How to get to the Musée du quai Branly

I cycle past this museum most mornings, so I am biased towards arriving along the river. But however you come, the building is easy to find and mildly confusing to enter, because the glass screen along the quay hides the door. Here is each option, then a word on which entrance to use.

By métro

Four stations work. Alma-Marceau on line 9 is the one I use: leave the station, cross Pont de l’Alma to the Left Bank and turn right along the quay, about seven minutes in all, with the green wall coming into view on rue de l’Université. Iéna, also line 9, puts you on the Right Bank by the Palais de Tokyo, with a walk over Pont d’Iéna. École Militaire on line 8 approaches from the south through the quieter streets of the seventh. Bir-Hakeim on line 6 is the Eiffel Tower stop, so the walk takes you past the tower and along the quay.

By RER C

Two RER C stations bracket the museum: Pont de l’Alma to the east and Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel to the west. Both are a short walk along the river. RER C is the line from Versailles and from the Musée d’Orsay, which makes it the natural way to combine the quai Branly with either.

By bus

Buses 42, 63, 69, 72, 80, 82, 87 and 92 all stop within a few minutes of the museum. The 69 and 72 follow the river and are the scenic choice; the 42 comes through from the Gare du Nord side. On a rainy day I would take the bus over the RER, which involves stairs and long platforms.

By boat

Bateaux Parisiens dock at Port de la Bourdonnais, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, a few minutes upstream. The fast-access electric cruise sold on GetYourGuide departs from 2 Port de Suffren, about five minutes’ walk from the museum. Either pier makes a good bookend to a visit; the combo tickets page compares the museum-plus-cruise options honestly, boat queue included.

By bike or car

There are six Vélib’ stations nearby, and the riverside cycle path runs straight past the glass screen. Drivers have a car park at 25 quai Branly; Laurence, reviewing the ticket, mentioned parking nearby without trouble. I would still leave the car for a day outside the city.

Walking from the Eiffel Tower and Trocadéro

From the tower, walk downstream along the quay with the river on your left. The museum is about 300 m away, five minutes, and you cannot miss the green wall. From the Trocadéro terrace, cross Pont d’Iéna and turn left along the quay, roughly fifteen minutes. The Invalides are about 900 m to the east and the Musée d’Orsay about 2 km along the river. The around the museum page strings these into a half-day loop.

Which entrance

The entrance is through the garden from the quay side. Look for the gap in the glass screen and follow the path through the grasses to the building. There is a security check for everyone, then two lanes: the ticket desk and the “access with ticket” entrance for people who already hold one. If you have the GetYourGuide voucher on your phone, use the second lane. Fran, an American reviewer, lost an hour because her confirmation was not accepted in its original format, so have the voucher open and the QR code ready rather than buried in an email. Suitcases and bulky objects are refused at security with no left-luggage, so leave them at the hotel or a station locker. The ticket page covers the rest of the entry rules.

Frequently asked questions