Paris is a cultural capital not to be missed, and as such offers some of the best museums in the world. For each location, these tips will help you make the most of your visit.
Among the many things that make Paris one of the best cities in the world in which to enjoy a cultural experience is the sheer number of museums it is home to, ranging from Renaissance to contemporary art, as well as Egyptian and Greek works from antiquity.
From the Louvre to Orsay, and from the Centre Rodin to the Centre Pompidou, you'll find the most varied exhibitions in the French capital, often housed in buildings that are also works of art. Here are the best museums in Paristo help you plan your trip.
1. The Louvre Museum
If you want to visit one of the world's most famous museums, you can't miss the Louvre, home not only to some of the most remarkable works of art in history, but also to some of the finest architecture in the world. The museum boasts an impressive collection of over 38,000 works of art, ranging from antiquity to the 19th century.
Among the most remarkable works are Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Guiding the People. The latter represents the personification of freedom guiding the masses during the French Revolution of 1830.
The Mona Lisaalso known as the Mona Lisa, isone of the most famous and enigmaticworks in the history of art. This oil on panel depicts a woman with a very particular expression on her face. The work is housed in a room specially designed for it, and attracts millions of visitors every year.
The Venus de Milo is another of the museum's masterpieces. This marble sculpture, depicting the Greek goddess of love and beauty, is believed to have been created by the sculptor Alexandros of Antioch in the 2nd century BCC. and was discovered on the Greek island of Milo in 1820, although it is now considered anonymous.
A visit to the Louvre is an alternative for the whole family, and one of the essential things to do in Paris.
Details for your visit :
- Price: admission is approximately 17 euros per person. Free admission on the first Sunday of every month.
- Opening hours: open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- How to get there: by metro (lines 1 and 7) and bus (lines 21, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81 and 85).
2. The Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Or say is one of the world's most renowned art museums. It is best known for its vast collection of French and international art from the 19th to the early 20th century. The building itself is an architectural masterpiece, originally a railway station transformed into a museum in 1986.
Among the Musée d'Orsay's highlights is Vincent van Gogh'sLa Sieste, one of his most famous works depicting a woman asleep in a wheat field. There's also Edgar Degas's La Classe de danse, an Impressionist work showing a group of dancers in a ballet class, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Déjeuner des romeurs is another major work.
The museum, which is one of the most visited in the world, also houses works by Gustave Courbet and other Impressionist artists, covering the modern art of the 19th and 20th centuries, of which Paris was one of the main development capitals.
Details for your visit :
- Price: admission is approx. 14? per person.
- Opening hours: open daily from 9.30am to 6pm. On Thursdays, closing time is 9:45pm.
- How to get there: Metro line 12 and bus lines 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84 and 94.
3. The Rodin Museum
Auguste Rodin was one of the most famous French sculptors of his time. In the museum that bears his name, you can see some of his most iconic works, such as The Thinker and The Kiss. The exhibition is held in the former Hôtel Biron, an 18th-century mansion converted into a museum in the 1910s.
The exhibition houses the world's largest collection of Rodin's works, comprising over 6,000 sculptures, drawings, photographs and objets d'art. Rodin's most iconic sculptures, such as La Porte de l'Enfer and Les Bourgeois de Calais, are among the highlights of the exhibition.
In addition to the permanent collection, the museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and special events. The building boasts magnificent gardens, which you can stroll through during your visit, and which include many of Rodin's sculptures as well as other works of art. This makes it one of the most interesting museums to discover in Paris.
Details for your visit :
- Price: admission is approximately 14 euros per person.
- Opening hours : open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
- How to get there : Metro line 13 and bus lines 69, 82, 87 and 92.
4. Center Pompidou
The Centre Pompidou in Paris is one of the world's leading centers for modern art and culture. Located in the4th arrondissement of the French capital, in the Beaubourg district, this cultural center is famous for its avant-garde architecture and vast collection of modern and contemporary art.
The Centre Pompidou building, designed by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, is easily recognizable by its steel, pipe and glass structure on the outside of the building. This structure houses the escalators, elevators, pipes and ventilation ducts, allowing the building to be entirely open to natural light.
The Centre Pompidou boasts a vast collection of modern and contemporary art, including works by Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Pollock, Warhol and many other contemporary artists. It also offers a wide variety of temporary exhibitions, cultural events, film screenings and live performances, making it a very dynamic and lively venue.
In addition to the art collection, the Centre Pompidou houses a public library, a research center, a bookshop and a large souvenir store. It is one of the most original museums in Paris.
Details for your visit :
- Price: admission is around €14 per person.
- Opening hours: Wednesday to Monday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- How to get there : by metro on lines 1, 4, 7, 11 and 14 and by bus on lines 21, 29, 47, 58, 69 and 70.
5. The Picasso Museum
The Musée Picasso in Paris is one of the world's leading museums devoted to the work of Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. The exhibition is located in the historic Marais district, in the3rd arrondissement of Paris, at the Hôtel Salé, an impressive 17th-century palace whose architecture is sure to attract attention.
The museum boasts a vast collection of over 5,000 works by Picasso, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and ceramics. The collection covers all stages of Picasso's career, from his earliest works of the Blue and Pink Period to those of his final period. It also includes a special room on the history of Guernica, painted by the artist during his French exile.
The museum also features temporary exhibitions exploring themes related to Picasso's life and work, as well as contemporary artists influenced by his work.
In addition to its impressive collection, the Musée Picasso de Paris is renowned for its magnificent building. The Hôtel Salé, renovated in the 1980s to house the museum, is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture in Paris. During your visit, be sure to take in the panoramic views of the city from the museum's terrace.
Details for your visit :
- Price: admission is around 14 euros per person, but reduced-rate tickets are also available for 11 euros.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10.30am to 6pm. Weekends, open from 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- How to get there: by metro (lines 1 and 8) and bus (lines 29, 69, 76 and 96).
6. Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
Along with the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée d 'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris is one of France's leading museums of modern and contemporary art. It is located in the Palais de Tokyo, near the Eiffel Tower, in one of the city's most famous districts.
The museum boasts a vast collection of modern and contemporary art from the 20th century to the present day, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, videos and graphic arts. Artists represented in the collection include Henri Matisse, Georges Rouault, Raoul Dufy, Alberto Giacometti, Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and Max Ernst.
The Palais de Tokyo is also an attraction in its own right, having been built in 1937 for the Paris World Fair. The building was renovated and extended in the 1990s to house the museum, and now boasts extensive exhibition space.
Details for your visit :
- Price : Admission is free.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Access : by metro (lines 6 and 9) and bus (lines 32, 42, 63 and 92).
7. Les Invalides and the Musée du tombeau de Napoléon
Les Invalides is a historic complex and military museum featuring several important exhibits and monuments, including Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb, which puts it on the list of the best visits and excursions to make in Paris.
The site was built by King Louis XIV in 1670 to house wounded and disabled veterans of the French wars, but today it is also used as a museum to display a large collection of weapons, armor and other military artifacts. The complex includes several historic buildings, including the Eglise Saint-Louis des Invalides, home to Napoleon's tomb.
The tomb is located in the center of a large rotunda and is guarded by uniformed members of the French army. The Musée des Invalides also boasts a vast collection of firearms, swords, armor and military uniforms from French history, from the Middle Ages to the present day.
The exhibition also features Napoleon's personal items, such as his uniform, sword and hat.
Interesting details for your visit:
- Price: admission is free.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- How to get there: by metro lines 8 and 13 and by bus lines 28, 63, 69 and 87.
8. The Paris Museum of Illusions
The Musée des Illusions de Paris is an interactive museum that offers visitors a unique and entertaining experience. It is located in the heart of Paris, near the Montmartre district.
The aim of the museum is to show how our brains process visual information and how they can deceive us. The exhibition comprises a variety of rooms and exhibits, each designed to challenge visitors' perception and make them question what they see.
Among the most popular exhibits are the Ames Rooms, where size and perspective are used to create amazing optical illusions, the Infinite Mirror Room where you can see an infinite version of yourself in a series of mirrors, and the anti-gravity room, where you can defy the law of gravity.
The museum also has an interactive games room and a gift store offering a wide range of optical illusion-related items.
Details for your visit :
- Price :admission to the Museum of Illusions costs around 22? for adults and 18? for children aged 5 to 15.
- Opening hours: daily, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- How to get there: by metro (lines 12 and 13) and bus (lines 26, 32, 42 and 43).
9. Musée de l'Orangerie
Located in the Tuileries Gardens, the Musée de l'Orangerie is a famous art exhibition housing an important collection of paintings by the Impressionist masters, in particular Claude Monet.
The museum's permanent collection includes Monet's Water Lilies series, eight huge panels of oil paintings depicting the water lilies in his Giverny garden at different times of the day and season. These paintings, which are among the most emblematic works in the history of art, were donated by Monet to the French government to celebrate the victory of the First World War.
In addition to Monet's works, the museum also houses an important collection of works by other Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masters such as Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne, Henri Matissepablo Picasso and Amedeo Modigliani.
The museum building features vaulted ceilings and glass walls, originally designed to house oranges and other citrus fruits in the Tuileries Gardens during the winter. We recommend booking your tickets in advance to avoid delays at the ticket office.
Details for your visit:
- Price: admission is approximately 14 euros per person.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- How to get there: by metro (lines 1, 8 and 12) and bus (lines 24, 42, 52 and 73).
10. The Grévin Wax Museum
The Musée de cire Grévin is a famous wax museum founded in 1882 by journalist Arthur Meyer and caricaturist Alfred Grévin. It has been a popular attraction for visitors to Paris ever since, and one of the first of its kind in the world.
The exhibition features over 450 wax figures representing famous people from history, popular culture and politics, including artists, musicians, sportsmen and women, political leaders and members of the royal family. The wax figures are highly realistic and detailed, and are arranged in themed scenes depicting different eras and events.
In addition to the wax figures, the museum also has a theater featuring live shows, including 3D film projections and puppet shows.
The Grévin Wax Museum has been renovated and updated several times since it opened, and has incorporated modern technologies such as interactive screens, special effects and virtual reality to make the experience more immersive and exciting.
Details for your visit :
- Price :admission to the wax museum is approximately 25? per person.
- Opening hours: daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- How to get there: by metro (lines 8 and 9) and bus (lines 20, 39, 48 and 95).
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How to visit these museums
The best way to visit the museums of Paris is to buy your tickets online in advance, so you can be sure of the date of your visit and organize an itinerary. This will also help you avoid long queues at the ticket office and delays at the entrance.
You can also use the city's tourist maps, which often include the main museums, or take part in guided tours. Still, it's best to visit them on your own, so you can manage your own pace and stop off at the exhibitions that appeal to you most.
What's the best itinerary for visiting Paris museums?
unless you have very little time in Parisyou can hardly visit all the museums on the list during an extended stay. If you want to visit the most famous, we suggest you start with the Louvre, which takes half a day to see in depth. As this museum is located in the heart of the city, you can combine it with the Musée de l'Orangerie, in the Tuileries gardens.
Once you've visited the Louvre and the Musée de l'Orangerie, you can continue your visit with the Musée d'Orsay and the Centre Pompidou, which focus on modern and contemporary art. You can then include other museums such as the Musée Rodin or the Musée Picasso.
If you're planning to travel with children, the Musée des Illusions and the Musée de cire Grévin, unusual museums in Paris, are sure to attract the attention of the little ones.
