Nothing fairly screams ‘visiting Paris’ like a traditional museum. The capital metropolis is filled with points of interest and actions, whether or not you wish to cruise the Seine or go to the reveals in the Eiffel Tower. The metropolis is famed for its arts – internet hosting museums showcasing Asian arts, indigenous artwork, post-impressionist artwork, and ornamental arts. And Paris is a agency favourite for historical past lovers, with a wealth of World War II historical past and even tales of Napoleon Bonaparte and the grotesque French Revolution. That’s all with out contemplating landmarks with their very own museum part, just like the Arc de Triomphe and reveals throughout the Eiffel Tower.
Most folks go to Paris for a protracted weekend. If you may have even simply 2 to 3 days in Paris, these Paris museums needs to be on the prime of your itinerary. The better part is, relying on the place you keep in Paris, you may stroll to those museums or catch a fast Metro experience. The greatest museums in Paris are ready for you, straightforward to entry and filled with fascinating collections.
Best Paris Museums: 20 Amazing Museums in Paris
In this information, we’ll introduce you to essentially the most unbelievable Paris museums. Get able to see all the pieces from a Paul Guillaume assortment to wax museum reveals and the jewel of the Louvre itself – the enduring Mona Lisa. The probability to go to a museum in Paris shouldn’t be one thing to move up on. After studying this information, you’ll be well-equipped to kind a museum itinerary of a lifetime.
Get the Paris Museum Pass – Choose from 2,4 or 6 days with entry to greater than 60 of the highest monuments and museums in Paris, together with the Louvre and Versailles, and go to the Centre Pompidou.
1. Musée d’Orsay
Musée d’Orsay is nothing in need of inventive magic. The grand museum is ready in a former railway station, with humongous glass ceilings and one of the vital well-known clocks in the world. You can head on to the highest ground to look out from behind the glass clock face – admiring the Paris cityscape beneath. Of course, folks don’t simply go to Musée d’Orsay for its structure, regardless of this being a giant draw. It can be one of the vital revered Paris museums. Musée d’Orsay has an enormous everlasting assortment of nineteenth to Twentieth-century European artwork.
Musée d’Orsay hosts artwork spanning from the years 1848 to 1914. Guests can admire paintings by huge names resembling Van Gogh, Monet, and Rodin. In quick, it’s a assortment of all the best names in the artwork world. You also can view particular items, like The Starry Night and Van Gogh’s iconic self-portrait. We simply needed to embody it. Musée d’Orsay is phenomenal, from its distinctive setting to its invaluable reveals. Included in the Paris Museum Pass.
Address: Esplanade Valery Giscard d’Estaing, 75007, Paris, France Opening Times: 9:30 am till 6 pm Tuesday to Sunday, staying open till 9:45 pm on Thursdays. Closed Mondays. Admission Cost: $15 by way of the official web site.
2. Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Who doesn’t get blown away by ornamental arts? Musée des Arts Décoratifs is considered one of Paris’s most imposing-looking, palatial museum buildings – which is saying one thing. And inside, it hosts over 6,000 completely different objects in a group of high fashion. Musée des Arts Décoratifs sits simply outdoors the Louvre, overlooking Jardins des Tuileries. It is an accessible museum to mix with a go to to the Louvre or Musée de l’Orangerie.
Inside, there’s all the pieces from jewellery, lighting, high quality furnishings, crystals, and mannequins. This Paris museum is someplace to go to in the event you admire the high quality issues in life. Its reveals are elegant, with a severe wow issue. Anyone in historical past, style, and artwork will respect this museum. Watch for the Iris Van Herpen exhibit, which is a agency favourite.
Address: 107 Rue de Rivoli, 75001, Paris, France. Opening Times: 11 am till 6 pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Admission Cost: $15 per individual by way of the official web site.
3. Musée de l’Orangerie
Musée de l’Orangerie is one other Paris favourite. This museum homes a world-renowned Twentieth-century European artwork assortment, most well-known for its Monet water lily murals. Think chunky framed work and a combination of everlasting and short-term exhibitions. While this museum is barely small in comparison with another artwork museums in Paris, its compact dimension makes it straightforward for guests. It additionally experiences fewer crowds than its neighboring Louvre Museum.
The smartest thing to see contained in the Musée de l’Orangerie is the Monet water lily murals assortment. This is a bucket-list-worthy piece for any artwork fanatic. The piece stretches round an enormous curved wall – a sole exhibit in a plain white room that’s mentioned to evoke the sensation of an oasis in the center of Paris. Musée de l’Orangerie is the place to go to when you’ve got a ardour for the humanities.
Address: Jardin des Tuileries, 75001, Paris, France Opening Times: Open 9 am till 6 pm Wednesday till Monday, staying open till 9 pm on Fridays. Closed Tuesdays. Admission Cost: $12 per individual by way of the official web site.
4. Grand Palais
The Grand Palais could also be closed for renovations till later in 2024, however this artwork nouveau corridor simply had to be talked about in this information. The construction was created in 1900, and its daring, columned exterior and greenhouse-like ceiling are a much-loved sight in Paris. The Grand Palais famously hosts a quickfire rotation of short-term exhibitions, from Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso to an exposition on Prosper Merimee. If you just like the sound of an ever-evolving and shifting arts heart, the Grand Palais needs to be on the prime of your must-visit.
You by no means fairly know what you’ll count on, which is half of the attract. Check out the official web site and see what reveals coincide together with your journey. We’ll excitedly await its extremely anticipated 2024 reopening.
Address: 3 Avenue du General Eisenhower, 75008, Paris, France Opening Times: Temporarily closed, reopening later in 2024. Admission Cost: N/A – varies relying on the exhibit.
5. Musée National d’Art Moderne
Technically, this museum is the Centre Pompidou. The Musée National d’Art Moderne – a nationwide fashionable artwork museum – is ready throughout the bowels of Paris’ famed Centre Pompidou. It covers the Twentieth to Twenty first-century historical past of recent and modern European artwork, together with avant-garde and impressionist artwork. You’ll discover a mixture of completely different modern artists. Musée National d’Art Moderne covers among the newest artwork historical past in comparison with different Paris museums.
Musée National d’Art Moderne is ready throughout two flooring in the Centre Pompidou, 4th and fifth. The 4th stage has modern artwork from the Nineteen Sixties onwards whereas the fifth ground has fashionable artwork from 1905 to 1965. Make positive to see Xavier Veilhan’s Le Rhinoceros and Donald Judd’s Stack, which resemble a seemingly floating Jenga-like pile of squares in the minimalism part.
This huge advanced additionally homes a large library and music heart in the Center Pompidou. The constructing is greatest identified for its exterior, although, with a dramatic exterior staircase jutting up its wall. The design makes it seem like the Centre Pompidou is continually beneath scaffolding, with a community of criss-crossing metallic bars. The Centre Pompidou is a modernist-looking constructing, and its structure makes it an attraction in its personal proper. You can simply snap footage totally free from the skin earlier than visiting the National Museum of Modern Art. It is included in the Paris Museum Pass.
Address: Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004, Paris, France Opening Times: 11 am till 9 pm from Monday till Sunday, opening till 11 pm on Thursdays. Admission Cost: $15 per individual by way of the official web site. It is included in the Paris Museum Pass.
6. Rodin Museum
Rodin Museum is a simple choose when planning a Paris itinerary. This Paris museum has a selected area of interest – sculptures inside an excellent 18th-century mansion. It is the world’s greatest assortment of Rodin’s sculptures, all laid out throughout a serene, manicured backyard and ethereal halls throughout the mansion. The museum options some unbelievable sculptured scenes. There’s one thing simply additional partaking about sculptures. And in the event you aren’t often an artwork fanatic, the additional immersive high quality behind 3D reveals would possibly win you over.
If you could possibly solely see one exhibit in the Rodin Museum, make it The Thinker. This sculpture is Rodin’s most iconic work. Take benefit of admiring items by different artists, too, because the Rodin Museum provides a number of reveals from different artists resembling Van Gogh. Think of it because the cherry on prime.
Address: 77 Rue de Varenne, 75007, Paris, France Opening Times: Open 10 am till 6:30 pm from Tuesday till Sunday, closed Mondays. Admission Cost: $15 per individual by way of the official web site.
7. Louis Vuitton Foundation
This futuristic fashionable artwork museum is without doubt one of the most bizarre-looking Parisian museums. The glass domes seem like a Parisian model of the Sydney Opera House. But in the event you love fashionable and modern artwork, it is without doubt one of the greatest museums to go to.
You’ll wish to spend some time snapping footage of the Louis Vuitton Foundation’s eccentric exterior. When you end, although, there’s a stupendous inside ready space with a combination of a short lived and everlasting assortment. The stunning portrait Ladies and Gentlemen by Andy Warhol and a naturalistic piece exhibiting a brown leaf ensnared inside a tree referred to as Acacia e Foglie di Zucca. The museum in Paris has tons of thought-provoking reveals to admire.
Address: 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi Bois de Boulogne, 75116, Paris, France. Opening Times: 11 am till 8 pm Wednesday till Monday, closed Tuesdays. Admission Cost: $20 per individual by way of the official web site, with reductions for beneath 26s, college students, and artists.
8. Petit Palais
Petit Palais is one other good museum across the Jardins des Tuileries. The grand constructing has an imposing entrance with nice columns and a palatial high quality. As an artwork museum, it has loads of well-known masterpieces on show, together with works by Gustav Courbet and Giovanni Boldini. Make positive to take a look at the rotation of short-term exhibitions in the museum’s West Wing, which included works by Ilya Repine in the previous.
However, whereas all of that is very spectacular, one factor notably units Petit Palais apart as an artwork museum in Paris. It is completely free to enter. You can add this artwork museum to your checklist of the perfect free issues to do in Paris, and it’s a simple option to spend a few hours entertained with high-caliber paintings.
Address: Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008, Paris, France. Opening Times: 10 am till 6 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. 10 am till 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed on Mondays. Admission Cost: Free.
9. Musée National Picasso-Paris
Musée National Picasso-Paris is ready in an awe-inspiring Seventeenth-century constructing and hosts one of many world’s largest collections of Picasso works. And if that sentence didn’t promote you, we don’t know what is going to. Pablo Picasso is definitely one of the vital well-respected artists of all time. An worldwide famous person, Picasso was a number one artist of the Twentieth century and co-founded the Cubist motion.
Inside, you may view items by Picasso and by different artists like Sophie Calle to rejoice Picasso’s life and achievements. Don’t miss the blue-painted rooms marking Picasso’s unbelievable Blue Period. The museum’s assortment is a stupendous ode to the late artist, with an autobiographical museum format.
Address: 5 Rue de Thorigny, 75003, Paris, France. Opening Times: Open 10:30 am to six pm from Tuesday till Sunday. Closed on Mondays. Admission Cost: $15 per individual by way of the official web site.
10. Musée du Quai Branly
If indigenous artwork is extra up your road, that is the artwork museum in Paris for you. This artwork museum was based by Jean Nouvel, and it boldly celebrates modern artwork and tradition from communities throughout Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Quai Branly Museum in Paris addresses paintings by analyzing historic, non secular, social, and cultural influences. And it offers an interesting platform for indigenous tradition and artists in Paris’s coronary heart.
We’d advocate a go to in the event you’d want to push apart classics like Claude Monet and embrace a extra worldwide artwork assortment. The museum is conveniently situated proper on the foot of the Eiffel Tower, making it a simple addition to your itinerary. And the sheer quantity of fascinating reveals and items makes it nicely value a go to.
Address: 37 Quai Jacques Chirac, 75007, Paris, France. Opening Times: Open 10:30 am till 7 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Open 10:30 am till 10 pm on Thursdays and closed on Mondays. Admission Cost: $15 per individual by way of the official web site.
11. Musée Nissim de Camondo
Musée Nissim de Camondo is a homely museum showcasing residential finery like 18th-century French furnishings and ornamental artwork furnishings. The Bella Epoque museum is ready in a sublime mansion on the outskirts of Parc Monceau, and it’s a extremely photogenic place to spend a day. This beautiful museum in Paris has luxurious and movie-set-style surroundings at each flip. If you wish to really feel like you’re stepping again to expertise the last word 18th-century wealth, that is the spot for it.
Get able to channel your inside Marie Antoinette. There’s all the pieces from elegantly laden white fabric dinner tables to a grand sweeping staircase to make a dramatic entrance. Don’t miss out on getting the audio information, which brings the attractive set to life with tales and background historical past.
Address: 63 Rue de Monceau, 75008, Paris, France Opening Times: Open 10 am till 5:30 pm from Wednesdays to Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission Cost: $12 per individual by way of the official web site.
12. Louvre Museum
Who hasn’t considered visiting the Louvre on the subject of the perfect Parisian museums? The Louvre is essentially the most visited museum in Paris and most identified for its grand glass pyramid. The former palace was constructed on town’s outskirts to permit royals time to flee any nasty riots. However, it’s now one of the vital acknowledged artwork museums worldwide. There’s all the pieces from Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings to Roman sculptures. Plus, it’s the largest museum on Earth by sq. meter exhibition area.
Out of all of the reveals in the Louvre, you have to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa. This is without doubt one of the most well-known portraits of all time. Despite many guests commenting on how small it’s in actuality, it’s simply a bucket checklist piece of paintings to see in individual. The Louvre additionally opens at night time on choose evenings, one of many greatest issues to do in Paris at night time. Could you see the Mona Lisa outdoors the standard hours?
Address: Louvre Museum, 75001, Paris, France. Opening Times: Open 10 am till 6 pm from Wednesday to Monday, staying open later (till 9:45 pm) on Fridays and shutting on Tuesdays. Admission Cost: $17 per individual by way of the official web site.
13. Musée du Luxembourg
Passionate about Twentieth-century portray and feminine artists? Musée du Luxembourg is the Paris museum greatest suited to you. The museum is fantastically situated in the Jardin du Luxembourg. It opts out of the traditional everlasting exhibition type of museum working, as an alternative sometimes providing two annual exhibitions. For 2024, this shall be Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso and Match – an exhibition analyzing the way forward for the connection between design and sport. This is, in fact, impressed by the Olympics.
For Musée du Luxembourg, we’d extremely recommend checking forward to see if the exhibition pursuits you. If not, we’d nonetheless advocate visiting the beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg, the place you may admire the museum’s exterior totally free whereas having fun with walks amongst flowerbeds.
Address: 12 Rue de Vaugirard, 75006, Paris, France. Opening Times: Opens 10:30 am till 7 pm from Tuesday till Sunday, and 10:30 am till 10 pm on Mondays. Admission Cost: $15
14. Musée Carnavalet
Musée Carnavalet is one other considered one of Paris’ gems. Why? This museum is constructed into two neighboring Parisian mansions, offering a dramatically elegant setting. Visitors get pleasure from an interesting mixture of artwork and historical past reveals from the sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries. This consists of Marcel Proust’s bed room, historic work, and tales from the French Revolution. Don’t miss the manicured backyard, which has a hedge maze.
The Carnavalet Museum is a stupendous place to go to in Paris. The mansion setting provides the museum the sensation of exploring a personal assortment. And furthermore, it’s truly free to go to – making it among the best free issues to do in Paris.
Address: 23 Rue de Sevigne, 75003, Paris, France. Opening Times: Open 10 am till 6 pm from Tuesday till Sunday. Closed Mondays. Admission Cost: Free
15. Musée de l’Homme
An anthropology museum may not be the primary place you’d count on to go to in Paris. However, in the event you get pleasure from human historical past, it’s simply one of many main Paris museums. The museum was established in 1937, and its identify roughly interprets because the ‘Museum of Humanity.’ It is a mixture of pure historical past reveals and storytelling concerning the those who inhabited Europe. There’s a everlasting assortment and rotating short-term exhibitions, like Lekha Singh – Women Carry The World and Picasso and Prehistory.
We’d recommend checking forward to see what reveals coincide together with your journey to Paris. Keep your eye out for the Incan mummy, too, which is labeled because the ‘movie chachapoya.’ The Museum of Humanity is definitely one of the vital shocking and different Parisian museums, so we simply had so as to add it to this information. Nothing else covers such numerous human historical past prefer it in the French capital.
Address: 17 Place du Trocadero et du 11 Novembre, 75116, Paris, France. Opening Times: Open 11 am till 7 pm from Wednesday to Monday. Closed on Tuesdays. Admission Cost: $15 per individual, however free for college kids.
16. Musée Marmottan Monet
Musée Marmottan Monet is exclusive as a result of it’s the world’s largest assortment of Claude Monet works. Claude Monet is without doubt one of the most main impressionist artists of all time. He is particularly revered for his backyard and panorama works, the place he completely combines capturing temper and nature. This artwork museum is – nearly totally – devoted to Claude Monet. You can stroll by way of spacious exhibition rooms, admiring heavy gold framed work, together with a few of Monet’s famed water lily scenes.
Musée de Orangerie is healthier if you wish to see the huge show of the Claude Monet water lilies. Still, Musée Marmottan Monet provides way more selection in phrases of Monet’s works. If you’re an artwork fanatic, you’ll get a extra in-depth have a look at Monet and his work at Musée Marmottan Monet.
Address: 2 Rue Louis Boilly, 75016, Paris, France. Opening Times: Open from 10 am till 6 pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Open later (till 9pm) on Thursdays and closed on Mondays. Admission Cost: $15 per individual by way of the official web site.
17. Musée Grevin
Are you prepared for one of the vital enjoyable Paris museums? This museum’s assortment is nearly totally wax figures, depicting a combination of French historic figures and fashionable celebrities. Musée Grevin is like Madame Tussauds however upscale Paris type. The figures are set in a dramatically luxurious setting, with checkered flooring and excessive vaulted ceilings coated in gold. You wander by way of the grandeur – making the presence of celebrities and historic figures much more plausible.
The wax figures embody folks like Lionel Messi (along with his arms up in celebration), Marilyn Monroe, and even that squirrel off of Ice Age, who spends the entire time chasing a nut. The vary of figures and characters makes Musée Grevin interesting to all ages.
This is without doubt one of the most family-friendly Paris museums, which is value a point out. We’d extremely advocate it when visiting Paris with younger youngsters. And it is a superb compromise for these desirous to lighten the temper after historic points of interest in Paris.
Address: 10 Bd Montmartre, 75009, Paris, France. Opening Times: Open 10 am till 6 pm from Monday till Friday and 9:30 am till 7 pm on the weekend. Admission Cost: $19 per individual by way of the official web site.
18. Musée de Cluny
Musée de Cluny is without doubt one of the most uncommon Paris museums. This museum is the National Museum of the Middle Ages – displaying all the pieces from historical past to medieval artwork. The spectacular assortment consists of tapestries, crafts, and extra. It is an interesting perception into the medieval interval. And in case you are captivated with early historical past, it’s half historical past and half artwork museum. In quick, the National Museum of the Middle Ages is a must-visit.
Of all of the museum reveals, be certain that to see the Lady and the Unicorn tapestry room. Nothing fairly summarises the medieval interval like a wonderful outdated tapestry. This room in the artwork museum incorporates six stunning tapestries in complete, all saved in low lighting to forestall injury. It is a magical expertise with an actual sense of ambiance. To be transported again to the Middle Ages, the Lady and the Unicorn room is by far our favourite.
Address: 28 Rue du Sommerard, 75005, Paris, France. Opening Times: Open 9:30 am till 6:15 pm, Tuesday till Sunday. Closed Mondays. Admission Cost: $15 per individual by way of the official web site.
19. Eiffel Tower
If pure historical past and artwork aren’t your factor, head to the attractive Eiffel Tower. Nothing compares to this big construction. And over the centuries, the tower has turn out to be synonymous with Paris. If you wish to expertise Paris, head to this world-famous tower. You can catch the elevator up the constructing, stopping to see the reveals in the higher tiers earlier than admiring the views over Paris.
The reveals in the tower inform the story of the event of Paris’ cityscape. It additionally tells of Gustave Eiffel’s mission in constructing the tower, which is an attention-grabbing backstory for anybody scaling this construction. Historical reveals, tales, and nice views – what extra may you need? It doesn’t get a lot better than standing on the highest tiers of Paris’ fantastic landmark tower.
Address: Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue, Anatole France, 75007, Paris, France. Opening Times: Open 9:30 am till 10:45 pm from Monday till Sunday. Admission Cost: $15 per individual by way of the official web site.
20. Catacombs of Paris
While not a standard museum, we simply needed to embody the Catacombs of Paris in this information. These hallowed tunnels run for miles beneath Paris, and a small part is open for tourism. You head underground by way of a steep flight of stairs, coming into a number of exhibit rooms explaining the historical past of the catacombs. From there, you enter the tunnels, famously lined by an ornate combination of skulls and bones. The catacombs are dimly lit by yellow-tinged lighting, and the entire scene is ridiculously atmospheric.
If you desire a Paris museum with a ‘bite,’ the Catacombs of Paris provides an enormous chunk of cultural historical past. It is good for somebody after a museum expertise outdoors of admiring conventional paintings. Make positive to snap a number of footage of this gruesome-looking labyrinth.
Address: 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014, Paris, France. Opening Times: 9:45 am till 8:30 pm from Tuesday till Sunday. Closed Mondays. Admission Cost: $28 per individual by way of the official web site.
If you propose to see a variety of museums in Paris, the Paris Museum Pass is a superb possibility. It provides skip-the-line entry to greater than 60 museums. You can select from 2, 4 or 6 days. See extra particulars right here.
Best Museums in Paris: FAQs
As you may see, the Paris museums are tremendous distinctive. Whether you like modern artwork or wish to admire stained glass home windows and ornate structure, the French capital has a museum to get your coronary heart fluttering. Paris additionally has among the most stunning museum buildings, internet hosting reveals in every single place, from a former railway station to an ex-palace.
Before you head off, although, bear in mind to have a look at these frequent FAQs. This is a superb part to condense the knowledge we’ve simply given you.
What museums are a must-see in Paris?
The Louvre, Musée de l’Orangerie, and Musée d’Orsay are all must-visits in Paris. This well-known trio is the traditional number of artwork museums, with an excellent assortment of everlasting and short-term exhibitions. You must also cease by the enduring Eiffel Tower with historic reveals on its higher flooring.
Is the Picasso Museum Paris value it?
Absolutely, the Picasso Museum is a stupendous ode to Pablo Picasso and his iconic works. Any artwork fanatic ought to prioritize a go to.
What museum in France do vacationers go to most?
The Louvre is definitely France’s most well-known museum. The glass-shaped pyramid is a postcard picture of Paris, and the Louvre homes the well-known Mona Lisa portrait – which means it attracts thousands and thousands of vacationers yearly.
What are the three musees in Paris?
The prime three most visited museums in Paris are the Louvre Museum, Musée d’Orsay, and Pompidou.
Feeling impressed? Paris is town of inspiration on the subject of museums and sightseeing. Location-wise, lots of the museums are situated across the Eiffel Tower. You can wander alongside the River Seine, strolling the famed stretch between Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. From right here, you may entry the Musée de l’Homme, Musée du Quai Branly, Petit Palaias, Musée de l’Orangerie, Louvre Museum, and quite a few style museums like La Galerie Dior. If you’re caught for time, take a look at our final one-day itinerary and prioritize this part of Paris. The excessive focus of museums in this space of Paris means you may simply mix a pair in sooner or later.
You could have the alternative scenario. Do you may have greater than three days in Paris? Then, use your time properly by heading out of town heart for a day. We’ve received a complete information on the perfect day journeys in Paris. Expand your data outdoors the confines of an inner-city museum, and steadiness your keep by venturing out on a day journey.
Paris is an unbelievable metropolis. When it involves reveals and tales, Paris takes preservation exceptionally critically. We hope you may have an exquisite time experiencing the perfect museums in Paris.