Visitors’ regulations and photography restrictions

Clause 1

The following regulations apply to visitors to the Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme (mahJ) and, except for special arrangements, to:

• persons authorized to use certain spaces for meetings, receptions, lectures, concerts, performances and ceremonies,
• persons not employed by the museum on the premises for professional purposes.

Museum access

Clause 2

The museum is open daily except Monday, some national holidays and certain religious festivals. Opening hours are:

• Tuesday to Friday: 11.00–18.00; groups with reservations: Monday to Friday 9.30–18.00; school groups with reservations: Monday to Friday 9.30-18.00.
• Saturday, Sunday: 10.00–18.00; groups with reservations: 10.00–13.00 for exhibitions and all day for the permanent collection.
• For the duration of temporary exhibitions, the museum is open on Wednesday until 21.00 and on Saturday, Sunday and national holidays until 19.00.

Clause 3

Twin tickets for the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions are available at 10 € (full rate) and 7 € (reduced rate). The reduced rate is available solely to holders of the Famille nombreuse card issued to families of three or more children, 18 to 25 year-olds residing outside the European Union and Amis du Louvre card holders.

The admission rate for exhibitions for European Union residents aged 18 to 25 is 5 €. This includes free admission to the permanent collection.

From October to June, on the first Saturday of each month, admission to the permanent collection and the exhibition in the foyer is free for all. On those days visitors can also see the current temporary exhibition located in the main building at the usual rate.

An audio guide to the permanent collection in six languages is available free of charge.

The reduced rate and free admission are granted with valid proof of eligibility.

Free admission is granted to Amis du mahJ and Culture card holders, under 18s, French museum curators, Icom card holders, journalists, art, history and religion students, artists registered with the Maison des artistes, teachers with an Education Pass, National Lecturer Card holders, guide/interpreters and tourism professionals registered with CDT Ile-de-France, members of parliament, employees of the City of Paris, Paris municipal councilors, disabled ex-servicemen and people with disabilities with an accompanier, job seekers, people on revenu actif de solidarité (RSA) and basic state pensioners.

Partnerships with other institutions can occasionally increase this list of those eligible for free admission and the reduced rate for the permanent collection and/or exhibitions.

Clause 4

Entry to and circulation in the museum during opening hours is authorized only to persons in possession of a currently valid ticket issued at the ticket desk or purchased in advance, a free admission ticket, a group reservation receipt, a pass or badge issued by the museum.  

The ticket is valid for the date and time slot chosen at the time of purchase. 

During temporary exhibitions, when the ticket is time-stamped, the time of the visit corresponds to entry into the temporary exhibition, which is possible up to 30 minutes after the time indicated. Access to the other areas – permanent collection, foyer, contemporary gallery - is possible throughout the day, without time constraints but subject to the capacity of each area. If the visitor is more than 30 minutes late, he or she can book a free "Reservation for a time slot" for the same day, subject to availability. Holders of Paris Museum Pass or tickets sold without any precise date (tickets sold in numbers) who want to discover the temporary exhibition must make a "reservation of a time slot" online.

Tickets for an activity, such as a guided tour, workshop, tour walk, etc., are valid for the duration of the activity in the spaces where it takes place, whether the activity is individual or group.

.The temporary closure of one or more rooms in the museum does not entitle ticket holders to reimbursement.

Clause 5

Wheelchairs, guide and assistance dogs and lightweight and uncumbersome children’s pushchairs are authorized in the museum. The mahJ is in no way responsible for any injury caused by these vehicles and animals.

Prams, voluminous backpacks and baby carriers with a metal frame are prohibited. Small backpacks must be carried in the hand or on the chest to reduce risk of damaging an exhibit or object.

Clause 6

It is prohibited to bring into the museum objects whose purpose or characteristics pose a threat or risk to the security of persons, artworks or the building, notably:

• weapons, firearms and ammunition,
• explosives, flammable or volatile substances,
• heavy, cumbersome or foul-smelling objects,
• artworks or antiques,
• all animals except guide and assistance dogs, including those being trained, on double presentation of their national certificate (professional card of the dog and of the person accompanying it: professional card of the trainer / foster family card / card bearing the words "invalid" or "priority for disabled persons"),
• food and drinks.

Any exception to these measures must be personally authorized by the director of the museum. 

Clause 7

Members of staff may at any moment request visitors to open bags or parcels and show their contents, at the entrance to the museum, on leaving the museum, and anywhere in the museum. 

Clause 8

Refusal to comply with the stipulations in clauses 6 and 7 will lead to refusal of admission to or immediate eviction from the museum premises. 

Clause 9

Ticket sales end 45 minutes before the museum’s closure.  Access to the permanent collection and exhibitions ends 30 minutes before closure.  Staff begin to request visitors to leave the permanent collection and exhibitions 10 minutes before closure. This process can begin earlier for security reasons, notably when the museum is crowded.

Clause 10

A cloakroom is available free of charge for visitors to leave garments, walking sticks, umbrellas, bags, etc. Visitors receive a ticket for items left in the cloakroom. Folding pushchairs, baby carriers and a changing table are available to visitors under their own liability. 

Clause 11

The following items must be left in the cloakroom before entering the museum:

• walking sticks with unprotected tips (rubber tipped crutches and walking sticks are authorized for old and/or disabled visitors),
• umbrellas, except if they can folded and carried in a garment or bag and except when they are used by old or infirm people and have a rubber tip,
• luggage and parcels whose total dimensions (length, width, depth) exceed 40 cm,
• large non-transparent or non-fireproof plastic or paper bags,
• reproductions or casts of artworks,
• musical instruments,
• folding chairs,
• camera tripods or monopods (except with authorization, see Clause 29).

Clause 12

For security reasons, acceptance of a bag or parcel by the cloakroom attendant may be subject to its opening by the visitor. The cloakroom attendant may refuse objects whose nature seems incompatible with the museum’s security or satisfactory functioning.

Clause 13

Acceptance of objects in the cloakroom is limited by its capacity. When the cloakroom is full, visitors are requested to wait until other visitors have retrieved their possessions before using the cloakroom and entering the museum proper. 

Clause 14

The following items may not be left in the cloakroom:

• sums of money, identity papers,
• checkbooks, credit cards,
• valuable objects such as jewelry and cameras,
• dangerous objects and substances,
• fragile objects.

Deposits made in disregard of the present clause are done so at the risk of the depositor. Musical instruments and reproductions and casts of artworks can only be left in the cloakroom if sufficient space is available, at the risk of the depositor and on signature of a receipt stating that the museum accepts no responsibility for them. 

Clause 15

In the case of loss or damage to an object regularly left in the cloakroom, or for which a receipt stating that the museum accepts no responsibility for it has not been signed, a compensation may be allocated to the depositor if proof of ownership is duly provided. The museum does not accept any responsibility for the theft of objects not left in the cloakroom.

Clause 16

All items left in the cloakroom must be retrieved the same day before the museum closes. After a delay of 48 hours, unretrieved objects are regarded as found objects. Perishable foodstuffs and objects of no value are destroyed every evening.

Clause 17

Objects found in the museum are transferred after one month to the Found Objects Service of the Préfecture de Police, 36 rue des Morillons, 75015 Paris.

Closed bags, luggage or parcels left in the museum and not in the cloakroom and which appear to pose a threat to the security of the museum may be immediately destroyed without notice.

Visitors’ general behavior

Clause 18

Visitors are required to conduct themselves politely with other visitors and with museum staff.

Clause 19

All acts endangering the security of works on exhibit or compromising visiting conditions for others are strictly forbidden, notably:

• touching works and decorations,
• ignoring barriers intended to restrict the circulation of visitors,
• examining works with a magnifying glass,
• leaning against display cases, plinths and other presentation elements,
• affixing graffiti and inscriptions or marking or soiling any surface or object in the museum,
• walking barefoot or dressing indecently,
• running, jostling, sliding or climbing anywhere in the museum,
• hindering the circulation of other visitors and blocking passageways and exits, notably by sitting on staircases,
• using mobile phones in the permanent collection and exhibition spaces,
• smoking, eating or drinking outside areas designated for these purposes,
• dropping litter, cigarettes or chewing gum,
• bothering other visitors by noisy behavior,
• lying on benches, on the floor or ground,
• touching or manipulating for no valid reason an alarm box or security equipment (fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, etc.),
• begging on the museum premises,
• engaging in any kind of commerce, advertising, propaganda or soliciting on the museum premises.
• Blind or partially sighted persons may be given special dispensation regarding some of the acts listed above.

Clause 20

Visitors must comply with any orders given by museum staff for service reasons.

Clause 21

A register in which visitors can leave comments is available at the reception desk.

Regulations for groups

Clause 22

Groups must obligatorily reserve a visiting date and time.

No group visits are allowed on Sundays from 13.00 to 18.00 and on national holidays (all day) in the exhibition spaces.

Groups are admitted to the museum on presentation of the confirmation of reservation sent to the group leader.

During the visit, groups can use the audio guides provided free of charge if a sufficient number of audio guides is currently available. These audioguides can be equipped with an audio induction loop for people using a hearing aid with the “T” position. In order for the group to use the audioguides, the group leader must leave his or her identity card or passport at the audio guide desk. This will be returned at the end of the visit. In the case of loss or damage, the group leader will be required to reimburse this loss or damage.

Clause 23

Visitors in groups must in no way hinder other visitors. Groups cannot exceed 20 people in the permanent collection and 15 people in temporary exhibitions. Depending on how crowded the museum is, groups may be requested to split into smaller groups to facilitate the circulation of other visitors.

Group visits, except those led by the museum’s lecturers, must take place under the direction of a leader who undertakes to enforce visitors’ regulations.

Primary school groups must have at least one accompanier for every 7 pupils and secondary school groups must have one accompanier for every 15 pupils.

Clause 24

The only guides normally authorized to speak to groups must belong to the following categories:

• mahJ lecturers and guides,
• lecturers and guides with cards issued by the Tourism Ministry,
• foreign lecturers and guides with a professional identity card,
• French and foreign museum curators with a professional identity card,
• lecturers at the École du Louvre and the Centre des Monuments Nationaux,
• French and foreign teachers with school groups,
• persons individually authorized by the director of the museum.

The museum cannot be held responsible for sentiments or views expressed by lecturers who have not received its accreditation. It reserves the right to withdraw permission to speak to groups within the museum from lecturers or guides who have expressed malicious or defamatory views.

Clause 25

Non-compliance with Clauses 22 to 24 can lead to the offender being prohibited from organizing another group visit to the museum.

Photography, video and sound recordings, copies and visitor surveys

Clause 26

The taking of photographs or films for non-commercial purposes is authorized in the museum in compliance with Clause 27.

Photography and filming can be subject to restrictions indicated at the entrance to rooms or next to works.

To protect works and to not inconvenience visitors, the use of flashes, lamps, other lighting equipment, holders, tripods and monopods is prohibited.

The taking of photographs and films and their exploitation by visitors is restricted to private use only and providing author’s rights and the right to privacy are respected.

The museum declines any responsibility for any exploitation contravening the principles set out in these regulations.

Clause 27

It is forbidden to photograph or film the museum’s technical and security installations.

No sound recording, photography or filming of members of staff or the public can be undertaken without the authorization of the director and the specific agreement of those concerned. The museum declines all responsibility if these measures are not complied with.

Clause 28

Without prejudice to Clause 27, professional photography or photography for commercial purposes, the shooting of films and the recording of radio and television programs must receive the authorization of the museum’s director, granted in the week following receipt of the written request. It is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain all the other authorizations required, notably those of the rights holders of the works concerned.

Clause 29

The execution of copies of works cannot be undertaken without authorization. Those who receive this authorization must comply with visitor’s regulations and the particular instructions given to them, concerning notably the protection of the work(s) to be copied and compliance with eventual reproduction rights. 

Clause 30

No visitor surveys or interviews can be carried out without the express authorization of the museum’s director.

Safety of people, works of art and the museum premises

Clause 31

Visitors must abstain from any act liable to threaten the security of persons and property.

Any accident, person taken ill or abnormal event must be immediately reported to a member of staff or at reception.

If a doctor, nurse or person trained in first aid is present and intervenes, he or she must first show his or her professional card to a member of staff and remain with the sick or injured person until he or she is evacuated from the museum. He or she will then be asked to leave his or her name and address by a member of staff. 

Clause 32

In case of a fire outbreak, visitors must remain calm and immediately report it to a member of staff.

If the building has to be evacuated, this must be done in an orderly and disciplined manner under the orders of museum staff.

Clause 33

Any child who is lost must be entrusted to a member of staff and accompanied to reception.

Clause 34

In compliance with Clause 73 of the Criminal Procedure Code, any visitor has the right to report a theft or damage to property to a member of staff and aid in apprehending the perpetrator.

Clause 35

In the case of an attempted theft in the museum, alarm systems and procedures can be activated, including the closure of of exits.

Clause 36

In the event of excessive crowding, disorder, industrial disputes or any situation liable to threaten the security of persons and property, the museum can be totally or partially closed and its opening hours changed. The director or his or her representative can take any measure necessitated by such circumstances.

Clause 37

In the event of an epidemic or pandemic, visitors must comply with hygiene and social distancing measures (as compulsory wearing of face masks for visitors over 11 years, or hand washing) in force in the museum. Access to the rooms may be conditional on a valid health pass. These measures will be stated on posters and on the museum’s website. The museum’s staff will enforce these measures.

Clause 38

Visitors who are ignorant of or refuse to comply with the above regulations may be liable to be escorted out of the museum and even legal prosecution.

Clause 39

The above visitors’ regulations are posted in public in the museum at the ticket desk and on www.mahj.org, and can also be provided on demand.

 

20 May 2022