musee des blindes

A must do if you're into tanks. My tank enthusiast of a son had a great time wandering around inside the museum AND outside the museum where there are old tanks waiting to be refurbished near the workshop. A word of caution if youre mad about tanks like my son....the Normandy Tank Museum is a huge disappointment. It is not even a tank museum IMO. It is a very small mis mash of exhibits with some tanks in it.

Excellent tank museum with a wide range of tanks & AFVs from WW1 to modern times with many unique pieces. We easily spent 2 1/2 hours here. It's an old style museum but it does have toilets and a gift shop selling books and models. There are no food or drink facilities except a vending machine, and nothing close by. For food you need to go into Saumur, which is a pleasant town on the Loire. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in military history.

Have been meaning to submit a review since August but only now had the time. Drove 2 1/2 hours to get to it on a rainy day and worth every second. Fantastic selection of tanks and vehicles, with a particularly good selection of WW2 German and French types. As another reviewer mentions, there are no 'Do Not Touch' signs - (in French or English), no roped off areas and all in all the whole place has a more relaxed feel about it than Bovington. Can only imagine how good their equivalent of Tankfest is - especially with their working Tiger II. Don't miss it!

I made a special trip to come here from Paris to fulfil a long-term ambition. I'd been to Bovington a few years ago, and loved it, and this was equal to it. I spent three and a half hours here, basically on my own in the whole museum; fantastic (I visited on a weekday in November). Entry was cheap - 8 euros, but I had to pay an extra 5 euros to take pictures. Note there is no cafe, just a couple of vending machines.The collection of French tanks is extensive, and boy do they look pathetic when compared to the German ones next door. This for me was the absolute highlight: Tiger, Panther, Tiger II, Jadgpather etc etc. There were also lots of WWII Allied and Russian tanks, and a final contemporary section, that somehow doesn't grip me like the WWII stuff. There was a bit of over-the-top French jingoism here and there (I don't think the LeClerc really is the best tank in the world guys, maybe it's in at number 7?) and perhaps an overplay of their role in World War II, but after all it is a French museum aimed primarily at French people. This museum has the only working Tiger II in the world. They could make more of this; why don't they show it in action and have a calendar for that, as Bovington does with its Tiger?Still, all things considered, this is one of the three best tank museums in the world.If you've ever made an AirFix model of a Tiger tank, then come here and see one for real; you'll be blown away. The afterwards go and drink some wine from the Loire valley...

Vey good Museum lots to do withe your grandchildren However I think Bovigdon has more exhibits on show. Quit easy to find and in a very good town to visit. All in all a good day out.

Other reviews have pretty much covered it, but if you scorn their opinions and only mine will do (for some reason), here it is: this museum is absolutely essential for anyone who has studied - or even has a passing interest in - war history, machines or (like me) both.All the tank 'stars' are there - Sherman, Churchill, Panther, King Tiger, etc. - and lovingly maintained. The descriptions are generally in English as well as French and German, but I found the translations a little stilted and vague compared to the original - you'll get more useful info out of it if you can read French.The exhibitions cover everything from the very first tanks and other vehicles to their modern equivalents, and it was really cool to see how the technology evolved and changed. My sole complaint with the museum was that it does suffer from that tendency to glorify war a little bit, with inspiring slogans written on the walls and so on. I doubt the tank crew in the Jagdpanzer with the big hole in it were thinking of it that way! I've seen some other museums with a better balance of the "war is hell / war is glorious" dichotomy.Not to miss if you're at all interested. I loved it.

On behalf of my partner and older son - Fantastic, but due to an impatient 6yr old we had to whizz through a bit too quickly. Would love to visit again with more time.

For anyone interested in history or the military... or military history especially, this is fascinating. An impressive collection of tanks big and small from all over the world. Descriptions are in English as well as French, making it easy for visitors to understand the significance of these vehicles and their role in history. There is a lot to get round, but also plenty of places to rest in each of the halls. Well worth a visit.

For fans of military history, not to be missed -- the biggest collection of motorized armour in the world.

Never visited a tank museum before. This one seemed to have every make of tank ever made! All different countries are covered and it explains the development from the first ones ever used in the battle of the Somme. Only two points that could be improved is the english comments were sometimes a bit limited and you have to pay an additional €5 to take photo's. Overall though a great visit.

Went to the museum with my tank expert 8 year old son, and even he was impressed... Not expensive to enter and just an amazing array of vehicles, particularly ww2 where they had a line of tanks showing the modestly sized Panzer II all the way through to King Tiger. All that was missing for me was more about some of the stories behind different tank regiments, and perhaps an English (audio) guide but overall the signage was informative and the overall very worthwhile trip for any military enthusiast.

If you like Armoured Fighting Vehicles this place is one of the best and biggest anywhere in the world. The place is Big (11 themed rooms), and yet they say only a quarter is exhibited - Wow! Going in September meant the crowds were so small that you could take a photo of a row of tanks and not have anyone walking by. In Summer the Tiger 2 tank (still in working order) performs in a demonstration for the Public - worth checking out. Also if you want to take photos you will have to pay a little extra for the chance. The Price for entrance is modest and the displays are well worth the viewing. Information about each vehicles is limited, but being able to touch them makes up for that..A another highlight about this town that is very often missed.

we have an 11year old Son who is mad on all things world War 1 and 2 - so this was on his 'bucket list'! I was dragged along too and well what can I say....lots of tanks! It was very good I suppose (for someone who has absolutely no interest in such things!). Reasonable price to get in - you are asked if you would like to pay an extra €5 to be allowed to take photos, we didn't, but there is a small section where children can climb on/in some tanks and photos are permitted free of charge!

I wanted to visit this museum because my husband did his military service in Saumur and got to drive a tank or two. I thought this would be a way of actually getting up close to different tanks, looking inside and maybe even to get inside one to see what they were like. I was not expecting to see so many tanks and from so many countries. It was interesting to learn about the evolution of these giants throughout the 20th Century. I spent a great 2 hours here. I'm giving this 4 stars and not 5 because the (free) guided visit is in French only, though English comments are displayed next to each tank. Each of these tanks are in working order and maintained and it is the biggest tank museum in Europe.

The Musee des Blindes was an interesting place to visit - the array of tanks was impressive and there was very good information on most of the exhibits in English. The staff were all very helpful and friendly - with a very good shop that had a great range of models and kits.. Anyone interested in Military history would enjoy it. My son said the museum was 'amazing' and his favourite tanks were on display.so he was very happy. The fact that the museum is in Samur means that there is plenty of other places to visit in the area as well as some wine tasting for mum!