About
Opened in 1984, this private museum displayed more than 300 automata and shared its premises with the Scale Models Museum. For decades it was one of the classic family outings in La Rochelle, and one of the addresses listed on this site — this page is kept in its memory.
If you were planning a visit with children, the Aquarium, the ships of the Maritime Museum and the giraffe of the Natural History Museum are all within walking distance of the Vieux-Port.
Museums to visit instead
La Rochelle Aquarium
Private aquarium facing the Old Port since 2001 (founded by René Coutant in 1972), with about 12,000 animals of 600 species.
Maritime Museum
Floating museum in the trawler basin (opened 1988), with a heritage fleet of nine vessels incl. the weather ship France I; three can be boarded.
Natural History Museum
Municipal natural history museum on rue Albert-Ier, free for under-18s.
Where it stood
Source: Routard (Musée des Automates) — no second source found. Checked 14 October 2026.