Nothing fairly screams ‘visiting Paris’ like a basic museum. The capital metropolis is full of points of interest and actions, whether or not you need to cruise the Seine or go to the reveals within the Eiffel Tower. Town 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 Warfare 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 individuals go to Paris for a protracted weekend. If in case you have even simply 2 to 3 days in Paris, these Paris museums must be on the prime of your itinerary. One of the best half is, relying on where you stay in Paris, you may stroll to those museums or catch a fast Metro experience. One of the best museums in Paris are ready for you, straightforward to entry and stuffed with fascinating collections.
Finest Paris Museums: 20 Superb Museums in Paris
On this information, we’ll introduce you to essentially the most unbelievable Paris museums. Get able to see every part from a Paul Guillaume assortment to wax museum reveals and the jewel of the Louvre itself – the enduring Mona Lisa. The possibility to go to a museum in Paris just isn’t one thing to cross up on. After studying this information, you’ll be well-equipped to kind a museum itinerary of a lifetime.
Get the Paris Museum Pass – Select 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 about in a former railway station, with humongous glass ceilings and some of the well-known clocks on this planet. You’ll be able to head on to the highest flooring to see out from behind the glass clock face – admiring the Paris cityscape under. In fact, individuals don’t simply go to Musée d’Orsay for its structure, regardless of this being an enormous draw. It is usually some of the 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. Visitors can admire paintings by large names reminiscent of Van Gogh, Monet, and Rodin. Briefly, it’s a assortment of all the best names within the artwork world. You can even view particular items, like The Starry Evening and Van Gogh’s iconic self-portrait. We simply needed to embrace it. Musée d’Orsay is outstanding, from its distinctive setting to its precious reveals. Included in the Paris Museum Pass.
- Handle: Esplanade Valery Giscard d’Estaing, 75007, Paris, France
- Opening Instances: 9:30 am till 6 pm Tuesday to Sunday, staying open till 9:45 pm on Thursdays. Closed Mondays.
- Admission Value: $15 through the official website.
2. Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Who doesn’t get blown away by ornamental arts? Musée des Arts Décoratifs is one in every of Paris’s most imposing-looking, palatial museum buildings – which is saying one thing. And inside, it hosts over 6,000 totally different objects in a set of high fashion. Musée des Arts Décoratifs sits simply exterior the Louvre, overlooking Jardins des Tuileries. It’s an accessible museum to mix with a go to to the Louvre or Musée de l’Orangerie.
Inside, there’s every part from jewellery, lighting, positive furnishings, crystals, and mannequins. This Paris museum is someplace to go to should you admire the positive issues in life. Its reveals are elegant, with a severe wow issue. Anybody keen on historical past, style, and artwork will admire this museum. Look ahead to the Iris Van Herpen exhibit, which is a agency favourite.
- Handle: 107 Rue de Rivoli, 75001, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: 11 am till 6 pm from Tuesday to Sunday.
- Admission Value: $15 per individual through the official website.
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. Assume chunky framed work and a mix of everlasting and non permanent exhibitions. Whereas this museum is simply small in comparison with another artwork museums in Paris, its compact measurement makes it straightforward for guests. It additionally experiences fewer crowds than its neighboring Louvre Museum.
One of the best factor to see contained in the Musée de l’Orangerie is the Monet water lily murals assortment. It 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 course of Paris. Musée de l’Orangerie is the place to go to if in case you have a ardour for the humanities.
- Handle: Jardin des Tuileries, 75001, Paris, France
- Opening Instances: Open 9 am till 6 pm Wednesday till Monday, staying open till 9 pm on Fridays. Closed Tuesdays.
- Admission Value: $12 per individual through the official website.
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 on 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 non permanent exhibitions, from Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso to an exposition on Prosper Merimee. If you happen to just like the sound of an ever-evolving and shifting arts middle, the Grand Palais must be on the prime of your must-visit.
You by no means fairly know what you’ll anticipate, which is half of the attract. Try the official website and see what reveals coincide together with your journey. We’ll excitedly await its extremely anticipated 2024 reopening.
- Handle: 3 Avenue du Common Eisenhower, 75008, Paris, France
- Opening Instances: Briefly closed, reopening later in 2024.
- Admission Value: N/A – varies relying on the exhibit.
5. Musée Nationwide d’Artwork Moderne
Technically, this museum is the Centre Pompidou. The Musée Nationwide d’Artwork Moderne – a nationwide fashionable artwork museum – is about throughout the bowels of Paris’ famed Centre Pompidou. It covers the Twentieth to Twenty first-century historical past of contemporary and up to date European artwork, together with avant-garde and impressionist artwork. You’ll discover a mixture of totally different up to date artists. Musée Nationwide d’Artwork Moderne covers a number of the newest artwork historical past in comparison with different Paris museums.
Musée Nationwide d’Artwork Moderne is about throughout two flooring within the Centre Pompidou, 4th and fifth. The 4th stage has up to date artwork from the Sixties onwards whereas the fifth flooring has fashionable artwork from 1905 to 1965. Be certain that to see Xavier Veilhan’s Le Rhinoceros and Donald Judd’s Stack, which resemble a seemingly floating Jenga-like pile of squares within the minimalism part.
This huge advanced additionally homes a large library and music middle within the Middle Pompidou. The constructing is greatest identified for its exterior, although, with a dramatic exterior staircase jutting up its wall. The design makes it appear to be the Centre Pompidou is consistently underneath 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’ll be able to simply snap footage totally free from the skin earlier than visiting the Nationwide Museum of Trendy Artwork. It is included in the Paris Museum Pass.
- Handle: Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004, Paris, France
- Opening Instances: 11 am till 9 pm from Monday till Sunday, opening till 11 pm on Thursdays.
- Admission Value: $15 per individual through the official website.
- 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 particular area of interest – sculptures inside an excellent 18th-century mansion. It’s the world’s largest 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 should you aren’t normally an artwork fanatic, the additional immersive high quality behind 3D reveals may win you over.
If you happen to may solely see one exhibit within the Rodin Museum, make it The Thinker. This sculpture is Rodin’s most iconic work. Benefit from admiring items by different artists, too, because the Rodin Museum presents a couple of reveals from different artists reminiscent of Van Gogh. Consider it because the cherry on prime.
- Handle: 77 Rue de Varenne, 75007, Paris, France
- Opening Instances: Open 10 am till 6:30 pm from Tuesday till Sunday, closed Mondays.
- Admission Value: $15 per individual through the official website.
7. Louis Vuitton Basis
This futuristic fashionable artwork museum is among the most bizarre-looking Parisian museums. The glass domes appear to be a Parisian model of the Sydney Opera Home. However should you love fashionable and up to date artwork, it is among the greatest museums to go to.
You’ll need to spend some time snapping footage of the Louis Vuitton Basis’s eccentric exterior. Once you end, although, there’s a lovely inside ready space with a mix of a brief and everlasting assortment. The gorgeous portrait Girls and Gents by Andy Warhol and a naturalistic piece displaying 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.
- Handle: 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi Bois de Boulogne, 75116, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: 11 am till 8 pm Wednesday till Monday, closed Tuesdays.
- Admission Value: $20 per individual through the official website, with reductions for underneath 26s, college students, and artists.
8. Petit Palais
Petit Palais is one other sensible 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. Be certain that to take a look at the rotation of non permanent exhibitions within the museum’s West Wing, which included works by Ilya Repine previously.
Nonetheless, whereas all of that is very spectacular, one factor notably units Petit Palais apart as an artwork museum in Paris. It’s completely free to enter. You’ll be able to add this artwork museum to your checklist of one of the best free issues to do in Paris, and it’s a simple method to spend a few hours entertained with high-caliber paintings.
- Handle: Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: 10 am till 6 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. 10 am till 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed on Mondays.
- Admission Value: Free.
9. Musée Nationwide Picasso-Paris
Musée Nationwide Picasso-Paris is about 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 well some of the well-respected artists of all time. A world celebrity, 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 have fun Picasso’s life and achievements. Don’t miss the blue-painted rooms marking Picasso’s unbelievable Blue Interval. The museum’s assortment is a lovely ode to the late artist, with an autobiographical museum structure.
- Handle: 5 Rue de Thorigny, 75003, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: Open 10:30 am to six pm from Tuesday till Sunday. Closed on Mondays.
- Admission Value: $15 per individual through the official website.
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 up to date artwork and tradition from communities throughout Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Quai Branly Museum in Paris addresses paintings by analyzing historic, spiritual, social, and cultural influences. And it gives a captivating platform for indigenous tradition and artists in Paris’s coronary heart.
We’d suggest a go to should 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 price a go to.
- Handle: 37 Quai Jacques Chirac, 75007, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: 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 Value: $15 per individual through the official website.
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 about in a chic 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 every part 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 gorgeous set to life with tales and background historical past.
- Handle: 63 Rue de Monceau, 75008, Paris, France
- Opening Instances: Open 10 am till 5:30 pm from Wednesdays to Sundays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
- Admission Value: $12 per individual through the official website.
12. Louvre Museum
Who hasn’t considered visiting the Louvre with regards to one of the best Parisian museums? The Louvre is essentially the most visited museum in Paris and most identified for its grand glass pyramid. The previous palace was constructed on town’s outskirts to permit royals time to flee any nasty riots. Nonetheless, it’s now some of the acknowledged artwork museums worldwide. There’s every part from Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings to Roman sculptures. Plus, it’s the largest museum on Earth by sq. meter exhibition house.
Out of all of the reveals within the Louvre, you have to catch a glimpse of the Mona Lisa. This is among the most well-known portraits of all time. Regardless of 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 best things to do in Paris at night. Might you see the Mona Lisa exterior the standard hours?
- Handle: Louvre Museum, 75001, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: Open 10 am till 6 pm from Wednesday to Monday, staying open later (till 9:45 pm) on Fridays and shutting on Tuesdays.
- Admission Value: $17 per individual through the official web site.
13. Musée du Luxembourg
Keen about Twentieth-century portray and feminine artists? Musée du Luxembourg is the Paris museum greatest suited to you. The museum is superbly situated within the Jardin du Luxembourg. It opts out of the basic everlasting exhibition fashion of museum working, as an alternative usually 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. That is, in fact, impressed by the Olympics.
For Musée du Luxembourg, we’d extremely counsel checking forward to see if the exhibition pursuits you. If not, we’d nonetheless suggest visiting the beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg, the place you may admire the museum’s exterior totally free whereas having fun with walks amongst flowerbeds.
- Handle: 12 Rue de Vaugirard, 75006, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: Opens 10:30 am till 7 pm from Tuesday till Sunday, and 10:30 am till 10 pm on Mondays.
- Admission Value: $15
14. Musée Carnavalet
Musée Carnavalet is one other one in every of Paris’ gems. Why? This museum is constructed into two neighboring Parisian mansions, offering a dramatically elegant setting. Guests get pleasure from a captivating mixture of artwork and historical past reveals from the sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries. This contains 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 lovely place to go to in Paris. The mansion setting offers the museum the sensation of exploring a personal assortment. And furthermore, it’s really free to go to – making it among the finest free issues to do in Paris.
- Handle: 23 Rue de Sevigne, 75003, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: Open 10 am till 6 pm from Tuesday till Sunday. Closed Mondays.
- Admission Value: Free
15. Musée de l’Homme
An anthropology museum won’t be the primary place you’d anticipate to go to in Paris. Nonetheless, should 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’s a mixture of pure historical past reveals and storytelling in regards to the those that inhabited Europe. There’s a everlasting assortment and rotating non permanent exhibitions, like Lekha Singh – Girls Carry The World and Picasso and Prehistory.
We’d counsel checking forward to see what reveals coincide together with your journey to Paris. Preserve your eye out for the Incan mummy, too, which is labeled because the ‘film chachapoya.’ The Museum of Humanity is well some of the stunning and various Parisian museums, so we simply had so as to add it to this information. Nothing else covers such numerous human historical past prefer it within the French capital.
- Handle: 17 Place du Trocadero et du 11 Novembre, 75116, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: Open 11 am till 7 pm from Wednesday to Monday. Closed on Tuesdays.
- Admission Value: $15 per individual, however free for college students.
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 among the most main impressionist artists of all time. He’s particularly revered for his backyard and panorama works, the place he completely combines capturing temper and nature. This artwork museum is – nearly completely – devoted to Claude Monet. You’ll be able to 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. Nonetheless, Musée Marmottan Monet presents far more selection when it comes to Monet’s works. In case you are an artwork fanatic, you’ll get a extra in-depth have a look at Monet and his work at Musée Marmottan Monet.
- Handle: 2 Rue Louis Boilly, 75016, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: Open from 10 am till 6 pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Open later (till 9pm) on Thursdays and closed on Mondays.
- Admission Value: $15 per individual through the official website.
17. Musée Grevin
Are you prepared for some of the enjoyable Paris museums? This museum’s assortment is sort of completely wax figures, depicting a mix of French historic figures and fashionable celebrities. Musée Grevin is like Madame Tussauds however upscale Paris fashion. 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 embrace individuals like Lionel Messi (along with his palms 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 among the most family-friendly Paris museums, which is price a point out. We’d extremely suggest it when visiting Paris with younger youngsters. And it is a wonderful compromise for these eager to lighten the temper after historic points of interest in Paris.
- Handle: 10 Bd Montmartre, 75009, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: Open 10 am till 6 pm from Monday till Friday and 9:30 am till 7 pm on the weekend.
- Admission Value: $19 per individual through the official website.
18. Musée de Cluny
Musée de Cluny is among the most uncommon Paris museums. This museum is the Nationwide Museum of the Center Ages – displaying every part from historical past to medieval artwork. The spectacular assortment contains tapestries, crafts, and extra. It’s a fascinating perception into the medieval interval. And if you’re enthusiastic about early historical past, it’s half historical past and half artwork museum. Briefly, the Nationwide Museum of the Center Ages is a must-visit.
Of all of the museum reveals, be certain to see the Woman and the Unicorn tapestry room. Nothing fairly summarises the medieval interval like a wonderful previous tapestry. This room within the artwork museum comprises six lovely tapestries in complete, all stored in low lighting to stop harm. It’s a magical expertise with an actual sense of ambiance. To be transported again to the Center Ages, the Woman and the Unicorn room is by far our favourite.
- Handle: 28 Rue du Sommerard, 75005, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: Open 9:30 am till 6:15 pm, Tuesday till Sunday. Closed Mondays.
- Admission Value: $15 per individual through the official website.
19. Eiffel Tower
If pure historical past and artwork aren’t your factor, head to the gorgeous Eiffel Tower. Nothing compares to this large construction. And over the centuries, the tower has turn into synonymous with Paris. If you wish to expertise Paris, head to this world-famous tower. You’ll be able to catch the elevator up the constructing, stopping to see the reveals within the higher tiers earlier than admiring the views over Paris.
The reveals within 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. Historic reveals, tales, and nice views – what extra may you need? It doesn’t get significantly better than standing on the highest tiers of Paris’ fantastic landmark tower.
- Handle: Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue, Anatole France, 75007, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: Open 9:30 am till 10:45 pm from Monday till Sunday.
- Admission Value: $15 per individual through the official website.
20. Catacombs of Paris
Whereas not a standard museum, we simply needed to embrace the Catacombs of Paris on this information. These hallowed tunnels run for miles underneath Paris, and a small part is open for tourism. You head underground through 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 would like a Paris museum with a ‘chunk,’ the Catacombs of Paris presents an enormous chunk of cultural historical past. It’s best for somebody after a museum expertise exterior of admiring conventional paintings. Be certain that to snap a couple of footage of this gruesome-looking labyrinth.
- Handle: 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014, Paris, France.
- Opening Instances: 9:45 am till 8:30 pm from Tuesday till Sunday. Closed Mondays.
- Admission Value: $28 per individual through the official website.
If you happen to plan to see quite a lot of museums in Paris, the Paris Museum Pass is a superb possibility. It presents skip-the-line entry to greater than 60 museums. You’ll be able to select from 2, 4 or 6 days. See more details here.
Finest Museums in Paris: FAQs
As you may see, the Paris museums are tremendous distinctive. Whether or not you’re keen on up to date artwork or need to admire stained glass home windows and ornate structure, the French capital has a museum to get your coronary heart fluttering. Paris additionally has a number of the most lovely museum buildings, internet hosting reveals in every single place, from a former railway station to an ex-palace.
Earlier than you head off, although, bear in mind to take a look at these widespread FAQs. It is a nice part to condense the data 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 basic collection of artwork museums, with a superb assortment of everlasting and non permanent exhibitions. You also needs to cease by the enduring Eiffel Tower with historic reveals on its higher flooring.
Is the Picasso Museum Paris price it?
Completely, the Picasso Museum is a lovely 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 well 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 tens of millions of vacationers yearly.
What are the three musees in Paris?
The highest three most visited museums in Paris are the Louvre Museum, Musée d’Orsay, and Pompidou.
Feeling impressed? Paris is town of inspiration with regards to museums and sightseeing. Location-wise, lots of the museums are situated across the Eiffel Tower. You’ll be able to 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. In case you are caught for time, take a look at our ultimate one-day itinerary and prioritize this part of Paris. The excessive focus of museums on this space of Paris means you may simply mix a pair in someday.
You’ll have the alternative scenario. Do you could have greater than three days in Paris? Then, use your time correctly by heading out of town middle for a day. We’ve bought a whole information on the best day trips in Paris. Broaden your information exterior the confines of an inner-city museum, and steadiness your keep by venturing out on a day journey.
Paris is an unbelievable metropolis. In the case of reveals and tales, Paris takes preservation exceptionally significantly. We hope you could have a beautiful time experiencing one of the best museums in Paris.
