Paris is known as many things and has many names (The City of Love and The City of Light are just two examples). It’s known for its stylish fashion sense, its adoration of coffee, and its huge, vast, massive collection of museums and galleries. In fact, Paris is one of the most cultural cities in the world, with museums dedicated to just about anything you can imagine – Paris sewers, anyone? There are galleries showcasing the works of some of the most famous artists in the world, including Picasso, Monet (and Manet for that matter), and Dali. It’s even home to the most well-known painting on the entire planet, Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
So, this has been a difficult post to research and bring to you, but hopefully I’ve covered most of the museums and galleries you can explore in Paris. If I’ve missed any, please feel free to slap me round the face and leave a message in the comments or send me a strongly worded email.
For each gallery and museum, I’ve given the price and location, as well as any times when there is a price reduction or waiver of entry. At the bottom, there is a list of alternative museums to visit – you know, ones that aren’t your traditional paintings-on-the-wall type affair.
Note: A LOT of these museums can be visited on the Paris Museum Pass, which is €42 for 2 days, €56 for 4 days, and €69 for 6 days. Find out more about it here.
The Louvre
Of course I had to begin with what is, quite possibly, the most famous museum in the world. Here, you can wander around lengthy corridors admiring the work of some of the greatest artists to ever have lived, and set you eyes upon the majestical Mona Lisa. Be wary of crowds, particularly surrounding the Mona Lisa itself; it can be difficult to get anywhere near it.
Entry: €12 excluding Hall Napoléon, and the Musée Eugène Delacroix. €16 for access to everything.
Price reductions: Entry to the Louvre is free on the first Sunday of each month (except between April and September) and is free for under 25’s on Friday evenings after 6pm. Entry is waivered for under 18s and for those under 25 who are from a European Union country.
Opening hours: 9am-6pm every day except Tuesdays. On Wednesdays and Friday the museum is open until 9.30pm.
Musee de Orsay
Interestingly, the Musee de Orsay was original built as a train station, but the platforms proved to be too short. In the 1950s, it was turned into a theatre and today displays both permanent and temporary exhibitions of some of the most famous names in the world, including Van Gogh.
Entry: €11, €8.50 with concessions.
Price reductions: Free on the first Sunday of every month and for under 18s, and for 18-25 year olds from an EU country.
Opening times: 9.30am-6pm every day except Mondays. Open until 9.45pm on Thursdays.
Centre Pompidou
The Centre Pompidou is one of my favourite galleries in Paris. From the outside it is a tall mass of glass, pipes, and outdoor escalators. Inside, there is a huge array of work spanning the past century, including colourful pieces by Matisse and Picasso. The Centre Pompidou is a great place to go if you’re just beginning to dip your toes in the art world as it offers such a diverse collection.
Entry: €13 or €11 (depending on season) for access to all exhibitions. Concessions €10 or €9 (depending on season).
Price reductions: Free admission every first Sunday of the month.
Opening times: 11am-10pm every day except Tuesdays. Late opening on Thursdays until 11pm.
Musee Quai Branly
So, if the Centre Pompidou was ONE of my favourite galleries in Paris, the Musee Quai Branly has to be my favourite. Essentially, it is an ethnographic museum and has a massive collection of art and artefacts from Africa and Asia, including carved masks, textiles, tools and instruments. The inside is laid out according to continent, and there is a quaint little cafe out the back where you can rest your tired feet. It hosts a series of temporary exhibitions, as well as performances and plays from Asia and Africa.
Entry: €9 for permanent collections, €9 for temporary exhibitions, €11 for combined ticket. Concessions – €7 for permanent collections, €7 for temporary exhibitions, €9 for combined ticket.
Price reductions: Free on the first Sunday of the month and for under 18s. 18-25 year olds from EU countries can get free entry to the collections only.
Opening times: Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday 11am-7pm. Thursday, Friday, Saturday 11am-9pm.
Museum Rodin
The Museum Rodin showcases – yep, you’ve guessed it – work by renowned sculptor Auguste Rodin. The collection is displayed in the stunning grounds of the Hotel Biron, with many of Rodin’s pieces dotted throughout the gorgeous gardens and lawns. This is a great trip for when the weather’s nice and you don’t want to be stuck inside!
Entry: €9. For families with 2 adults and children under 18 it’s €10.
Price reductions: Free on the first Sunday of every month and for 18-26 year olds from EU countries.
Opening times: 10am-5.45pm every day except Mondays. The garden closes at 5pm.
Musee des Arts Decoratifs
A museum dedicated to decorative arts, including the history of Parisian decor. There are numerous temporary exhibitions covering contemporary themes in the decorative arts world, as well as ornate permanent collections for you to peruse.
Entry: €11 for Rivoli’s museum with autoguide. €9 Nissim de Camondo museum with autoguide. €19 for combined ticket. Concessions – €8.50 for Rivoli’s, €10 for Nissim de Camondo, €15 combined.
Price reductions: Free for under 26s from an EU country.
Opening times: Rivoli’s museum is opening from 10am-6pm every day except Sundays. Open late until 9pm on Thursdays. The Nissim de Camondo museum is open from Wednesday to Sunday 10am-5.30pm.
Halle Saint Pierre
The Halle St Pierre is a small, relatively unknown Parisian museum located below the Sacre Coeur. It’s main focus is Art Brut and Outsider Art – or art created by marginalised peoples or those without formal training. The museum runs temporary exhibitions throughout the year across the two-floor space.
Entry: €8 for exhibitions. Concession – €6.50
Price reductions: None.
Opening times: 11am-6pm Monday-Friday. 11am-7pm on Saturdays. 12pm-6pm on Sundays.
Musee Moyen Age
The Musee Moyen Age, also known as Musee de Cluny, is Paris’s museum of the Middle Ages, and exhibits are range of important medieval artefacts, including antique furniture and hangings, crisp, old manuscripts from years gone by, 7th and 8th century sculptures, and a beautiful collection of tapestries which include “The Lady and the Unicorn” an important tapestry series made of soft wool and silk.
Entry: €8.50. Concessions – €6.50.
Price reductions: Free on the first Sunday of each month and for under 26s who live in an EU country.
Opening times: 9am-5.45 every day except Tuesdays.
Musee Gustave Moreau
You’ve guessed it! The Musee Gustave Moreau is a national art museum that showcases the famous works of Gustave Moreau, a French symbolist painter.
Entry: €5. Concessions – €2.30
Price reductions: Free for under 26s living in an EU country (except temporary exhibitions) and free for all on every first Sunday of the month.
Opening times: 10am-12.45pm and 2pm-5.15pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. 10am-5.15pm on Saturdays and Sundays. Closed on Tuesdays.
Gallerie Emmanuel Perrotin
The Gallerie Emmanuel Perrotin opened in late 2013 and is a vessel for showcasing some of the world’s most interesting contemporary art. Expect typically white-washed walls and high-end temporary exhibitions.
Entry: At this stage, I can’t seem to find any information on this
Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday 11am-7pm.
Dali Museum
The Dali Museum does what it says on the tin! It’s a home for many of the sketches and paintings of Salvador Dali. I’m surprised I haven’t got round to visiting this museum yet, but it’s certainly on my list for next time. I’m a massive fan of Dali’s work, especially some of his lesser-known pieces.
Entry: €11 adult. €6 child.
Price reductions: None that I can find.
Opening times: 10am-6pm everyday. Between 1st July and 31st August it is open later until 8pm.
Maurice Denis Museum
Created after his family donated a significant amount of money, the Maurice Denis Museum features the work of its namesake, Maurice Denis, a well known painter and theorist. As well as his works, the museum also displays pieces from the Symbolist and the Nabis artists. A trip to the Maurice Denis Museum offers a huge insight into art at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Entry: €4.50. Concessions – €2.50.
Price reductions: Free on the first Sunday of each month and for under 26s who live in an EU country.
Opening times: 10am-5.30pm Tuesdays to Fridays. 10am-6.30pm on weekends and public holidays.
Guimet Museum of Asian Art
Emile Guimet was a Lyon resident who decided to open up a museum dedicated to Asian art and artefacts after travelling around Japan, China, and India at the end of the nineteenth century. During this time, he collected many objects that, along with other collections from the region, are still on display today.
“This Asian art museum has the finest collection of Khmer art in the West (including sculptures from Angkor Wat). Its temporary exhibitions draw big crowds, but the rooms housing the permanent collection are delightfully empty.” – NY Times
Entry: €7.50 – permanent collection. €9.50 – combined permanent and temporary exhibitions. Concessions – €5.50 permanent collection, and €7 for combined.
Price Reductions: 18-25 year olds from an EU country go free for permanent collection. 18-25 year olds outside of the EU get a reduction in price. For exhibitions, under 18s go free and 18-25 year olds get a reduced rate.
Opening times: 10am-6pm every day except Tuesdays.
National Museum of Eugene Delacroix
The Museum of Eugene Delacroix is both a house museum and an art gallery all wrapped up in one. You can explore the former home of Delacroix, as well as his studio which is located in his beautiful private garden and admire some of his famous pieces of work at the same time.
Entry: €6 for permanent collection. €7.50 for temporary exhibitions.
Price reductions: Free for everyone on the first Sunday of each month. Free for under 18s and 18-25 year olds from the EU.
Opening times: 9.30am-5pm every day except Tuesdays.
Museum of Jewish Art and History
The Museum of Jewish Art and History does exactly what it says on the tin! It documents art movements and the historic story of Jewish peoples in Paris, with exhibitions, collections, paintings, and objects as visual aids.
Entry: €8 permanent collection. €7 exhibitions. €10 combined ticket. Concessions – €4.50 for exhibition tickets for 18-26 year olds.
Price reductions: Free admission for permanent collections for 18-25 year olds from EU countries. All tickets free for under 18s.
Opening times: 11am-6pm Monday-Friday. 10am-6pm on Sundays. Closed on Saturdays. Late opening in the exhibitions on Wednesdays until 9pm.
Musee de l’Institut du Monde arabe
This is the largest collection of Arabic art in France, showcasing objects, paintings, and artefacts from the Arab world. Throughout the year, the museum has a range of relevant performances and activities alongside their main collection and temporary exhibitions.
Entry: €8.
Price reductions: Free for under 26s from EU countries.
Opening times: 10am-6.30pm Tuesday-Friday. 10am-7pm Saturdays & Sundays and holidays. Open late until 9.30pm on Fridays.
So, the above list of museums and galleries all feature artworks in their traditional sense. I’m not one for splitting hairs when it comes to what is and isn’t art – each to their own, I think. But for those of you who want something a little different to your standard paintings-on-a-wall gallery, here are a few ‘alternative’ spaces for you to visit. Some weird, some wonderful, and some downright gross!
- Museum of the Cinema | Map
- Grevin Wax Museum | Map
- Paris Science Museum | Map
- Gourmet Chocolate Museum | Map
- Museum of Music | Map
- Museum of Publicity | Map
- Museum of the Sewers of Paris (told you – downright gross!) | Map
- National Navy Museum | Map
- Postal Museum | Map
- Museum of 3D Relief Maps | Map
Are there any museums I’ve missed? Which is your favourite? Any tips? Would love to add your ideas to the post, so leave a comment below!
Excellent resource! Love that you included all the free days too because that’s such a great way to experience the museums and galleries when you’re on a budget.
Thanks Jennifer – I agree, free days are the best
This is a fantastic resource Lizzie! I’ve only been to three on the list, and even then, I didn’t manage to see them fully (Lourve, I’m looking at you, with all your wings and umpteen rooms). My favourite is the Rodin Museum, so beautiful and peaceful.
I’m dying to go to the Gustave Moreau Museum… soon hopefully…
Thanks Shing! There’s still so many I need to see (most notably, the Louvre and it’s many, many corridors!). At least you know you’ll never EVER be bored in Paris 😉
So many museums, so little time.
In a similar way, it’s how I feel about Berlin, too!
But given how much of the early history of photography is focused squarely on Paris, do you have recommendations for additional museums and galleries in Paris to explore/learn/discover photography history or contemporary photography in Paris? Thanks again for this post!
I know exactly what you mean… I want to visit all of them!
So, in terms of photography, you have the Maison Européene de la Photographie (http://www.mep-fr.org/) and the Galerie Agathe Gaillard (http://www.agathegaillard.com/) which was one of the first galleries in the city to specialise in photography. On top of these, a lot of the museums and galleries mentioned above feature temporary exhibitions showing the works of photographers from past and present
Hope this is helpful, Henry… Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with!