Dinosaurs in Paris: 7 things to know about visiting the Natural History Museum

Our LDA twirled and skipped between the prehistoric skeletons.

“They’re so big! They’re so many! I can touch them! But I won’t. I promise.”

The temptation was great. They were so close.

What do you need to know about visiting the dinosaurs in Paris? And why should you visit them? And why was our LDA dancing?

We’ve got 7 things you need to know before you visit or even book your tickets to see the dinosaur exhibit at the French National Museum of Natural History.

1. It’s all in French

Logically, when you’re visiting the dinosaurs in Paris, everything will be in French. However, little in the Gallery of Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy is in English. It is easy enough to understand which dinosaur skeletons are on display as the names are the same. However, almost nothing else is shown in more than one language.

Younger dinosaur fans will not mind – they just want to see the fossils. You might like to know a bit more – which is difficult if you do not speak some French.

The website can be a little difficult to navigate, too, if you don’t speak French.

2. It’s big

The Natural History Museum has various galleries. I (wrongly) assumed each gallery would be a floor or wing of one building. I was, therefore, a little annoyed when I had to book a separate time slot to enter a second gallery (entry to the second gallery is free, but, if I understood the comments of the staff at the door of our second gallery, most visitors only do one).

Each gallery is in a Totally. Separate. Building.

The dinosaurs are on the second floor of the Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy Gallery, which is closest to the Gare d’Austerlitz metro. There is also a mezzanine level (officially level 2) above the dinosaurs so you can look down at them. That building itself is almost 80 metres long…

3. It’s full

There is so much to see in the Palaeontology Gallery, it is overwhelming. The building houses more than 650 skeletons (not just dinosaur skeletons) and 1,000 fossils. It is positively bursting at the seams. It is so full, I don’t even know where they would put any new exhibits.

It is difficult to take photos as the dinosaurs are so close together. At times, you really don’t know where to look.

On the plus side: you can get much closer to the dinosaurs in Paris!

4. It’s a wonderful time capsule

The French National Museum of Natural History was formally founded on 10 June 1793, during the French Revolution. The building which houses the dinosaurs in Paris – more specifically the Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy Gallery – was designed by Ferdinand Dutert and opened to the public in 1898 in preparation for the 1900 World Fair. The architecture reflects the spirit of the era with metal beams and stone and decorations inspired by nature.

It is a gorgeous example of how museums once were. It was purpose-built to fit various dinosaurs and even now all the cabinetry and – it seems – most of the exhibits have not been changed since they were first installed over a century ago.

I love old museums and architecture, and this museum has it in spades. Former Heads of the Palaeontology Department include Georges Cuvier, who developed the palaeontology of vertebrates, while Othniel Marsh of the Bone Wars fame and Andrew Carnegie both made significant donations, Carnegie donating a cast of his favourite Diplodocus to the museum. However, it not only focuses on the past, it is stuck in the past.

However, this gallery could definitely do with an update. The famous Gallery of Evolution has recently reopened after a full overhaul and now boasts a light and airy layout, touchscreens and activities for visitors, language options, and great use of lighting. The Palaeontology and Comparative Anatomy Gallery could do with a similar update, even if it means some of the specimens are no longer on display.

5. Comparative Anatomy may scare younger children

I think the best way to describe the Comparative Anatomy floor of the Gallery is a cabinet of horrors.

Some of the comparisons are fascinating – I have never seen so many whale skeletons in one place, so close together and easy to compare. There are skeletons of Steller’s sea cow which has been extinct since 1768, as well as the Tasmanian tiger, which died out in 1961. And, of course, there’s the skeleton of Louis XV’s rhinoceros.

However, jar after jar of animal brains, hearts and lungs is not for the faint-hearted. If your child understands what they are – and which animals they came from – they might not be as receptive to the knowledge the museum seeks to impart. There is a reason they recommend the museum for children aged 6 and up.

6. Kids visit for free

Tickets to see the Dinosaurs in Paris cost EUR 10 for adults and EUR 7 for concessions. Visitors with a full-price ticket for another site (Jardin des Plantes, Musée de l’Homme or the Paris Zoo) are eligible for the reduced rate provided the first ticket is less than 3 months old. Yes, I know it is more expensive than London, but it is cheaper than most natural history museums I know.

Entry is free for children and young adults under the age of 26. Just take a student card.

7. You can make a whole day out of your visit

We spent more than half a day at the museum and could have easily spent the whole day.

We visited two of the galleries – we saw the dinosaurs in Paris and the (very impressive) Gallery of Evolution. Within the Gallery of Evolution is the Children’s Gallery. It was closed while we were there, I assume because of COVID restrictions because it is a tactile exhibit. We didn’t even touch the Geology and Mineralogy Gallery, the Biology Gallery (separate buildings) or the special exhibits.

The Museum, with its 4 buildings is set up around the edge of the Jardin des Plantes. The Palaeontology Gallery is on the Seine side of the park, about 50 m from the Gare d’Austerlitz metro. The Evolution Gallery is the furthest away.

In between are (free) gardens which form part of the Jardin des Plantes. The garden, the museum and other elements we will discuss in a moment, were originally all part of the King Louis XIII Royal garden of medicinal plants. It was converted into the Museum of Natural History during the French Revolution.

As well as the 4 galleries of the Museum, the Jardin des Plants contains four greenhouses (Grand Serres), three of which contain plants from various habitats. The fourth is dedicated to the evolution of plants. It has several other thematic gardens and a labyrinth.

And then there is the menagerie: a mini zoo with various smaller mammals and birds, and some larger ones too. We did not see the Menagerie – we went to an evening opening of the Zoological Gardens instead (which was coincidentally built to house the Menagerie animals that grew too big for the Menagerie and still operates under the same umbrella as the Museum), but you could definitely visit when spending the day in the Jardin des Plantes.

And if you are spending the day at the Jardin des Plantes and all the parts of the museum, or even if you are just going to visit the Paris dinosaurs, don’t miss out on our LDA’s favourite part: the Dodo Carousel. It is like a normal merry-go-round, but with extinct and endangered species instead of horses. Of course, there is a dinosaur (and the tickets were much cheaper than they were at Sacre Coeur!).

Should you visit the dinosaurs in Paris?

The dinosaur gallery of the French National Museum of Natural History is unlikely to be top of your list when you are planning a trip to Paris. However, it is definitely worth a visit, even if you are not visiting with a dinosaur fanatic.

The whole Jardin des Plantes is a relaxing and fascinating oasis in the busy city and it deserves more attention than it gets – even if language barriers may make it difficult for many foreign visitors.

And with these 7 things, you’ll have your little dinosaur fan dancing between the fossils, too.

Are the Paris dinosaurs on the list of sites to see when you visit Paris?

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