Jules Verne House

Updated April 15, 2024

Maison de Jules Verne | Amiens Tourisme

## Jules Verne House (Maison de Jules Verne), Amiens — what to expect, room by room

If you want something more specific than “a writer’s museum,” the Jules Verne House in Amiens delivers: a 19th-century home with preserved period spaces, plus exhibits that connect Verne’s daily life to the publishing machine that turned his novels into the Voyages extraordinaires. The address is 2 Rue Charles Dubois, 80000 Amiens, France (coordinates: 49.8877853, 2.3018776). Métropole

Verne lived in Amiens for 34 years (1871–1905), and he rented this house—known as the “Maison à la Tour”—for 18 years (1882–1900). Métropole

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## Quick facts for planning

### Opening hours (as published by Amiens Métropole)
– Mon: 10:00–12:30, 14:00–18:00
– Tue: closed
– Wed–Sun: 10:00–12:30, 14:00–18:00
– Closed on Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25 Métropole

### Ticket prices (individual)
– Full price: €9
– Reduced: €5 (with proof; multiple eligible categories listed by the venue)
– Family: €25 (2 adults + 2 children aged 6–18) Métropole

### Combined + subscriptions
– Combined ticket (Jules Verne House + Musée de Picardie): €16 full / €9 reduced Métropole
– Individual subscription (12 months unlimited): €22 full / €18 reduced Métropole

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## The house itself: why the “tower” matters

The venue explains that the home is large, with two floors, large attics, and a tower topped by a belvedere; historically, the kitchen, outbuildings, and stables were in the building’s left wing (now the reception hall). Métropole

Architecturally, it’s described as red brick with different exterior finishes depending on whether you’re facing the street or the courtyard, and with limestone elements (lintels, cornices, window sills). It also notes that a large deep garden that once extended behind the courtyard disappeared in the 1970s. Métropole

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## What you’ll actually see inside (the highlights)

### Ground floor: the most “intact” level
The museum notes that the ground floor keeps much of its original décor, and is the level that changed the least since the Verne family left. Métropole

Winter garden (jardin d’hiver)
This was the main entrance in Verne’s time: a bright space with a large glass roof looking toward the tower. The venue specifically calls out Chinese plates/pottery and plants as part of a 19th-century taste for “exoticism.” Métropole

Dining room
Described as the only room that kept its original décor, with neo-Gothic furniture and a coffered ceiling. The museum explains that the more formal dining room was reconstructed in period style, and that cupboards display objects that belonged to Jules and Honorine Verne, plus items from the family of his publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel. Métropole

Grand salon / music salon
Honorine Verne hosted social evenings here. Portraits of Jules and Honorine hang in the room, and the display includes family photographs (including Verne’s parents). Métropole

“Fumoir” (small salon)
This space gathers photographs of Jules and Honorine and personal documents; vitrines cover Verne’s studies and youthful reading—explicitly mentioning “robinsonnades.” Métropole

Early literary life + travel
One room ties together Verne’s early work in theater and literature (including songs and fiction published in Le Musée des familles) with travel—especially his trip aboard the Great Eastern, described as the largest transatlantic ship of its era. The venue states Verne traveled to the United States in March 1867 with his brother Paul, visiting New York and Niagara Falls, inspiring the novel Une ville flottante. Métropole

### First floor: publishing, editions, and Verne’s life in Amiens
The venue explains that the family bedrooms were originally on this floor; instead, visitors now see reconstructed spaces relating to Hetzel (a Paris bookshop, salon, and office), plus an area about Verne’s Amiens life. Métropole

Pierre-Jules Hetzel, editor (and the “education + recreation” project)
Key facts the museum highlights:
– Hetzel set up his publishing house at 18 rue Jacob, Paris (from 1859)
– He prioritized youth editions and launched Magasin d’éducation et de récréation in 1864
– The publication of Cinq semaines en ballon in 1865 inaugurated the Voyages extraordinaires series
– Their collaboration is described as deeply intertwined, with Hetzel shaping Verne within a program of “education and recreation.” Métropole

The “cartonnages” (iconic bindings) + editions
The museum spells out that Hetzel first published Verne’s texts in the magazine, then in smaller paperback editions, but that the novels are especially known in large-format editions (grand-octavo, 28 × 20 cm) presented in decorative cartonnages, noting there are more than twenty cartonnage styles for Verne’s novels and that no other author’s work generated such profusion. It also provides a technical explanation of what “cartonnage” means as a 19th-century book-covering technique. Métropole

Verne’s Amiens timeline and civic life
The museum states:
– Verne moved to Amiens in 1871 to be closer to his in-laws
– He bought a house at 44 boulevard Longueville (now boulevard Jules Verne) in 1873
– He rented the tower house at 2 rue Charles Dubois from 1882 to 1900
– He died at No. 44 on 24 March 1905
– He was a municipal councilor for 16 years (1888–1904), and delivered many speeches including one for the circus inauguration on 24 June 1889 Métropole

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## Getting there (and how long it takes)

The venue’s practical info is unusually specific:

– About 10 minutes on foot from Amiens main train station Métropole
– About 20 minutes on foot from the cathedral (city center) Métropole
– About 15 minutes on foot from the Musée de Picardie Métropole
– Bike access: cycle lanes serve the site, with bike parking nearby Métropole
– Car: street parking around the site is paid; the nearest free parking is in front of the Cirque Jules Verne; nearby underground options include Gare and Jacobins Métropole
– Bus stops close by:
– “Otages” (boulevard): lines L, N2, N3, 11, 12, etc.
– “Joffre”: free “Cœur de ville” shuttle, lines 6, 15 Métropole

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## Accessibility and inclusivity notes (from the venue)

The museum states it is accessible to people with reduced mobility, and it has obtained the “Tourisme et Handicap” label for motor and mental disabilities. Métropole

Specific provisions it lists:
– A reserved parking space about 30 meters away (boulevard Jules Verne, opposite rue Charles Dubois) Métropole
– An elevator and vigilance/tactile strips to help movement Métropole
– A braille or large-print companion booklet available at reception on request Métropole
– Guided tours for groups with intellectual disabilities by reservation Métropole
– For lower crowd levels, the venue advises coming weekdays outside school holidays Métropole

It also flags constraints typical of historic buildings: circulation spaces can be narrow, some rooms are modest, and lighting can be dim for conservation; it mentions a specific staircase whose steps/handrails can’t be modified the way modern accessibility standards might prefer. Métropole

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## On-site rules and visitor flow (worth knowing before you arrive)

The venue asks visitors to avoid bulky items like backpacks and umbrellas, and notes some items may be not allowed inside (explicitly mentioning strollers as an example). It also says capacity is limited and staff may ask you to wait outside—or deny access—during high crowding. Métropole

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## Outdated-data flags (read this if you’re publishing)
– Hours, closures, and ticket prices can change; the figures above are pulled from Amiens Métropole’s published “Infos pratiques,” but you should re-check close to publication date. Métropole
– Review ratings are not stable (they move with new reviews), so I did not treat the “4.4” rating as evergreen factual data.

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## Editor note: internal link opportunities (contextual)
If these pages exist on RealJourneyTravels.com, they’re the cleanest contextual internal links:
– A guide to Musée de Picardie (Amiens) (pairs directly with the combined ticket). Métropole
– A guide to the Cirque Jules Verne / boulevard Jules Verne area (ties into Verne’s civic life and the parking reference). Métropole

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