Albert-Kahn Museum and Gardens

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2 Rue du Port, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France Website
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In short

The Albert-Kahn Museum in Boulogne-Billancourt, just west of Paris, holds the Archives of the Planet, about 72,000 early colour photographs from 1909 to 1931, set in four hectares of gardens. Tickets cost about €9, €6 reduced, on site. It opens at 11:00 and closes at 18:00 in winter or 19:00 in summer, shut on Mondays. Two to three hours suits photography fans.

The Musée départemental Albert-Kahn is a photography museum and four-hectare garden at 2 rue du Port in Boulogne-Billancourt, just west of Paris, on the former estate of the banker Albert Kahn. It holds the Archives of the Planet, about 72,000 early colour photographs taken around the world between 1909 and 1931. It suits photography fans and anyone who wants a garden walk within reach of the metro.

Kahn funded the Archives of the Planet to record people and places in some 50 countries before they changed. His photographers used autochrome plates, an early colour process on glass, and his camera operators shot around 100 hours of film, about 183,000 metres of it. Exhibitions draw on this archive to show daily life, landscapes and events from more than a century ago. The Hauts-de-Seine department runs the museum.

After about six years of works the museum reopened on 2 April 2022, with a new timber building by the Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, designed to work with the garden around it.

Japanese village, rose garden and three forests

Kahn laid out his grounds as a series of contrasting scenes. A Japanese village and a modern Japanese garden sit beside an English garden and a French garden with a rose garden and orchard. There is also a golden forest, a conifer wood and a Vosges forest. Cherry blossom season in the Japanese garden is the busiest time of year. Some paths are uneven.

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Musée départemental Albert-Kahn

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Key information
📷Archives of the Planet: About 72,000 early colour autochromes and 100 hours of film (1909–1931)
🌳Gardens: Four hectares of "scenes": Japanese village, English and French gardens, forests
📐Building: New museum by Kengo Kuma, opened 2022
👤Founder: Banker Albert Kahn
💰Currency: Euro (€ EUR)
🕕Time Zone: Central European Time (UTC+1; UTC+2 in summer)

Explore the area

View in a map
Parc de Saint-Cloud 1 km
Roland-Garros 2 km
Seine riverbank 300 m
Boulogne – Pont de Saint-Cloud metro (Line 10) 300 m
Parc de Saint-Cloud tram (T2) 800 m
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✦ Plan your visit to Albert-Kahn Museum and Gardens Dates, opening hours and how to get there are below. Booking ahead secures your preferred day.
Highlights Include:
Archives of the Planet
  • Autochrome photographs from 50 countries
  • Early documentary film
Gardens
  • Japanese garden and village
  • Vosges forest
  • Rose garden and orchard
Architecture
  • Kengo Kuma's timber museum
What They Offer
Gardens Gardens included with the ticket
Tea room Café in the gardens
Tickets Sold on site (online booking unavailable)
Visit duration 2–3 hours; keep the gardens for a dry spell
Timed entry required No

Accessibility

Accessible museum; some garden paths are uneven. The museum is accessible.

Age limits

None.

What to pack

Ticket on your phone, ID for reduced or free entry

What to wear

Comfortable shoes

Not allowed

Touching the works, food and drink in the galleries, flash photography, large bags, selfie sticks

Amenities

Café, bookshop, cloakroom, restrooms; no car park

Tips for visiting Albert-Kahn Museum and Gardens

  • Do not plan a visit in January, when the museum closes for the whole month.
  • Bring cash or a card for tickets at the desk, since online booking may be unavailable.
  • Visit in spring or autumn for the best colours in the Japanese garden.
  • Arrive at least an hour before closing, as last entry is one hour before.
  • Use public transport, because the museum has no parking.

Admission tickets

Prices and how to get tickets.

Official entry ticket

Albert-Kahn Museum and Gardens: Entry

Museum and gardens, tickets sold on site.

  • Museum
  • Gardens
Ticket prices

About €9 full price, €6 reduced (2026); tickets sold on site

Opening hours

Closed now · 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM · Last entry 1 hour before closing

All opening hours

Visitor policy

Check availability
Cancellation and prepayment
Tickets are generally non-refundable; check the museum's booking terms.
Children and admission
Reduced or free rates for young visitors; check the official site.
Groups
Groups must book in advance with the museum.
Pets
Only assistance dogs are admitted.
Photography
Personal photography without flash is generally allowed in the permanent collection; some temporary exhibitions forbid it.
Bags
Large bags and suitcases must be left in the cloakroom or are refused; bags are checked at the entrance.
Smoking
Not permitted inside the museum.
Accepted payment
At the desk by card.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Answers based on the museum's official information.

General

It is the project banker Albert Kahn funded from 1909 to 1931 to document the world in images. The archive holds about 72,000 autochromes and around 100 hours of film.