The day I had Paris's best museum to myself (and risked missing my son's birth)

C is for Carnavalet. Or should that be Kernevenoy?? In this episode, we dive into one of Paris's most overlooked treasures - the Carnavalet Museum, the only museum in the world dedicated entirely to the history of Paris. I share, for the first time, the story of visiting the newly renovated museum before it opened to the public - completely alone - while waiting for the birth of my first son. Plus: the strange story behind the museum's bizarre name, and the remarkable woman history forgot. The Carnavalet Museum: 23 rue de Sévigné (also entered from 16 rue des Francs-Bourgeois), 75003 Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am–6pm. Closed Mondays. Permanent collection is free. Metro: Saint-Paul (line 1) Official website: carnavalet.paris.fr Mentioned in this episode: The €56 million renovation that closed the museum for four and a half years before reopening in May 2021 Françoise de La Baume — the twice-widowed aristocrat who actually owned the building and whose husband's unpronounceable Breton name gave the museum its peculiar title Marcel Proust's cork-lined bedroom, Napoleon's death mask, and a 6,000-year-old canoe pulled from the Seine The music is from Pres Maxson. This episode brought to you by The Earful Tower Tours. Come join us in the Marais, Montmartre, or the Latin Quarter. Our Walking Tours are exceptionally highly rated online and are the best way to experience this podcast in real life. The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For just $10 a month you can unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris. Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack . Thank you for keeping this channel independent. For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links: Website Weekly newsletter Walking Tours

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The day I had Paris's best museum to myself (and risked missing my son's birth) is an episode from The Earful Tower by Oliver Gee.

This episode is 24:29 long.

This episode was published on May 31, 2026.

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