How long does it take to visit the Musée Nissim de Camondo?
My group visits ran an hour and a quarter and always felt short. Independent visitors who took their time reported an hour and a half to two hours, and I think that is right for a house of this size. It is not a museum you can spend a day in; there are no temporary exhibitions to add and no café to stretch it. It is a home, and homes have a natural length.
How the time divides
Twenty minutes on the lower ground floor, in the kitchens, the servants’ dining room and the chef’s office, which people either hurry through or love. Forty-five minutes to an hour on the upper ground floor: Grand Bureau, Grand Salon, Salon des Huet, Library, Dining Room and Porcelain Room, with the Buffon service and the Orloff silver taking more of it than you expect. Twenty to thirty minutes on the first floor for the private apartments and the blue drawing room. A few minutes in the garden looking back at the façade and out into Parc Monceau. The what to see page goes room by room.
If you have an hour
Skip the lower ground floor, which I say with regret, and go straight up. Grand Bureau, Grand Salon, Library, Dining Room and Porcelain Room, then the stairs to the first floor for Nissim’s rooms. That is the house in outline. The pre-closure timetable, Wednesday to Sunday with the desk closing at 16:45, is on the opening hours page; do not arrive after four.
Why arrive early
Visitors who got to the gate ten minutes before the 10:00 opening said they had the rooms almost to themselves. The house is small and a single tour group changes its feel, so the first half hour matters more here than at a large museum. Weekends were busier and time-slot booking was recommended for them.
Give the afternoon to the quarter. The Camondo plus Parc Monceau plus the Cernuschi is a comfortable half-day; add the Jacquemart-André and it is a full one. The around the museum page lays it out, and it works now, with the house closed, as the half-day minus the Camondo.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see the Camondo in an hour?
In outline, yes: the upper ground floor reception rooms and the first-floor apartments, skipping the kitchens. A proper visit is 1.5 to 2 hours. The house is closed until the end of 2029; see the closure page.
What time should I arrive?
Ten minutes before the 10:00 opening, on a weekday if you can. Pre-closure hours were Wednesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:30; the opening hours page has them.
Is there a café at the museum?
There was none before the closure, and the house is not a place to spend a whole day. Parc Monceau next door is where I would take a break.