Conciergerie
Paris, France
Conciergerie
The Conciergerie (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃sjɛʁʒəʁi]) is a former courthouse and prison in Paris, France, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, It was originally part of the former royal palace, the Palais de la Cité, which also included the Sainte-Chapelle. Two large medieval halls remain from the royal palace. During the French Revolution, 2,780 prisoners, including Marie-Antoinette, were imprisoned, tried and sentenced at the Concieregerie, then sent to different sites to be executed by the guillotine. It is now a national monument and museum.
In the 1st-3rd century AD, the Ile de la Cité became part of the Gallo-Roman city of Lutetia, on the opposite bank of the Seine. The island was surrounded by a wall, and a fortress of the Roman governor was built at the west end of the island. The Merovingian king Clovis installed his capital there, on the site of the Roman fortress. from 508 until his death in 511. The Carolingian monarchs moved their capital out of the city, but at the end of the 10th century, under Hugh Capet, Paris became the capital of the Kingdom of the Franks. He constructed a large new fortified residence, the Palais de la Cité, on the same site.
Accommodations near Conciergerie
Hôtel Victoria Châtelet
see price.
Nearby Tours & Activities
Opening times
| Monday | 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Thursday | 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Friday | 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Saturday | 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
| Sunday | 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM |
Guests' reviews
No better place to learn about the French Revolution. Simple, humble museum with a great historical (both of France and rest of the world) significance. Go for free with museum pass or EU student visa. Saint-Chapelle is just next door, so keep the ticket and enjoy the free entry!
The better place to see the French revolution, I strongly recommend you to visit it.
Amazing castle and history in the tour inside. Interior didnt amaze compaired to nearby attractions, great history on the tour though. Beautiful castle!
A must see, if you like history.
Another gem which immaculately details the French revolution and the event leading to it and the aftermath of the same. A must for history buffs
The line to go in was not long, and this is the place to buy the combo ticket that also gets you into the St. Chappelle. For enthusiasts of French history as well as those who read A Tale of Two Cities, walk through a major focal point of the French Revolution. See the jail cells where prisoners were kept, including Marie Antoinette, prior to their executions. There was a modern art exhibit in the main hall when we visited but don't worry- the history of the museum is still there to be experienced.
Interesting museum with history of French revolution. Maria Antoinette was held here in prison. Did not expect that it will be that interesting! It is free for EU citizens under 25.
The place,which used to be a royal palace for French kings and later, during the Revolution, became the prison. Only ground floors stayed the same they used to be, but it is enough to see what was a kitchen, the gens d'armes hall, prison cells, administrative cells and the rooms, where Maria Antoinette was kept before she was decapitated. The sad story is being told together with the exclamation of the citizen rights proclamation. Totaly recommend to visit. Take a notice,that you can buy tickets together for this location and Saint Chapelle
Come here if you're interested with France revolution and Paris, there's also detail story about Marie-Antoinette, It's very nice to also go to Sainte-Chapelle which is only few blocks away, walking distance.
You will.leave this place feeling grim. This museum located in a building over 1300 years old showcases the dark hours of the new French republic and the tumultuous history of the end of the French monarchy. Be prepared to read as there isn't much to see other than large empty rooms in the foundations of this beautiful building. This is a crash course of the French revolution and people who made it (good and bad characters). It remains neutral which is refreshing. A small chapel is used in the memory of Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette.
What an intriguing and historical location. The architecture of the opening foyer is striking - loved the current art installation with the Seine's water. The history of the prison and memorial to Marie Antoinette is moving.
Do not be fooled by the sign that tells you they shut at 6. The staff are abrupt and rude and shut the exhibit at 5.45. The guide shutting the kitchen and the security guard told us they were now closed at 5.50 and when we pointed out they did not close until 6 they told us to leave and pushed us and our two children out of the door at 5.53! I work for a visitor attraction myself and have never before encountered such apaulling behaviour by staff to a visitor. The exhibition itself is interesting. Mostly written content on boards so a lot of reading but thankfully unmanned so you don't have to interact with the rude and unwelcoming staff who just want to skive off home early. The whole experience left a very bad taste to what would otherwise been an interesting visit.
You should go here. Its beautiful, yet haunting. One can truly learn about the French Revolution here as well as see where prisoners such as Marie Antoinette and Robespierre were held. The art exhibition inside the Great Hall right now is pretty amazing too. Certainly glad we went. Its included on the Paris Pass. (Which you should also check out if you're travelling to Paris)
This historical building was a royal Palace until the 14 century... and then became a jail, its guillotine was used very heavily during the french revolution and now the tourists/visitors share the building with the Law Courts!! This very full "historical agenda" can be viewed most easily, especially during peak tourism periods by arranging [via a payment of 8.50 Euro] to skip the lines! A visit is especially of considerable interest to "history buffs"! I hope that this review has been helpful!
I was disappointed with my visit. The building itself is gothic style and great but the whole place felt very sterile. I had visited many years ago when the"stories"had been supported by mock up cells and the children had loved it. Today the great spaces have been filed with wooden troughs of running water as, I think an art statement. There were some interesting bits but all in all very disappointing.
Remarkable architectural complex once Royal palace a prison later for brave and unfortunate people held there for uprisings in French Revolution 1789. Although many were held there and taken out to be executed by guillotine, Concierge is well known for Joan of Arc, Robespierre and Marie Antoinette being the most famous prisoners. If you are history buff and appreciate to see where Queen Marie Antoinette wife of King Louis XVI ended up after her luxurious Royal life in Versailles Palace her memorial will make strong impression on you. I visited Versailles Palace where she lived, Concierge where she was prisoned and place de la Concorde where she was executed by guillotine. It’s fascinating to see her majestic room in Versailles Palace and very small prison cell where last French Queen end it up. It felt almost surreal to be able to visit those historical memorial places. I was deeply touched and honoured to be able to pay a respect to unfortunate Queen and many orhers who were executed after forever changing French history. Concierge museum is timeless historic monument and legacy to brave, unfortunate people who were held there and executed by guillotine.
We greatly enjoyed the history and information. There is more to it than Marie Annette's prison. They have written info in many languages that are free with your entrance fee.
You can’t argue with the building, it’s impressive and contains a lot of history. Didn’t feel like to much effort was put into presenting it to the public. You walk through the building and they have placards set up with information and a video playing in a few spots. Would have been nice if they had a cell set up to show what it would have looked like or had areas decorated in a period style. Worth the visit as it is an interesting place but really you’re just walking through a relatively empty building for a 9€ ticket. They had a art installation bringing water from the river that took up a lot of space in the main hall, while it was interesting I felt it took away from the grandeur of the hall itself and wasn’t really needed. You go by and check it out and you be the judge!
This French Revolution museum doesn't have very many artifacts to see, but the signs and exhibits do a great job of helping you understand the French Revolution and what led to it and make it easy to imagine what it would have been like to be a prisoner during the French Revolution (the museum is the same building where the prisoners were kept during the revolution). If you enjoy learning about history, you'll enjoy this museum. If you're someone who likes to have a lot of visuals and hate reading signs, you'll probably want to skip this museum. (Regardless, I highly recommend getting the Paris museum pass and use it to get in to this museum for free.) The visit is likely to take you about an hour at most, since this isn't a very big museum. You can also spend a few minutes briefly exploring the medieval part of the castle as you exit the museum (it's in the first big room where you enter and exit the museum. (There's not much left, but it's kind of cool to see the really old parts of the castle that are still preserved.)
An edifice steeped in history with a macabre reputation. Architecturally, a very interesting building. As a museum, it perhaps lacks a bit of investment and imagination to extract the nuances of the events and of the personalities who entered and, in many cases, left missing an important body part!
