoners" were sent, tried, sentenced, and murdered all within a matter of days. Thousands of them. Marie Antoinette, who had lived so grandly at Versailles, wound up in a cell here (on display) and was quickly tried, found guilty, and taken from here to meet her maker. Others were executed in the somber courtyard, despite the fact that no placque will actually tell you that fact. There's a cost to enter the Conciergerie and unless you're really interested, this probably isn't worth it. If, however, you 1) have a multi-day Paris Museum pass (which will give you free admission) 2) are already about 1 minute away, viewing the stained glass of Sainte-Chapepelle (also free with museum pass), and 3) have already seen the way Marie lived at Versailles then check it out. It's kind of like those Enron biggies who lived so large and fell so far. Okay, I think I just exposed my dim understanding of history... gotta go before more is revealed. read more

Conciergerie was our first stop in my site seeing of Paris. We started here because the crowd is a lot smaller then the other sites and the easiest place to get the 2 Day Paris Museum Pass which costs 48 euro. It gives you entry into almost every famous museum/site in Paris. And you get to skip the main queue. Normal admission is 9 euro. I love the backstory of this place, it used to be a prison during the French Revolution. Going down to the Hall of the Guards was pretty neat. It dates back to the Middle Ages. The construction it is pretty amazing. I love the pillars and narrow halls. It gets a little catastrophic after awhile though. read more

Musée de la Conciergerie - Hall of Guards - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

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This is a great little museum and a very relaxing one. It includes the oldest remaining ballroom in Europe along with tributes to many who were incarcerated during the French Revolution including Marie Antoinette for example. Gorgeous and well maintained, there are some great recreations and educational displays and everything is translated into a myriad of languages. This isn't a huge museum, but it doesn't need to be huge for you to learn a lot upon a brief visit. There's a small gift shop here which is nice to have. And there are nice, well-maintained restroom facilities. I loved learning the history here and it wasn't lined up when we visited so that was great as well. The architecture was great. read more

I became enthralled with this building from the 1st time I saw it. I was walking across the Seine on one of the bridges when I noticed it. It looked just like a castle and I immediately stopped to take a picture of it. I didn't know what it was, but I decided I would find out. Back at the hotel, I showed the picture to one of the girls at the front desk and she told me that this was La Conciergerie and it was indeed a former palace and also a prison. My then partner and I went back the next day. Entry is 7€ and concessions are available for select groups such as under 18s and young adults. There actually isn't too much to see compared to the vast size of the building because most of it is still a working part of the French judiciary system. There are some intresting displays on the French Revolution and on the French royals that inhabited the palace so many years ago. read more

Musée de la Conciergerie - Looking like a proper palace - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

A very utilitarian space, which shows off the incredible Gothic arching supports of the large scale construction in Paris buildings of the time. For a true history buff, very good maps of the buildings on the Ile de la Citee and charts of the way it grew. Good for seeing cells of the rich and shameless on their way to the guillotine. Best for uncrowded bathrooms close to Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle. Use your Museum Pass for easy entry and skip the line. read more

The architecture inside was so beautiful. The arches and the shadows given off by them created an eerie feeling. I bought the Paris Museum Pass here and it was helpful. This museum is part of the pass. However, touring the building was a bit confusing because of all the random information. There wasn't just enough direction in the place itself. I don't even know if I visited everything there in the museum because I couldn't tell which way to go. Despite the lack of museum organization, the building and its usage has a lot of history behind it. Being in the actual building really helps put a perspective on the history. Marie Antoinette was imprisoned here before she was beheaded and it creates a very interesting visit when considering who was in there and what happened. read more

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A huge building located on the banks of the Seine, the Conciergerie was built in 1313 as part of a royal complex that includes Sainte-Chapelle. From 1391-1941, the building functioned as a prison and torture chamber. During the French Revolution, more that 27,000 people were tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal, some of the most famous being Marie Antionette and Maximillien Robespierre. The vaulted hall of Salle des Gens is considered to be one of the finest examples of secular Gothic architecture in Europe. This building is famous for the fact that Marie Antoinette spent the final days of her life held in captivity, before her ultimate death. read more

Musée de la Conciergerie - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

A relly interesting place to visit, you can see the cell of Marie-Antoinette and how the poor prisoner were treat too. The monument is beautiful too. Only bad thing is it s a bit small and the visit is quickly done. read more

Musée de la Conciergerie - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

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A must for anyone interested in the history of Paris and the French Revolution as this is where the prisoners (including Marie Antoinette, Danton, Saint Just and Robespierre et al) were kept before their rendezvous with the guillotine. The interior is really bleak and quite gloomy as it hasn't been prettified at all. You can see the big vaulted hall where prisoners were kept, some cells and the chapel that has been erected over the site of Marie Antoinette's cell plus the yard where the female prisoners did their exercising. It is all just as it used to be and is very evocative. There is also a small room with the names of all the guillotine's victims written around the walls. read more

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Located not too far from Notre-dame, near the Seine River, this former Royal Palace & prison in Paris was built in the 14th century. This magnificent Gothic building was the first residence of the king of France and hard to imagine the "Reign of Terror" that occurred there where 40,000 people died of execution & imprisonment. on a span of 10 months. Walking along the halls was eerie...creepy and my mind goes back during the french revolution and the brutal piece of French history that happened there. The dungeons were in stark contrast to the beautiful architecture of the palace. It was said that the quality of life of the prisoners depends upon the prisoners wealth and the jailors demands. So money talks then..as it is now... It was hard to imagine once that one of the famous prisoners was a royalty...Marie Antoinette, the Queens of France, who lived grandiosely would end up there , was tried, detained & convicted there and was executed by guillotine on October 16, 1793. Paris has a lot of history and the buildings around it tells a different story of a different time, so interesting and depressing at the same time...If only the walls can speak..... read more

Located just a few minutes from Notre Dame, this is a very interesting museum/former prison. The wife especially liked the picture presentations and the fact that explanations about the history was also in English. The prisoner cells were particularly interesting. The Prisoner's Gallery and Revolutionary Tribunal were rather creepy because it is easy to take yourself back in time to imagine what happened. The every day life of the prisoners was horrible, needless to say, unless you had some money and could buy better accommodations. This is a very worthwhile use of time and an adult fare is just 8.50 Euro in 2014. read more

This was a complete and utter let down; there is truly no need to waste your time or money. The older photos make it appear that there was a bit more to see at one point. When we stopped in, exhibits were being "renovated", at least that's what the tacky tape and types signs said. As other reviewers mentioned, everything is a recreation, which is fine but would and could have so much more of an impact if they provided more interesting history to read while you're there. You could be in and out in 15 mins and that's being generous. The most interesting part is the main entrance hall. There are stunning archways and pillars plus an MC Escher-esque stair. I'm pretty sure you can spot these from the entrance and exit door windows, so do it and save yourself the expense. read more

We were able to go on Free Sunday. Unfortunately, nothing past the gift shop was open. We couldn't see the Prisoners' Gallery, The Girondins' Chapel, Marie-Antoinette's Chapel or cell, or the Women's Courtyard. All the space that was open to us was literally large vacant rooms. It took us longer to get through security than it took us to view the space. There is a public washroom. The gift shop also had some nice items at a good price. However, I didn't get any history beside what I read in the brochure. read more

The conciergerie is a beautiful and interesting place to visit. It is full of history and the building is very impressive. You barely believe it is a place where people were in jail. The only bad thing is it s the visit will be quickly done. It s also very easy to go there as it is in the middle of Paris and not really far from the cathedrale Notre Dame. read more

Musée de la Conciergerie - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

Everyone, and I mean everyone, from the Girondins to Charlotte Corday to Marie Antoinette to Robespierre the almost 16 thousand named and nameless victims of the 'Reign of Terror', passed through this staging ground en route to their beheadings. It's a bit macabre given that you can loiter in the chapel where the doomed Girondins held their last dinner (all but the one who committed suicide), gawk at the recreated cell of the Austrian-born Marie Antoinette, and pour over the names of the noble notables (apparently the Revolution did not consider it necessary to collect the names of its non-aristocratic victims) that left life after kneeling to pray at Madam La Guillotine. Be aware if you buy tickets to this and Saint Chapelle, you will still (even though they say you won't) have to wait in line at the Chapelle. AND you better not bring your pocket knife - it will be confiscated and never returned. read more

Paris is all about history. It's amazing to see historic buildings from centuries ago still standing and this was one spot I needed to see since I am a French history buff, specifically the French Revolution. I was fine until I walked into a small room that had the names of all the people at that time who were guillotined - and that's when my flesh started to crawl and I had to get out of there!!!! It's a must see - but I could not linger....felt so much better after I went to Berthillon for ice cream. read more

We happened to arrive just as a tour in English was beginning (they do one per day) and it ended up being a really interesting and educational experience. It is worth looking up when a tour is scheduled and plan your visit around that, I don't think we would have enjoyed the visit nearly as much without it. If not, be sure to read the history of the building, it was once a medieval royal castle and then was used as a prison. It has some of the finest examples of gothic architectures in the main hall, beautiful vaulted archways. You can see the actual cells where prisoners were detained - including the cell where Queen Marie Antoinette was held. You can also see an actual Guillotine blade. read more

rad. the great hall (where you enter) is absolutely gorgeous with all the arches, grand fireplaces & great lighting. it's small, but they did a good job. it's nice & quiet, so you get a good feel for it. highly recommend. read more

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This place is literally located right next to Sainte Chapelle Cathedral (a must visit while in Paris) and should not be overlooked if you are interested in history. The Conciergerie was once a palace and jail and has an interesting story. There is not a whole lot of stuff to look at here, you are mainly reading displays. Don't get me wrong, the displays were great and very interesting, but if you are not a reader and just not that into French History then this likely won't be a place of interest to you. My wife and I enjoyed it. It was worth spending about an hour of our time to read everything that was on display. Additionally, admission to the Conciergerie is covered by the purchase of the Paris Museum Pass. read more

If you have a pass and are interested in history go. If you don't have either it may not be your favorite place. It was kind of creepy, but interesting. There were a lot of "this may have happened here" moments though. Also, the staged Marie Antoinette room was kind of odd. It was definitely an experience to be there, as far as old prisons and death go. The Gothic architecture is quite remarkable. read more

It's a place with some rather sad and funny exhibits. Some mannequins in cells and a few bits of furniture that are 'similar' to those headless royals might have sat on, slept on or eaten at during their last days alive. I would not recommend, but like the palace of Versaille it's perhaps worth a visit but without any actual curating or artifacts its a dull and expensive short visit. read more

From the outside the Conciergerie is magnificant, however the inside falls a little short. I can understand why people would be disappointed with the visit, however it is such a big part of history that you can't pass it up. I thought that there would have been a lot more on the inside to see, especially with the jail cells. It is still worth walking through and trying to comprehend everything that happened in this building. I think they could do a better job, but it was still worth seeing. read more

I had the exact same experience as Dee last week. I felt something evil coming from that room and I had to run out of there. I was tempted to ask a tour guide or museum staff what the room was used for in the past, but I'm not sure I want to know. read more

We went right as they were closing, and it was nearly empty. Fortunately, we had the Paris Museum Pass and it didn't cost us anything extra to get inside. In addition, there were no lines- and Clean, empty bathrooms!! Le Conciergerie was perhaps my least favorite "touristy" thing we did in Paris. Although it is an impressive example of Medieval architecture, its smaller exhibits are largely manufactured (replicas based on assumptions). The Main hall is beautiful, and I believe original. It's definitely a neat space, and fun to imagine what it must have been like when occupied by the guards. They have small "exhibit" rooms that are supposed to display what cells would have been like for prisoners at the time. They also have multiple (small) museum displays with lots of historical information about how prisoners came to be at the Conciergerie (most awaiting death by guillotine during the Revolution). There is also a "replica" of Marie Antoinette's cell. Unfortunately, there have been so many structural changes to the Conciergerie over the years that it is impossible for them to display things as they were- but they have done a nice job. (Example: there is now a small Chapel, and multiple walls in the physical space where Marie Antoinette's Cell actually existed.) Overall, I would say it isn't worth making a special trip to Ile de la cite for Le Conciergerie, but if you are nearby and in the need of a clean bathroom and a break from the chaos- and you have a Museum Pass- it is worth the "free" admission. Bottom line- don't spend hours waiting in line for this, unless you are a huge French History Buff! read more