I'm looking for some museums off the beaten path for a 15 year brilliant young friend of ours who is going to Paris with his mom. Someone metioned the Albert Kahn Museum and Cite Industrie Science Museum. Someone else mentioned the Artes & Metiers museum in Paris and the French Museum of the History of photography in Essonne outside of Paris. The young man is interested in science and photography.

I would appreciate any comments on whether any of the above are worthwhile, or if you have any other suggestions. Thanks.

Edited name of museum in title to facilitate searches.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Doru,

Not off the beaten path by any means, but the Pompidou has a good photography collection if memory serves.

Pompidou

Hugh, my teen sons both greatly enjoyed the Arts & Metiers, especially the more science-oriented one. It's room after room of all sorts of things, so some skipping is in order to keep it from becoming numbing. There are old photos that help put the items into context. The last rooms are quite wonderful, with old airplanes and cars.

I was thinking about hitting the Arts and Metiers with my kids...ages 10 and 7. Would they be too young to enjoy this museum. The oldest is a boy and loves mechanical things...the youngest, a girl, loves gadgets too but perhaps not as much. Is it really hands on?

Kelly, it's not at all hands-on, so your younger one may not find it that interesting. There's a great science museum out at Le Villette. which is much more hands-on and interactive. You can either take the Metro out to the park, or a canal boat ride (although the boat takes a long while)

Thanks. Though I did plan to take them to the Cité des Sciences, I thought about the Arts and Metiers too since it is so close to our apt.

The website of the Musée des arts et métiers.

Thanks...the website was helpful. If I end up buying the museum pass, maybe we will pop in there and look at a least a few of the rooms. With the pass, I don't mind going in for a short time...I know it is all psychological as I am still paying for it...but it makes me feel better about it--:>)

My sister made a quick stop for the photography museum in the Marais. She's really into photography; she enjoyed it and thought it worthwhile. They had some neat exhibits last April. I think they have a free night (Wednesday maybe?)

Apparently, there's the Musee Francais de la Photographie in Essonne just outside of Paris and they have a very good collection of historical cameras and other stuff relating to photography. Has anyone been there? Here's their website:
http://www.photographie.essonne.fr/

Arts & Metiers is a lovely little museum and very good for the inner scientist, young and old. Make sure to take the Metro to Arts & Metiers to enjoy the station's design made to look like the inside of a steam engine. My DH is a train enthusiast and thought he'd gone to heaven when it was our "home" stop on one trip.