Victor Hugo moved into the second floor of the Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée, at no. 6 Place des Vosges, in 1832, aged thirty, with his wife Adèle and their four children. He stayed sixteen years. Here he wrote plays including Ruy Blas, much of his poetry of the period, and began the novel that would become Les Misérables; here too he received the literary world of Romantic Paris.
The museum was created in 1902, on the centenary of his birth, from gifts by his friend Paul Meurice, and reopened in 2021 after a complete renovation. The route through the apartment follows Hugo’s life in three parts — before exile, exile in Jersey and Guernsey after Napoleon III’s coup, and the triumphant return — with his drawings, manuscripts, portraits and the furniture he designed and carved himself.
Top things to do at Maison de Victor Hugo
The Chinese drawing room
The highlight: a room of painted and carved panels, lacquer and porcelain that Hugo designed during his exile for Juliette Drouet’s house in Guernsey, reassembled here. It shows a side of the writer few people know — the obsessive decorator and gifted visual artist.
Hugo the artist
Hugo left thousands of drawings — stormy seascapes, castles, ink blots turned into fantastical landscapes. The museum shows a selection in rotation and often builds temporary exhibitions around them.
The bedroom where he died
The last room recreates the bedroom of his final home on Avenue d’Eylau, where he died in 1885. Two million people followed his funeral procession to the Panthéon.
Coffee in the courtyard garden
Since the renovation, the inner courtyard has a garden café — a peaceful stop that most people crossing the square never discover.
How to get to Maison de Victor Hugo
- The entrance is at 6 Place des Vosges, under the arcades in the south-east corner of the square.
- Métro: Chemin Vert (line 8), Saint-Paul (line 1) or Bastille (lines 1, 5, 8), each within about five to eight minutes’ walk.
Insider tips
- The permanent collection is free; temporary exhibitions are paid. Check the Paris Musées website for current hours — it is usually open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays and some public holidays.
- There are stairs up to the apartment; ask staff about lift access if you need it.
- Hugo fans can continue to the Panthéon, where he is buried, or read the Place des Vosges chapters of his life in the free leaflets on site.
- Combine it with the Musée Carnavalet, also free and ten minutes’ walk away, for a no-cost museum morning.
Best tours & tickets for Maison de Victor Hugo
These top-rated experiences pair well with a visit to Maison de Victor Hugo:
Walking tour from €15 Paris: Marais Guided Tour Without the Crowds
A compact, well-reviewed introduction to the district: 90 minutes with a guide through the lanes, courtyards and hôtels particuliers around the Place des Vosges, timed to avoid the busiest hours. With hundreds of reviews and one of the lowest prices on the page, it is the easy first booking for a Marais visit.
- The Place des Vosges and the royal story of the Marais
- Hidden courtyards and aristocratic mansions
- Small groups and a low price
Sightseeing pass from €110 Paris Museum Pass: 2, 4 or 6 Days
One pass for more than 50 museums and monuments in and around Paris, including the Musée Picasso in the Marais, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe and Versailles. It pays off if you visit three or four paid sights a day; note that many museums still require a free time-slot booking.
- The Louvre, Orsay, Musée Picasso, Sainte-Chapelle and more
- Versailles and the Arc de Triomphe included
- Still book time slots where required
