During my last trip to Paris, I made sure to visit this museum to explore the history of perfume, given my love for both history and fragrances. It was enjoyable to explore on my own and see how perfume and scents have evolved, with many beautiful pieces and artworks that I easily lost track of time. I wish there had been more opportunities to smell -- although maybe not all of the scents were pleasant -- of the original fragrances you hear about during the tour, but I enjoyed trying the different perfumes in the shop. The sales clerks' high-pressure tactics somewhat lessened the relaxed feeling, but overall, I really liked it, and I did purchase a few delightful perfumes. I bought Ile Damour and Melodie because, in my opinion, they smelled classically French. read more

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This is by far one of the most unique museums I've been to. Most are history or art of the region, this one was dedicated to perfume and beauty. It was pretty cool to walk around and see the displays with vintage perfume bottles and vessels. At the end of the tour (which was free) you get dumped into a gift shop (go figure). The cool thing about the gift shop is the build your own perfume section. This was a nice inexpensive way to spend part of the afternoon in Paris. read more

Musée du Parfum Fragonard - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

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The experience wasn't long enough. I enjoyed learning about the fragrances in the perfume. We made a blend that contains citrus and florals. It was an excellent tour and experience. However, at the end, the guide takes you into the main showroom. It's hard to hear and they want you to buy the scents they display on the card. They spend time explaining the experience upstairs and lead you to their main perfume area where others can hear (who didn't pay for the tour) to explain the final part. Then they ask which one you want to buy. The end of the tour didn't sit well with me, but the overall learning experience and sample perfume is great! read more

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I've been to so many musées in Paris that I'm always looking for a new one. I didn't know which I'd pick on this visit and totally happened upon Musée du Parfum Fragonard. We were shopping in the area and had a little time to spare before a nearby bar we were going to grab cocktails at opened. I glanced around at maps on my phone when I spotted this musée. I read a few reviews and was really excited to get out of the rain and dip in for a visit. The space is gorgeous and I absolutely adored our visit. I learned so much about the parfum process and seeing the extensive collection of bottles here was really fascinating. The audio tour is absolutely fantastique. My bestie even seemed interested. We spotted two older ladies who were also thoroughly enjoying themselves, the cutest. If you've been to Paris a bunch of times and you love finding new spots to visit, I'd definitely recommend coming here. I purchased a very yummy belle chérie upon exiting and entering their store. read more

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Very disturbing experience. We were given confusing instructions upon entrance, and we ended up going on a tour with a young woman from Mexico, who did not seem to know very much about the history and the value of perfume. She basically told us that all perfume was water and that buying is illogical. As someone who is a great connoisseur of perfumes and very knowledgeable about their origin and their ingredients I was astounded. She finally told us we were on the wrong tour because we hadn't booked it earlier / very ungracious to say the least / this was a huge disappointment! read more

For the price of the experience, you get to make a perfume scent they pick for you and you get a tour of the museum which is worth it! I do wish the perfume was a little more custom where we could pick scents we like instead of a pre-planned scent. But it was overall a great experience that is a fun activity to do while near the Galeries Lafayette! read more

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This museum was very small, very smelly in a good way, it was a very nice free museum to pass the time as you walk towards the Opéra Garnier. I thought it was more about all of the history of perfumes, like to mention: Opium by Yves Saint Laurent, Habit Rouge by Guerlain, and so on... but it mostly focuses on the history of Fragonard which was very interesting anyways. It was very cute and the historical artifacts from the history of perfumery, to the way it was and is manufacture to the types of scents and much more... if you love the smell of great scents and history as well, this place is nice to visit. read more

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When you come to Paris, you've gotta visit this perfume museum. One of the oldest and bestest perfume house in France!! They have guided English speaking tours explaining the history of this great smelling thing. Did you know that in the old days, thanks to the invention of perfumes bc French people averaged only 2 showers a year?? Pewwwwwwyyyyyyy ....I'm sure they have their reasons, but I'm just glad that that's now in the past!!! I love perfumes. Maybe one day I'll have my own brand so I, too can retire like the beautiful actress Elizabeth Taylor who literally retired on her own brand for decades in Beverly Hills!! read more

Musée du Parfum Fragonard - Smelling good!! - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

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To be really honest, had the workshop been done correctly - I'm telling you, the teacher thought she was in front of a bunch of women who knew nothing about perfumery - this place would've had at least another star from moi. Pourquoi pas? Nope, not this madame. I was ready to mix and experience making my own notes in a bottle. The instructor picks up the students who would be stuck with a "F" sticker on them and brings us to a classroom a bit below the shop. I was disappointed that there were only about 10 super diluted bottles of essentials - 80% citrus - no musk, rose (or some other flower essence - Romarin was supposed to be rosemary but I smelled like Joesmary). The teacher, a middle-aged scrawny French woman starts telling everyone about ladidah-ladihdih.... and keep saying "eau de cologne". "Woman, " I was saying to her in my head, "I didn't pay for this class only to be told I am making lemonade with a hint of neroli !" I think I have to simmer down my temper ... getting old is not easy especially when you have been sniffing different kinds of perfumes and sh## for over half your life ... I am a passionate Perfumista and there was this one time (at Band Camp) where I had ALMOST every single bottle of perfume known to Vogue, even Anna Wintour will gasp. My perfume game is done with passion and a lot of knowledge, Hence the class was a disappointment for me. Ms. Oh D. Cologne kept yakking and yakking ... I asked her (raising my hand after she asks who among us has experience and knowledge about the different kinds of notes), "may I ask if we will also learn about making elixirs today ?"... Face Palm Sunday. She didn't quite understand what I meant by elixir - but that's the same word in French for pure perfume ! LOL, talk about rage in a perfume class in Paris. Geez, all I do nowadays is rant, don't I ? Again, premenopausal is something you (girls AND boys) wouldn't be looking forward to. There is a little tour after the class. I toured the shop on the main floor...endless fragrances and the entire shop smells soooooo Euro. LOL. I bought a Fragonard Shoppers Bag, a coffered set, The Eiffel Tower EDP, soap set, Immortelle, L'Orange and some more perfumes. I guess you can say I'm not that much of a perfume fanatic. I have to admit, I brought the bottle of essences (diluted) that I paid for back home. I also have a bottle of the concoction of liquids that yielded a scent similar to Cool Water mixed with Dolce and Gabbana's In Blue. Very citrusy and disappears after 30 seconds. So when I got back to homeland, I added some pure Ylang-Ylang oil to my Fragonard creation and OH YES, that's what I'm talking about ! For real, his review cannot be any shorter. I just have nothing else to say ! Au revoir! read more

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I'm finding it hard to believe that I'm writing a 2-star review for a museum, because how bad could a museum in a major world city really be? As I was to find out, pretty awful. This was maybe my 8th or 9th trip to Paris, so I wanted to focus on more off-the-beaten-path museums, for a change. I'm very into fragrances and the history of perfume, and took a class on the psychology of olfaction in college, so I thought the Musée du Parfum would be a perfect stop for me. This museum is essentially a tour into a gift shop -- and while this cash grab is subtle at some museums, it's very obvious here. Fragonard has not really created a museum as much as an interactive store, and that, to me, is fine, but don't market it as a museum. The tour guide who led our group of 15-18 people through the halls of the "museum" was not especially knowledgeable and seemed to have memorized many of her talking points incorrectly. There are some interesting artifacts and memorabilia in here, but also a case of extremely racist perfume bottles that are presented basically with no pretext and fairly offensive captioning. The "curation" in this "museum" seems to have been done by tone-deaf marketers. Perhaps I'm revealing my bourgeois tendencies here (as if I already hadn't), but I already knew a lot of the information the tour guide was imparting, and restrained myself from correcting her as she told us the wrong facts about... so many things? I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the group who caught these factual errors, but they were numerous and really detracted from my tour experience. There is no way to explore the "museum" without a tour guide, because they lead you into a fragrance-identification activity at the end of the tour that then plops you conveniently into a spiel on buying sets of fragrances. If you are an aficionado of luxury fragrances, you're not really going to find the best quality or most intriguing scents here -- everything is pretty run of the mill and this place really caters to tourists. As a marketing exercise, Fragonard has done something pretty canny here, as the museum is "free" but a large chunk of the tour group ends up dropping a bunch of euros at the end of the tour -- it's hard to resist the sales pitch, though you can see it coming from a mile away. Come to the Musée du Parfum if you know nothing about fragrance and want to buy something that smells florally mediocre, otherwise, skip it and visit the Galeries Lafayette beauty floor instead. read more

Mr & I walked into Musee du Parfum to find out they were starting an English-speaking tour in 5 min & we happily joined! Free entrance and available by tour only, there are 3 different languages from which to choose Tour is quoted as taking around 40 min & I can tell you the time flew by. It was extremely informative about the history of the perfume-making process, its origins in Grasse and the remaining schools of perfume left in France We then learned about the historical extraction process for various scents and how those practices are now outlawed & gave way to more effective and efficient ways to capture and produce perfumes, colognes and eau des toilettes.....also learning the difference of each & the percent of essential oils to alcohol We learned about the scent pyramid and how each perfume is created from a variety of scent layers & not just a single source & the importance of having a starting, middle & finishing scent as the perfume evaporates over time Finally, we were able to smell about 12 perfumes and lucky enough to choose our favorites at a discount. Who doesn't love to learn something then walk away with a long-lasting, good-smelling remembrance?? Thank you Fragonard!! read more

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5th generation perfumers make the creations found in the gift shop. The staff are lovely, friendly and went out of their way for me. The museum is definitely worth a visit, is educational and well planned. read more

Musée du Parfum Fragonard - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

A lover of beauty will find not visiting the Musée du Parfum Fragonard a regrettable sin of omission. Sign up for the complimentary tour (in French or in English). This was an enjoyable chance to view and admire the collections, while learning a thing or two about the process of perfume-making. If you have a bit of familiarity with the making of essential oils, it's one and the same. Being able to see the collection of antiquarian diffusers and perfume jars---priceless. read more

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THIS. PLACE. IS. AMAZING. I booked my friend and I the English speaking miniature class a couple days before attending. Right away the front desk hostess, Kimberly, was so kind not only to us but to everyone who came in before and after. We were given stickers that reflected what language we spoke and Kimberly expertly spoke to customers in English, French, and Spanish; it was very impressive. Then for the perfume class, a lovely woman, Daria, took us though the creation process of a perfume and the history of its practice. We got to make our own version of their current specialty line to take home. Daria also took us through the museum and gave us a tour where she went in depth about its collections and processes. She was SO knowledgeable. We had such a great time and I left with my personalized perfume and one from the shop! HIGHLY recommend!! (It's also the cheapest perfume class I found by a large margin) read more

Musée du Parfum Fragonard - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

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The Museé du Perfum by Fragonard is an experience worth having! The tour is free and you can experience it in English or French. You will learn lots about the process of perfume making and experience the unique scents of iconic Fragonard. We had a wonderful tour guide who was very friendly and lively, we later found out she was Brazilian! Not only will you learn about the process of perfume making but also learn the proper ways to wear perfume. All for free! Once the tour ends you will be welcomed into te boutique which sells EDP, EDT, scented toiletries, and the original Fragonard perfumes only sold in France thar come in aluminum containers...you learn about them on the tour. I definitely recommend taking time, about two hours, to experience this Museé du Perfum by Fragonard it's a cherry on top to your Paris vacation. read more

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Mini workshop very fun! Mixed a small spray bottle to take home. They sell spend more time trying to sell perfume but still great for a free tour. Don't forget to walk around to the other side of the building and visit the home store. read more

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This small free museum is conveniently located a few steps from the Opéra Garnier. It sits right behind the shop in a beautiful 19th century building, that used to be the Eden Théâtre. You can call ahead if you want to check the times for a guided tour in English, or just stop by like we did for the French version. You learn a lot of interesting facts about the fabrication secrets of the Fragonard perfume (not all of them of course....), and get to see lots of interesting antic objects. The visit ends with you getting to smell some of the perfumes offered (and a little history behind the most famous ones.) They hope you'll buy something, but there is absolutely no pressure. We actually did buy a couple bottles before the visit, as I love Fragonard and find their perfume very reasonably priced. But I'd advise you wait to buy as you may discover a scent you love after the visit, and ask questions to the staff, less busy there than in the shop. read more

Musée du Parfum Fragonard - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

I thought this place was super cute! I'm a junky for any place that has history or a tour guide! The small lobby area was adorable and we went up the stairs to begin our tour. The place was huge upstairs (I was getting used to everything being so tiny!). The very last room at the end of the tour is where they sell different perfumes. I forget what my favorite scent was (which I bought for my mom and sister)... Something with Isle (Island) in the name. It was a super light, fresh smell. If you're in the area and like perfume and/or history of any type, I think this would be a cute place to stop by for a tour and some perfume souvenirs! read more

Musée du Parfum Fragonard - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

Very interesting. I love the various displays of old tools and equipment to create a perfume. The evolution of these equipment is apparent... But my limited French was not enough to read all the descriptions. :( I'm sure if I knew what I was looking at and was able to figure out how it worked, this would be a 5 Star for me! The ladies at the Fragrance counter were absolutely lovely, friendly, hospitable and warm!!! Yes, I said warm!!! And yes, they were French!!! read more

A fun way to pass some time if you want something leisurely to do... And it's free!! Find the entrance... It's not the shop entrance... You go in and if you know french you can really hop on any tour... If not ask when the next tour is in your language. You go upstairs and there is a fun little game of matching the scents with a picture of what you think it is... It can be a little challenging... Then they go through a history of scent making and how they do it... All very interesting... No pictures though! But making perfume is like composing a score... It's an art! Then comes a little education about the scents. Of course they would like you to purchase something... But feel no pressure... Just browse around after the tour is done. Don't forget to smell everything!! I ended up with some nice soaps! read more

Musée du Parfum Fragonard - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

We ended up coming here after a combination of two things - we went to a little perfume museum at Versailles and there was a flyer for this in our hotel room. It ended up being convenient to get there, going through the Opera metro station and then walking around and into the block to find the museum. We were lucky as the English speaking tour had only just started so we dashed downstairs to join them. The tour was generally interesting, although it was followed by a sales pitch. I go on cruises, so trust me, this wasn't a particularly high pressure sales pitch. We bought some perfume not because of the pitch, but because it was good. I probably wouldn't go back to the museum again, but I would happily shop for perfume at the other stores. read more

This was a pleasant visit! We learned a little of the history of perfume and how it is made. The kids enjoyed the scents matching game. At the end of our visit, we went to their shop. There's something for everyone and specials if you buy two or more. The visit to the museum is free of course and their perfume makes a great souvenir or gift. read more

Musée du Parfum Fragonard - The back. - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

This one you can skip unless you are really into scent. Or perhaps I was not impressed because our tour guide seemed to be ready to run off to lunch or something and blew through in 5 minutes, not even mentioning half the exhibits in the place (another docent seemed to be taking considerably more care with another group). I guess since admission is free beggars can't be choosers? Even so...we doubled back after she took off to look at the figural pomanders, the parts of the distillation process and so on. We weren't there 15 minutes, without someone giving us more in-depth insight. Their big draw is of course the shop downstairs, which was so jammed that you could not do any real looking. We ultimately elected to move on. If you want to go, don't make it a week-end...or "l'heure du déjeuner", apparently. read more

To be honest, if no one brings you through the museum, the site itself is worth just 2 or at most 3 stars. I gave it 5 because I personally really like the cologne here and that itself gave it the extra 2, especially when I've been hunting this bottle for almost 10 years (long story, and no joke)! read more

This was a very good little stop on our journey in Paris. It was a tiny bit confusing where the entrance really is. Everyone spoke English and was very kind. There was a pretty good sales pitch at the end but that's expected. Staff was very knowledgeable about products. I also really loved the uniforms! read more

Musée du Parfum Fragonard - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

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A gem of a place, free to go to without too much hard sell at the end. Underneath the shop is a sweet museum. You go on a guided tour - apparently done in multiple languages - which was interesting and informative. After the tour they take you up to the shop and I was certain it was going to get pretty miserable and time-share-esque, but to be honest, it was fine. It was very easy to just walk away if you were so inclined. I ended up buying some perfume (Emilie) which I adore. Out of our group of around 20 or 30, only two of us actually bought anything, so there is definitely no pressure. A great free activity for a rainy day. read more

I LOVED this museum and store!!! One of my favorite stops while we were in Paris. The tour is short and sweet but full of interesting history about perfume. I loved the shop and Virginia who also lead the tour was so sweet and helpful. The perfumes are varying prices but packaged so lovely - I was in heaven. I wanted one of everything!!! It's a fun place in Paris and in a nice area of Paris - so go!!! read more

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Beautiful museum! Just the right amount of knowledge and beauty, truly an educational and fun experience! Definitely a place to come visit! read more

Lovely informative tour. Our guide Maria was very sweet and just lovely, and even though we are not children anymore, she still let us play a game, where we got to recognize the smells of flowers and fruits. We did buy some lovely perfumes, but it certainly was not obligatory. The quality of perfumes is very high, and the prices are reasonable. read more

LOVE all the scents reminiscent of Provence!! The museum was educational and helpful in understanding perfumes. I am a huge fan of Eclat!!

Fun free tour, be there at 1:30 for the English one, done in a large group and very informative. they will test your senses and share many different products and tips with you. there is no pressure to buy anything, but the store is amazing and there is a variety if things that fit all budgets and you really want to buy something. The location is tricky, they have the address as an old entrance, that a lovely gal sits at and had you the correct info wich is around the back of the building, avoid the long lines of asian bus tours and come a little early to use the bathroom. Very beautiful experience and worth it for all the girls visiting paris! read more

Definitely want to take the tour which is free while in Paris. Our tour guide did a great job of explaining the process of perfumes. If you like the perfumes after the tour you're able to buy some for a very reasonable price. We would recommend doing the tour! read more

What a beautiful experience into the history of perfume and Fragonard. I learned so much. I love that their fragrances are exclusive to France and only ship within Europe. Makes it so special and necessary to buy something if you like it and live outside of France. I shopped at 2 Fragonard locations and visited the museum. In addition to fragrance they sell soft goods, home, jewelry and gifts. I purchased a make your own 5 box fragrance set that comes with 3 travel cases as well as packaging should you plan to gift from your set. I also purchased a baby gift, earrings and a pillow. This is such a cute special place that's bright, and fragrant. My tour guide spoke very well and there is an overall pleasant vibe visiting their shops. read more

I love their scents, and I enjoyed seeing the museum. It's not on par with a serious museum, so if you're looking for the Louvre you're in the wrong place. Mainly, it's cool to see the interior of an 18th Century mansion, and check out some of the antique equipment they have on display. Considering it's free, I think it makes a nice break from shopping at Printemps or Galleries Lafayette, which are right around the corner. read more

I'm not sure what I expected of this museum. I found it through TripAdvisor when planning our Paris trip we took in Novemeber 2012. It got good ratings on TripAdvisor and it was free, so I figured why not. We went inside this museum and it had a very small portion upstairs dedicated to the history of perfume. Downstairs was a perfume store, which we did not stay to browse. With all the other attractions in Paris, unless you are very much a fan of scents or have a particular perfume you'd like to buy here, I would skip this one. read more

The guided tour was very fun and informative. We learned a lot about the history of perfume and the process of making it, especially for the Fragonard company. We also got to smell different ingredients and guess scents! Touring Musée Fragonard was a great rainy day activity. read more