Musée des Blindés (Tank Museum), Saumur

The Musée des Blindés is France's national tank museum, on the Route de Fontevraud on the southern edge of Saumur in the Loire Valley, in a former tobacco factory. It holds more than 800 armoured vehicles from 1917 to today and suits military history enthusiasts, model makers and families with older children. Saumur has been a centre of French cavalry training for more than a century, which explains the museum's home.

Founded in 1977 and named after General Estienne

It was set up in 1977 under Colonel Michel Aubry, starting with a few hundred tracked vehicles, and moved to its present, much larger building in 1993. It bears the name of General Jean-Baptiste Eugène Estienne, regarded as the father of the French tank arm.

Over 800 vehicles, about 100 still running

The museum lists more than 800 vehicles, of which about 250 are on permanent display and more than 100 are kept in running order. They are spread over more than 15 halls grouped by theme, from the birth of armour through the veterans of 1939 to 1945 to the arms race of the Cold War.

The First World War section shows the Schneider CA1, Saint-Chamond and Renault FT. French armour of 1940 includes the Char B1 bis and the SOMUA S35. The Second World War halls bring together the M4 Sherman, the Soviet KV-1 and T-34, and German types including the Panther, Jagdpanther, Panzer IV and a Tiger II. The museum's Tiger I has been restored to running order, and the museum describes it as the second running Tiger I in the world. Post-war French armour runs to the AMX-30 and the Leclerc.

Tank driving days and the Carrousel show

Tanks are driven in public twice a year. The international scale model competition took place on the Pentecost weekend, 23 and 24 May 2026, and a military show runs during the Carrousel de Saumur on the 14 July weekend, organised with the Saumur military schools. During the autumn 2026 school holidays the museum ran guided tours on tank crew life and on Second World War tank duels.