Hôtel de la Marine : a taste of 18th century !

In the middle of the 18th century, Ange-Jacques Gabriel, architect, was responsible for developing Place Louis XV, which would become Place de la Concorde after the Revolution. In order to occupy the two palaces located to the north of the square, it was decided in 1765 to accommodate the Crown furniture store in the east.

For nearly 25 years, the two stewards of the Garde-Meuble, Pierre-Elisabeth de Fontanieu then Marc-Antoine de Ville d’Avray occupied the Palace, which also housed storage areas, workshops, exhibition galleries and company apartments. They were responsible for fitting out the royal residences and maintaining their furniture, be it Versailles, Fontainebleau, Marly and others. At the beginning of the Revolution, King Louis XVI left Versailles for Paris as well as the State administrations. The Ministry of the Navy moved into the palace housing the Garde-Meuble in 1789.

On September 16, 1792, the theft of the Crown jewels took place at the Hotel de la Marine. During the night, thieves stole a booty of nearly 30 million francs in the living room where the jewels were displayed.

Today, the Mobilier national, installed in other premises, is still in charge of furniture for French institutions, such as the Presidency of the Republic at the Elysée Palace.

The National Museums Center, responsible for the Hôtel de la Marine, has undertaken a large-scale restoration to restore the Intendant’s apartments to their 18th century splendour.

Important events took place within it : it was here that Victor Schoelcher prepared the decree for the abolition of slavery in the French colonies, adopted on April 27, 1848 by the provisional government of the second Republic.

Emmanuelle Fournier, your licensed guide, invites you to discover the apartments of the Intendant du Garde-Meuble. The furniture, largely original or completed at auction, the hangings, paintings form a remarkable setting to evoke the history of France and Paris.

Emmanuelle Fournier will show you the astonishing dining room, where a reconstituted oyster lunch gives a glimpse of the splendor of French service in the 18th century.

From the loggia of the Hotel de la Marine, you can admire the Place de la Concorde and its famous obelisk, which adorns the center. It reminds us that it was Mehemet Ali, Viceroy of Egypt who offered it to Charles X in 1830 in gratitude for the discovery of Jean-François Champollion, Egyptologist, who deciphered the hieroglyphs.

Duration of the tour :

30 minutes to 2 hours

Maximum group size :

From 1 to 6 people

Private tour price :

From 60 to 120 euros

Entrance tickets price :

12 euros per adult

Are you visiting Paris or Île-de-France and want to learn a little more about the French heritage linked to these places ? We suggest you try the adventure of the cultural guided tour with the accompaniment of a guide-speaker. Whether you are passionate about ceramics, fashion, architecture or design or looking to discover the secrets of the capital, a unique and personalized journey awaits you ! What is a guide-speaker ? The guide-speaker is the grouping of several cultural activities : guide-interpreter, speaker, accompanist, ambassador and mediator. She thus puts her skills at the service of the valorization of the patrimony. A state-qualified guide, who holds a business card, a guide-speaker is responsible for providing guided tours to show the French heritage (cultural, historical, architectural, etc.) to anyone looking to cultivate themselves, foreigners as French visitors. Indeed, guiding is a profession ! History, history of art… this heritage lover has a broad culture to transmit to you, her job being above all a passionate activity that extends her knowledge from day to day. Her goal ? To share and inform by making history with a big «H» a story that you will enjoy listening to. This professional will be in charge of scrupulously preparing its museum or neighborhood visits by sometimes offering a guided tour with theme (history of ceramics, fashion and fashion designers, architecture, design, known historical figure, etc.) or by completely personalizing the excursion to the group she accompanies. Visiting Paris differently : a cultural guided tour. That it is good to discover a city by letting yourself be carried or by simply visiting the must-see places that we have always seen on television and in photos.

Louvre Museum, Orsay Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Picasso Museum, Palace of Versailles and Gardens, the guide-speaker will accompany you in the various Parisian and Parisian museums. Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, Arc de Triomphe, the sights to discover in Paris are not lacking. However, some visitors may want to go further, whether for a very first visit or coming back in the city of lights. A region rich in history, Île-de-France is home to one of the most densely populated cities in terms of heritage : architecture, history, history of art, ceramics, fashion, design, etc. There is so much to know and discover in Paris beyond what you imagine ! Alone, with family, friends or even colleagues, a guided tour is suitable for all groups to try to reveal the secrets of Paris and its region. Some professionals can even integrate entertainment and other fun activities into your excursion to spice up the day. Personalized experience indoors or outdoors, you will have the opportunity to satisfy your curiosity and your thirst for knowledge without having to plan anything : follow the guide !

Discover the history of ceramics, fashion, architecture or design in Île-de-France with a guide-speaker. By staying in Paris itself, a guide-lecturer will be able to rely on the superb collections of Decorative Arts, the Louvre Museum, the Musée National des Arts Asiatiques Guimet or the Petit Palais to tell you the story of ceramics as you may have never heard. Then, the unmissable stop will obviously be the Museum of European and Asian Ceramics in Sèvres (Manufacture and National Museum). Your guide can also take you on a journey through the history of fashion through the Galliera Museum, the Saint-Laurent Museum but also the museums of modern art, Orsay, Picasso and the Louvre.

Take a guided tour of Yves Saint-Laurent as part of the 60th anniversary of his fashion house’s first fashion show. Your guide will also accompany you to the Museum of Decorative Arts to introduce you to the history of design. La Défense, Paris Rive Gauche, the guide-speaker will also make you explore the architecture of different Parisian districts but also famous architects, such as Le Corbusier, Mallet-Stevens or the Perret brothers. You will see first-hand the principles of modernist architecture as defined by Le Corbusier, notably in the Roche house and in the constructions of the 14th and 16th districts around the Jasmin metro. Let yourself be guided by the knowledge and passion of a guide-speaker during a tailor-made guided tour to learn to discover Paris and its region in a memorable way guaranteed !