World In Paris
Paris Hidden Gems

The Vampire Museum in Paris (Musée des Vampires)


Transportation Strikes in France 2023


This article may contain compensated links. Please read disclaimer for more info.

10/31/21

 

Vampires in Paris, Vampire Drinks, and Vampirology

Did you know that the world’s only Vampire Museum is located in Paris?

We go on exploring the quirky side of Paris. For this piece, we meet Jacques Sirgent, writer and self-proclaimed ‘vampirologist’ who many years ago decided to open his personal collection of vampire paraphernalia to the public. That’s how Le Musée des Vampires (the Vampire Museum) was born, a lifetime work and collection which is still one of Paris’s best-kept secrets.

DID YOU KNOW? Vampirology is the study of vampires or the myths related to vampires.

A few years ago, we celebrated Halloween in Paris at the Vampire Museum as part of a night event about vampires called ‘Étrange Rencontre au Musée des Vampires’ (Strange Meetings at the Vampire Museum). This event was organized by Sous Les Pavés, a young startup that proposes alternative tours in Paris mainly in French related to secret Paris.

The museum a hidden gem in Paris and the best in its genre is nestled in a gloomy private house with a small garden in the suburb of Lilas. A haunted house, according to the owner, but we did not want to check that by ourselves.

The Vampire Museum is one of our favorite secret places in Paris. Click here for the list of the most beautiful hidden gems in Paris.

A Peek Inside the Vampire Museum, Paris

  The Vampires Museum is currently closed for renovation works. Opening planned for 2022  

Vampires Museum Paris Wall

While we are waiting for the other guests to arrive, we have some time to explore the museum by ourselves. Le Musée des Vampires is very small, just one big room. It is like a “cabinet de curiosités” (cabinet of curiosities or collection of curiosities in English) packed with all sorts of stuff related to vampires and legendary creatures.

All here is second-hand objects: vampire films posters, vampire masks, and other objects bought by Jacques Sirgent himself online or in flea markets in Paris. The museum’s most interesting pieces include an anti-vampire protection kit from the 19th century, the autographed photos of almost all the actors featuring Dracula (the most famous vampires ever!), some rare vampirology books, or really antique books where the concept of “vampire” is mentioned.

Vampires Museum Exhibit

Once we are all there and comfortably seated on a crimson velvet couch, our host welcomes us with a very special drink. A kind of vampire drink I would say, red and sweet, which puts us in the mood for a vampire night…

 Our Night at the Museum of Vampires and Legendary Creatures

Vampires Museum Lecture

Jacques Sirgent is very passionate about his work and collection and he really knows how to transmit this passion.

The talk started with the origin of vampires (or better, the concept of vampires) and some vampire facts and curiosities. I found it very funny to learn that despite all the existing vampire films in the market, the film which is more faithful to Bram Stocker’s Dracula is a porn film called ‘This ain’t Dracula’!

If you are a vampire passionate, Sirgent can help. He suggested to us some vampirology books, written by other authors and there were also Jacques Sirgent’s books to buy.

The conference was very interesting, even if sometimes it was difficult to follow. The concept of vampires and what surrounds them was very fascinating and we all were listening attentively while sipping our vampire drinks.

Where do Vampires come from? Are they as horrible as we think? The aim of Sirgent’s talk was not to scare us but to give us a different vision of the vampires living in our imagination. Who else than vampires will never enter your home unless they are invited by you?

Indeed, Sirgent’s goal was to contrast the monsters of our imagination with those, even more monstrous, found in everyday life.

Étrange Rencontre au Musée des Vampires Final Thoughts

World of Weird at Musée des Vampires

I found the event and the museum very interesting. Some years before I had done a Secret Paris Tour at Père Lachaise with Jacques Sirgent (that day we were looking for Dracula’s tomb in Paris!) and I knew that he would not disappoint.

However, this is a talk difficult to follow if you don’t have a good level of French. In this case, there is always the possibility to visit the museum out of these Halloween in Paris events, during a half creepy, half funny afternoon, and exchange some words with him in English.

If you are looking for alternative things to see in Paris, the Vampire Museum Paris won’t disappoint you.

Vampire Museum Paris – Info & Tips

» The event “Etrange rencontre au Musée des Vampires” is organized by Sous Les Pavés. You can check the next dates and book directly on Sous Les Pavés’ web.

» If you don’t speak French you can always visit the Vampire Museum Paris out of this event. The museum is located at 14 rue Jules David, Les Lilas (93). The closest metro station is Porte des Lilas, line 11. As it’s a private museum, you need to book your visit in advance. You can email directly Jacques Sirgent at museedesvampires [at] sfr.fr.

» Sous Les Pavés proposes other interesting alternative tours in Paris: Paris night tours, quirky Paris tours, haunted Paris tours, esoteric visits at Père Lachaise, and many more. All their guides are selected with great care and have in common a singular passion: vampirologist, master Freemason, exorcist, hypnotist… The guides are all very enthusiastic and happy to share their Paris best-kept secrets.

» For the time being, Sous Les Pavés tours are only in French. They plan to launch most of the tours in English and certain tours also in Spanish very soon. Join their social media and stay tuned!

Are you ready to discover one of Paris’s best-kept secrets?

Join France Bucket List Facebook Group

Click here to explore other Paris Hidden Gems

Back to Homepage

Some interesting articles in the blog

  • Plan your trip to Paris here
  • Learn about the Paris Arrondissements here

Pin it now & read it later

Paris Vampire Museum, Things to do in Paris, Paris Travel Inspiration, Secret Paris, Paris Secret Spots, Paris Hidden Gems, Musée des Vampires Paris #myparis #moveablefeast #paris #halloween

Disclaimer: we would like to thank Sous Les Pavés and Jacques Sirgent for inviting us to the event “Étrange Rencontre au Musée des Vampires”.  As always, all opinions remain our own. Cover Picture courtesy of Sous Les Pavés.


Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links, meaning we get a small commission if you make a purchase through our links. It costs you nothing more (in fact, if anything, you’ll get a nice discount) but helps us to go on creating incredible Paris content for you. We trust all products promoted here and would never recommend a product that isn’t of value.
World in Paris is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases at no expense to you.
  • Kristína Danková
    11/01/2017 at 9:00 pm

    Woow! Sounds like a cool thing to do in Paris! I had no idea that people actually study something like this.

    • WorldInParis
      11/02/2017 at 7:55 am

      Thanks for stopping by Kristina. Not many people study things like this, I think 😉

  • Sara Broers
    11/01/2017 at 3:14 am

    It would make sense that you are introducing me to a Vampire Museum on Halloween Night! I had no idea a museum featuring vampires existed. I should know that if I can think of it, it can be experienced.

  • Megan Jerrard
    11/01/2017 at 3:10 am

    I honestly had no idea that the world even had a vampire museum! Though it totally makes sense with the trend of vampires in popular culture recently. Likewise, I hadn’t come across the term vampirologist before, so learning tones of new things today!! Kind of fitting that it’s in a gloomy private house!

    Jacques seems to have quite the collection – it’s cool that touring the museum attempts to change your perception of them as not necessarily monsters. Considering I’ve read this post on October 31 – would be an amazing place to go for Halloween!

    • WorldInParis
      11/02/2017 at 7:57 am

      Thanks Megan for stopping by. YES, the world has ONE Vampire Museum and his owner knows everything about them.

  • Suruchi
    11/01/2017 at 2:35 am

    I never knew something like that – A vampire museum existed. My husband would be really keen to visit it. Thanks for the important tips and info about visiting it. and yes, I would be more keen to learn more about Jacques Sirgent!

  • Anita Hendrieka
    10/31/2017 at 3:40 pm

    Oh, this place looks super creepy, I’ve never heard of the vampire museum in Paris. I am travelling to Paris in January so I may have to stopover here! Thanks for the recommendation!

    • WorldInParis
      11/10/2017 at 12:54 pm

      Remember to book in advance. You can fin the email on the bottom of the post

  • Cathy
    10/31/2017 at 3:16 pm

    We also believed in vampires in the Philippines, and they don’t only exist on Halloween but also in daily lives. Paris vampire museum sounds scary but full of interesting facts and even though they’re closing, at least they’re opening twice bigger next time~ !

    • WorldInParis
      02/24/2018 at 6:02 pm

      The Museum is not scary, just quirky 🙂

  • Elisa
    10/31/2017 at 12:22 pm

    I didn’t know the only vampire museum is in France and I have to admit I’d totally visit it. Its a bit of a bummer that I don’t speak French though as the highlight of the event seems to be listening to Jacques Sirgent talk about his passion. What a cool experience!

    • WorldInParis
      11/18/2017 at 10:21 pm

      Well, you can visit the museum without the conference and it will be Jacques Sirgent himself who shows around. And he speaks English so no problem!

  • Jennifer
    10/31/2017 at 10:00 am

    I’m not really in to vampires, so I probably wouldn’t visit just to visit the museum. But Halloween is something I miss being an American expat living in France, so it’s fun to know that the Vampire Museum does something special for Halloween. That might be worth checking out sometime. I also didn’t realize Dracula had any connections to France, so that’s interesting.

  • Efthimis Kragaris
    10/30/2017 at 9:46 pm

    I will definitely check Sous les Pavés when in Paris. I love alternative tours and we are actually currently planning some in Athens! You will hear from us hopefully soon 🙂

    • WorldInParis
      11/02/2017 at 7:59 am

      Sous les Paves has very interesting tours, you have a link to their blog at the end of this post 😉

  • Sneha S
    10/30/2017 at 11:35 am

    Spooky indeed! Liked your tip for those not speaking French. Really helpful.

  • Janine Thomas
    10/30/2017 at 10:17 am

    I love the idea of alternative tours. This is one that I will definitely make a note of for the next time that I am in Paris.My French is not bad, but my husband’s is non-existent. Do you thinks that they will do an English talk in the future?

  • Koen
    10/29/2017 at 7:58 pm

    Haha, so funny. I did not know there is this kind of Museum in Paris. Love the level of detail!

  • Mei and Kerstin
    10/29/2017 at 4:47 pm

    How come we lived in Paris for so long, but never heard of the Musée des Vampires?! This is sooo cool! We need to head back to Paris asap to tour this special “cabinet des curiosités” with Jacques Sirgent! Such a pity that it’ll be closed for works next September, otherwise we’d love to explore it during Halloween 2018!

  • Silke
    10/29/2017 at 2:37 pm

    What an interesting place to visit while in Paris! I am honestly intrigued. Shame that my French wouldn’t be good enough to follow the presentation. But I will definitely keep it in mind as an off-the-beaten-path thing to do in Paris. Do you think it is kid-friendly?

    • WorldInParis
      10/31/2017 at 7:40 am

      Sure it is kid friendly! Jacques Sirgent receives many school groups in the museum 😉

  • WorldInParis
    10/29/2017 at 10:22 am

    Danik you can join one of Sous les Paves’ events or make an appointment by email with the owner

  • Dinh-Long Pham
    10/29/2017 at 4:56 am

    I’ve been living in Paris all my life and had no idea about this museum! Thank for the cool tip about “Sous les pavés” startup! I’ll definitely check it out and follow their next tours.

    • WorldInParis
      10/29/2017 at 10:19 am

      I told you that Paris Vampire Museum is one of Paris’ best kept secrets! 😉

  • Renata Green
    10/28/2017 at 10:12 pm

    I’ve been to Paris so often and I actually thought that I’ve seen it all – your post proves I didn’t. This is so much fun, I didn’t know it existed. The cover pictures is very well chosen since it really invites you in this creepy world.

    • WorldInParis
      10/29/2017 at 10:19 am

      That’s our job, to make you discover Paris off the beaten path . . 😉

  • Carol
    10/28/2017 at 8:06 pm

    This is really interesting! Would you say it’s worth to wait after they make the changes in 2018 or just go ahead and experience this now?

    I got so suckered into vampire facts and literature when I started reading Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles when I was way younger. I would love to learn more of them from Jacques Sirgent!

    • WorldInParis
      10/29/2017 at 10:20 am

      Oh, Jacques Sirgent knows everything about vampires! If you are that interested I would not wait for 2018 to visit 😉

  • Tamara Elliott
    10/28/2017 at 6:24 pm

    I had no idea there was such a thing! I would have guessed it would be in Romania 🙂

    • WorldInParis
      10/29/2017 at 10:21 am

      NO, actually in Romania they don’t care about vampires. I spent some days in Transylvania and nothing . . . 🙁

  • Hannah
    10/28/2017 at 9:51 am

    I spend a lot of time in Paris, but had never heard of le Musée des Vampires! Monsieur Sirgent seems like a very quirky person with a passion for the unusual, so it would be good to visit this private museum. Mais, peut-être, en anglais, parce que mon français n’est pas bon!

    • WorldInParis
      10/29/2017 at 10:23 am

      Je pense qu’il faut que ton français soit vraiment très bon . . . Or you can visit the museum out of these events, by appointment