Welcome to the Balzac House!
Here, you are welcome to plenty of activities directed by a member of our staff or to visit the museum on your own as you please.
Activities run by our staff:
Whether you’re here for the first time or you’re a regular, we propose to you our general activities (each lasts about an hour and a half): general guided tours, themed guided tours, discussions of Balzac readings and field trips beyond the museum.
“Balzac and his works” is often the best choice for a first-time visitor, as it allows a comprehensive first look into Balzac’s oeuvre.
The themed visits allow for a deepening of the knowledge of The Human Comedy and an appreciation of its diversity. You can also join us for outings in Paris, with Balzac as your guide.
Reservations
Our Cultural and Educational Services are available to you for confirming your visit by telephone at 01.55.74.41.93 or by e-mail at eppm-balzac.reservation@paris.fr.
Admission prices for guided museum tours for group visits:
Full price: 110€
Reduced price: 65€ (for visitors from 18-26 years old, over 60 years old, teachers, librarians and researchers for academic establishments, a group that has reserved two activities for the same day, staff of the Centres de loisirs de la Ville de Paris)
Minimum price: 30€ (children younger than 18 years old, schools, handicapped persons, hospital visitors, unemployed, beneficiaries of social services, groupes issus du champ social).
Admission prices for museum field trips for group visits:
Full price: 128€
Reduced price: 78€ (for visitors from 18-26 years old, over 60 years old, teachers, librarians and researchers for academic establishments, a group that has reserved two activities for the same day, staff of the Centres de loisirs de la Ville de Paris)
Minimum price: 38€ (children younger than 18 years old, schools, handicapped persons, hospital visitors, unemployed, beneficiaries of social services, groupes issus du champ social).
Themes for Guided Tours
The life and works of Balzac
Discover Balzac’s works through this visit of the permanent collections of our museum.
Balzac, Money and Creation
Balzac and money, it’s almost redundant. We’ll explore certain myths: Balzac chained to his table, working, in order to pay off his debts; Balzac eluding his creditors. We’ll discover as well how money worked as a driving force for the author, as much as for the characters of The Human Comedy.
Vautrin
Let yourself be fascinated by the ace of metamorphosis, the old convict Jacques Collin. “Monstrously handsome,” Balzac considered him “the backbone” of his works.
Eugène de Rastignac
Love, money, politics, and lightning-fast social climbing. Rastignac, a model of the Balzacian hero, appears in 26 of his novels. At the advice of the toxic Vautrin, he stops at nothing to satisfy his ambitions.
Passy in the time of Balzac: “My House, my Museum”
The last remains in Passy of the house inhabited by this illustrious man between 1840 and 1847. A relatively modest abode of the era, how did this place escape the Parisian financial development gambling before becoming a museum?
Balzac and Women
Women play a vital role in Balzac’s life and work. Balzac is a friend of women, as well as an author and defender of their stories.
There are lovers: Laure de Berny, the duchess of Abrantès, Eve Hanska; there are idols: George Sand; there are friends: Zulma Caraud…
Balzacian Characters in their Homes
Balzac is commonly recognized as “the archeologist of social structure.” This is apparent at the heart of his literary world, where every character of The Human Comedy is subject to this analysis.
Dandys in Balzac’s Work
Rich or poor, aristocrat or bourgeois, city-slicker or country-guy, they occasionally have opposing destinies. They could rule the State or succumb to their own ambition.
The Artist, as per Balzac
Balzac poses the question of the notion of genius, a means of questioning himself and his creations. For the most part, his idea of artists, if they are blessed with the power of creation, often fail and consume themselves in suffering.
Explore The Human Comedy
Balzac utilizes Buffon’s theories to study society, and categorizes human species as you would animal species. He was equally interested in the physiognomonie as phrenology.
Programs for Field Trips
Crossing Alleys with Balzac
In the 19th century, crowds concentrated in tiny passages and galleries, vibrant places of promenades and new meetings. Balzac’s voice describes all that materialized around this architectural phenomenon.
Meeting place in front of the Colonnes de Buren at the Palais Royal.
Balzac, a Parisian Wanderer: the Marais
Balzac’s Paris is situated between the real Paris, a Paris long-gone and the Paris that’s disappearing under urban pressure. In the company of our staff, discover the Marais, one of the oldest neighborhoods of Paris where one senses Balzacian figures in all their glory.
Meeting place under the clock of the Hotel-de-Ville.
Balzac, a Parisian Wanderer: the Latin Quarter
Balzac, tireless observer of the city, had numerous homes in different neighborhoods of the capital. As such, he truly knew Paris inside out: that’s why the city acts as a main character in his work. In the company of our staff, discover the Latin Quarter, one of the oldest neighborhoods of Paris where one senses Balzacian figures in all their glory.
Meeting place at metro stop Odéon, under the Danton statue.
Free Visits of the Museum
These free visits are free of charge, and need no reservation. Autonomous groups that haven’t reserved a place with our Cultural Services are subject to a 30€ charge.