Last weekend was les Journées du Patrimonie. These heritage days allow Parisians, and those in the many small villages outside of Paris the opportunity to go behind the scenes of buildings that are normally off limits or to enter local landmarks for free. I took the opportunity to visit Musée Albert-Kahn. I was joined by fellow British au pair Lucie for a free look at this unusual and beautiful place.
Beware: This is an image heavy post.
Located in 14 Rue du Port Boulogne-Billancourt, the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that this is technically outside Paris, as it falls in one of the 'villages' clustered around the outskirts of the city. Nonetheless you can still reach it by bus or metro with your navigo pass or t+ carnet (the public transport tickets for Paris).
Albert Khan (1860-1940) was a great enthusiast for foreign travel, and believed that a greater understanding of foreign cultures would lead to respect and peaceful relations between nations and people. This is a philosophy that I think many Au Pairs will agree with. He established and joined many societies promoting cultural exchange in Paris, as well as many societies for the promotion of alternative medicine, biological research and two forums for discussion and research in the Société Autour du Monde and the National Committee for Social and Political Studies.
Whilst the museum itself is very interesting, with a collection of photographs and film collected by the banker and philanthropist Albert Khan, it is the gardens that are really worth the visit. They are wonderfully serene, and covering 4 hectares means that there is plenty to grab your attention as well as plenty of space to get lost. There are several areas of gardens, all representing different styles of horticulture from around the world and from different times.
The traditional Japanese garden complete with authentic village houses and a tea house (sadly closed for refurbishment on our visit). This area feels very much in line with traditional Japanese attitudes to taking a great deal of care over the small but essential elements.
The well structured and formal French gardens, complete with roses and elegant green house mimicking the style of the 17th century. Although most of the roses were past their best, there were still a few beautifully perfumed blooms. The apples were just starting to appear.
The natural and relaxed English Gardens, full of winding paths and water features. There is allegedly a traditional cornish cottage somewhere, but the only cottage we found was declared to be french. Miscommunication or our mistake? regardless it did feel like an homage to Capabilty Brown's style of making the impeccably designed feel natural.
There are then 3 types of forest - 'vosgienne', 'dorée et la prairie', and 'bleue et le marais'.
Finally you can return through the contemporary Japanese garden, full of incredible landscaping, geometric topiary, and koi!
We spent a lovely afternoon in these gardens, and even though there is a major road nearby, they feel so calm and serene. It felt quite incredible to find so much natural beauty so close to a Metro station! It would be quite easy to spend a much longer time here, especially as we didn't even get a proper look at the museum itself.
Because it is outside Paris, the food in the restaurants around the museum are quite cheap. We opted to eat at a crêperie where all the galettes and crepes are named after islands, and you can have your crepe cooked in alcohol for a small additional price (we didn't - it was only lunch time).
All in all I would say that this is one of the hidden gems of Paris. It hasn't got the name recognition of the Louvre or Musée d'Orsay, but what it lacks in recognition it certainly makes up for in tranquility. If you are looking for an oasis of tranquility, or simply to go off the beaten track in Paris, I cannot recommend these gardens highly enough.
Opening days and times:
From Tuesday to Sunday : 11a.m. to 6 p.m. (7 p.m. from May 1st till September 30th )
Last entrance 30 min. before closing. Closed Mondays, including public holidays.
How to get there:
Métro: Boulogne – Pont de Saint-Cloud (Line 10).
Bus: 52, 72, 126, 160, 175, 460, 467 (Rhin et Danube stop)
Admission fees
Full price : 4 €, Half-price : 2,5 €
Free for children under 12.
Free for all visitors on the first Sunday of every month.
Annual pass : 20 €
Beware: This is an image heavy post.
Located in 14 Rue du Port Boulogne-Billancourt, the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that this is technically outside Paris, as it falls in one of the 'villages' clustered around the outskirts of the city. Nonetheless you can still reach it by bus or metro with your navigo pass or t+ carnet (the public transport tickets for Paris).
Albert Khan (1860-1940) was a great enthusiast for foreign travel, and believed that a greater understanding of foreign cultures would lead to respect and peaceful relations between nations and people. This is a philosophy that I think many Au Pairs will agree with. He established and joined many societies promoting cultural exchange in Paris, as well as many societies for the promotion of alternative medicine, biological research and two forums for discussion and research in the Société Autour du Monde and the National Committee for Social and Political Studies.
Whilst the museum itself is very interesting, with a collection of photographs and film collected by the banker and philanthropist Albert Khan, it is the gardens that are really worth the visit. They are wonderfully serene, and covering 4 hectares means that there is plenty to grab your attention as well as plenty of space to get lost. There are several areas of gardens, all representing different styles of horticulture from around the world and from different times.
The traditional Japanese garden complete with authentic village houses and a tea house (sadly closed for refurbishment on our visit). This area feels very much in line with traditional Japanese attitudes to taking a great deal of care over the small but essential elements.
The well structured and formal French gardens, complete with roses and elegant green house mimicking the style of the 17th century. Although most of the roses were past their best, there were still a few beautifully perfumed blooms. The apples were just starting to appear.
The natural and relaxed English Gardens, full of winding paths and water features. There is allegedly a traditional cornish cottage somewhere, but the only cottage we found was declared to be french. Miscommunication or our mistake? regardless it did feel like an homage to Capabilty Brown's style of making the impeccably designed feel natural.
There are then 3 types of forest - 'vosgienne', 'dorée et la prairie', and 'bleue et le marais'.
 |
| We did not sing "We're going on a bear hunt' in the middle of this forest - WE SWEAR... |
 |
| Bonus grumpy French attendant. He walked around with his arms crossed glaring at everyone. |
Because it is outside Paris, the food in the restaurants around the museum are quite cheap. We opted to eat at a crêperie where all the galettes and crepes are named after islands, and you can have your crepe cooked in alcohol for a small additional price (we didn't - it was only lunch time).
All in all I would say that this is one of the hidden gems of Paris. It hasn't got the name recognition of the Louvre or Musée d'Orsay, but what it lacks in recognition it certainly makes up for in tranquility. If you are looking for an oasis of tranquility, or simply to go off the beaten track in Paris, I cannot recommend these gardens highly enough.
Opening days and times:
From Tuesday to Sunday : 11a.m. to 6 p.m. (7 p.m. from May 1st till September 30th )
Last entrance 30 min. before closing. Closed Mondays, including public holidays.
How to get there:
Métro: Boulogne – Pont de Saint-Cloud (Line 10).
Bus: 52, 72, 126, 160, 175, 460, 467 (Rhin et Danube stop)
Admission fees
Full price : 4 €, Half-price : 2,5 €
Free for children under 12.
Free for all visitors on the first Sunday of every month.
Annual pass : 20 €
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