nicholas H.
Google
I wasn’t prepared for how much I’d fall in love with this place. Everyone knows the big Monet rooms at Orsay and l’Orangerie, but the Marmottan is something else entirely – quiet, intimate, and absolutely packed with treasures.
The moment you walk downstairs into the circular room filled floor-to-ceiling with late Water Lilies and weeping willows, it’s like the air changes. There are almost twenty huge canvases from Giverny that you’ve probably never seen reproduced anywhere, glowing in the soft natural light. I stood in the middle spinning slowly for a solid ten minutes with goosebumps – it’s that overwhelming in the best way.
Upstairs, the collection of illuminated manuscripts is jaw-dropping (those colors are still so vivid after 700 years), and the Berthe Morisot rooms are an absolute revelation – her paintings feel so fresh and modern, I kept forgetting they’re from the 1870s-80s.
The museum is never crowded like the tourist-heavy spots; we practically had entire rooms to ourselves on a Saturday afternoon. The building itself is a gorgeous 19th-century mansion with parquet floors that creak in the most satisfying way, and the little garden out back is perfect for sitting with a sketchbook or just processing everything you’ve seen.
If you love Impressionism (or just beauty in general), do yourself a favor and come here. It’s not just a museum – it feels like walking straight into Monet’s dreams. Already planning my next visit. ❤️🎨