Musée national de la Renaissance - Château d'Écouen
Description
The Château d'Écouen is an architectural gem of the French Renaissance, built to the north of Paris in the 16th century for Anne de Montmorency, constable of France and close to King Francis I. A wealthy lord, an art lover and collector, he surrounded himself with the best artists of his time.
Transformed in 1805 into a secondary school for the daughters of honorees of the Legion of Honor, under the impulse of Napoleon 1st, the Château d'Écouen became, many years later, the only museum in France entirely dedicated to the Renaissance period.
Art, in all its forms
Bringing together the Renaissance collections of the Musée de Cluny, the museum’s thirty rooms retain much of their original decor. Covered with frescoes, the twelve chimneys will surely command your attention. Other highlights include King Henri II's chapel and apartments, which are particularly well preserved.
Inside the museum’s glass cabinets, you’ll discover a large collection of decorative art objects, dating from the 15th to the 17th centuries: weapons, stained glass, Ottoman ceramics from Iznik, gold and silver ware… Take time to study the tapestries and embroideries, including the David and Bathsheba wall hanging that, sheltered from the sun, deploys its impressive 75 meters inside the Psyche Gallery. Numerous temporary exhibitions also punctuate the cultural season.
Free and accessible to all, the Château d'Écouen’s 19-hectare park encourages meandering, with its magnificent formal perspectives and breathtaking views, before making way for the surrounding forest, the vestige of a vast seigniorial hunting domain.
Practical info
Days and opening hours
Opening hours on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday between 9.30 am and 12.45 pm and between 2 pm and 5.45 pm.
Closed on Tuesday.
Closed exceptionally on January 1st and December 25th.
Prices
Full price: 5 to 7 €
Reduced price: 3.50 to 5.50 €
Group adults: 4.50 to 6.50 €.
Free entry for children < 26 years.
Group rate available for > 10 people.
Paris Museum Pass accepted : free access.
Facility
- Toilets
- Public WC
- Air conditioning
- Exhibition space
- Car park
- Meeting room
- Parking nearby
Services
- Shop
- Tourist brochures
- Tourist information
- Guided tours
Activities
- Temporary exhibition
Tour
Spoken languages
- French
Guided tour languages
- French
Bulletin board languages
- French
Single services tour
- Unguided individual tours available permanently
- Guided individual tours available permanently
Accessibility
- Accessible for wheelchairs with assistance
- Accessible for self-propelled wheelchairs
- Lift (80 x 130 cm) and door >= 77 cm
- WC + grab handle + adequate space to move
- Site, building totally accessible
- Copyright images:
- Val d'Oise Tourisme
- RMN