© Bernard Touillon
The Monnaie de Paris on Quai de Conti is one of the last manufacturing establishments in the French capital. Opened during the reign of Louis XV, it is located in a majestic neoclassical building housing a museum and a manufactory. Visitors learn how coins are struck and gain insights into the craftsmen’s unique know-how.
A tour touches upon various subjects such as art, sociology, archaeology, science and technology, history and economics as it takes visitors through the exceptional and varied heritage collections.
The tour also provides a sensory experience – visitors can touch objects and tactile graphics and try coin-striking techniques for themselves; smell the moulds being prepared and molten metal being cast in the foundry, and see the lighting effects that emphasize machinery, tools, and new coins in the process of being manufactured. There are educational videos, engraving demonstrations and the Numiscope augmented reality experience. Visitors can also meet the artisans who have kept these quintessentially French crafts alive for so many decades.
Temporary exhibitions, guided tours and events for people of all ages provide deeper insights into this 1,150-year-old institution. Art objects and commemorative coins are available for sale in the shop.
Useful information
11am to 6pm. From 11am to 9pm Wednesday. Closed on Monday.
2 rue Guénégaud, Paris 6th
