Best Paris Museums
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Paris is known for world famous museums and works of art, but what are the best Paris museums to visit?
Answering that question depends, in part, on what you hope to accomplish by visiting the museums.
Why Visit Museums?
Are you checking them off a list? Seeing particular works of art? Absorbing as much culture as you can? Interested in particular artistic periods? Interested in particular architectural styles?
I’ve had all of those objectives in mind when visiting museums in Paris, and have some tips to share on what my favorite museum visits have been, and why.
Which are the best Paris Museums to visit?
I’ll touch on the well-known museums with my thoughts, and highlight some less well known, less obvious ones to visit for a different take on art and culture.
On my most recent trip to Paris, I went with my friend Lori, who had never been to Paris, and wanted to see as much as we could every day. We were traveling in February (February, 2020 actually, right before everything travel related shut down due to the pandemic). Since Paris is a fairly northern city we had to plan for cold and damp outdoor weather.
Lori is very athletic, and so was up for lots of walking as well. Museums can make a nice warm spot to thaw out, and winter is not nearly as crowded as other seasons in Paris. The lines were much shorter than I’ve noticed on other visits as well.
Because we squeezed in as much as we could every day, we ended up doing a combination of walking and taking the Metro. That saved us a ton of time, and frankly, a ton of money on cab fares.
We used two key things to make seeing all this easier—an app called Visit a City and for the first time, a Paris Museum Pass.
We saw the big, famous museums: the Louvre, Rodin, and d’Orsay. No trip to Paris is probably complete without visiting at least 2 of those (and I suggest, all 3). In addition, we also saw some smaller, more approachable, and less commonly talked about museums–the Orangerie, the Pablo Picasso Musee, the Pantheon, and the Cluny. This time we did not get inside the Pompidou, but I’ve visited in the past.
Louvre
The Louvre, well, it’s the Louvre. It’s massive, literally massive.
A fortress from the 1200s, then a palace, and now an art museum, the stories it could tell. The Louvre is filled with hundreds of thousands of works, many of which are not on display, but thousands are.
The main entrance to the Louvre is through the I.M. Pei glass pyramid in what is basically the massive courtyard of the former palace. It is a fitting, although visually incongruous, introduction to this art mecca.
I suggest that you select a few highlights and plan your visit around them.
If a highlight is the Mona Lisa, expect to spend a while waiting to get in the room, a while waiting to get to the front of the shuffling crowd, and then being herded on past fairly quickly. Although she is a gorgeous work of art, and deserves a visit, the crowd and the process left me disappointed in my visits.
Another famous woman at the Louvre is the Venus de Milo, and she is far easier to see and appreciate. The last time I saw her, she was gloriously displayed on a landing by herself.
The Louvre also displays exposed parts of the ancient Roman city on the lower level, which is both historically interesting, and an example of beautiful and lasting craftsmanship.
This last visit was the first time I went to the Galerie d‘Appolon, and saw the French crown jewels displayed there. Wow!
I would suggest that you select one of the 8 departments to focus your attention on. That way you can spend your time in a particular section, rather than wearing yourself out trying to see the whole museum. I’ve chosen different parts each time I’ve visited, and felt each was a different museum.
Address: Main entrance is the Pyramid.
Hours: Closed Tuesdays, otherwise open daily (although closed temporarily now), check website for hours
Admission: 17 Euros
Metro: Palais Royal Musee de Louvre, Pont Neuf, Louvre-Rivoli
Insider tip: The Paris Museum Pass includes entry to the Louvre, and allows you to make reservations for your entrance time (saving a ton of time waiting in line).
D’Orsay
The Musee D’Orsay is in a former train station, built in the Beaux-art style in the 1890s. It was purposefully redesigned and opened in 1986 as a museum to celebrate France’s national collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. In addition to being home to amazing Impressionists like Monet, Manet, Pisarro, and Renoir, it has some lovely Post-impressionist pieces by Cezanne and Van Gogh, and a very good collection of Degas pieces.
The architecture of the Orsay is stunning, and a fitting showcase for such gorgeous works of art. They recommend that you start at the top of the building and work your way down. I agree, in part because at the top you can peek out of the windows and see the Paris skyline through the glass and iron work as well as view the artwork inside the spaces.
The Orsay is not a small museum (although not as large as the Louvre) and you should plan on spending several hours here to see it all.
Address: 1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur, 75007 Paris, France
Hours: Closed temporarily, check website for hours
Admission: 0-16 Euros
Metro: Solferino-Musee D’Orsay
Insider tip: There is a combo ticket available for the Orangerie and the Orsay or the Rodin and the Orsay. The Paris Museum Pass also covers entrance to the Orsay.
Rodin
The Rodin Museum was donated by Auguste Rodin (along with his collection of art) upon his death so that France would show his work. It is his former studio and gardens where he worked while living in Paris. It is, hands down, one of my favorite Paris museums.
The gardens are open all year round, and I’ve visited them in the fall and the winter. Rodin’s statuary in them is gorgeous, and since the trees were leafless in winter, the view of the garden from the steps of the house was unobstructed.
The gardens contain his Gates to Hell massive sculpture, which you could literally spend hours looking at to see everything it has to offer. If it is rainy or chilly outside, is also amazing to see for a shorter period of time. The Thinker and The Kiss are also here. Many pieces of sculpture are scattered throughout the trees and around the water feature, so do explore the grounds.
It’s a rather small, and very approachable, museum. The works are arranged throughout the rooms of the house and throughout the garden. This is actually a museum I would recommend if you are traveling with younger children. The gardens offer space for them to explore the art (not by touching it, but by seeing it from every side and in a natural light environment), and are beautiful in their own right.
Address: 77 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, France
Hours: Closed temporarily, check website for hours.
Admission: 0-12 Euros
Metro: Varenne
Insider tip: There is a discount on tickets to the Rodin when combined with a ticket to the Orsay. The Paris Museum Pass also covers entrance to the Rodin.
The Orangerie
The Orangerie, which I had never visited, was astonishing. The main room is an oval with a panoramic of Monet’s Water Lilies on all sides. It is filled with natural light, which is how Monet apparently intended for the work to be viewed. Breathtaking. I think I could have sat there for hours.
It is actually located within the Tuileries Gardens, so it is a beautiful stroll to get there as well.
There are also rotating shows, and rooms with other Renoir, Cezanne, and Picasso pieces.
Again, its small, and easily done. Not to be missed, in my opinion.
Address: Jardin Tuileries, 75001 Paris, France
Hours: closed temporarily, check website for hours
Admission: 0-12 Euros
Metro: Concorde – Quai Des Tuileries
Insider tip: There is a discount on tickets to the Orangerie when combined with a ticket to the Orsay. The Paris Museum Pass also covers entrance to the Orangerie.
Pablo Picasso Musee
The Pablo Picasso museum was another new museum for me. It’s a little further from the Seine than the others, so a bit of a walk through some lesser-known neighborhoods to get to it. That was honestly part of the reason to add it to our list this time–a chance to wander through neighborhoods I’d not visited.
I really was not that familiar with Picasso’s work, aside from the most famous pieces, so was surprised by some of the pieces. The museum includes paintings, sculpture, photographs, furniture, and Picasso’s personal archives donated by him, and subsequently, his heirs.
The collection is divided into numerous smaller rooms which made the pieces seem more approachable and interesting to me. Here’s one of my favorites.
Address: 5 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris, France
Hours: temporarily closed, check website for hours.
Admission: 11-14 Euros
Metro: Saint-Claude
Insider tip: The Paris Museum Pass also covers entrance to the Pablo Picasso Museum.
The Cluny
We also visited the Cluny, which was about 2 blocks from our hotel, near the Sorbonne. The Cluny showcases both ancient, in situ, Roman baths, and one of the last remnants of medieval architecture in Paris. It also houses a large collection of medieval treasures. That was an odd combination for me to wrap my head around, but it works.
Some of it was under renovation, but the ancient Roman baths were astounding, and made you realize, in a very real way, that people have been living on that site for thousands of years.
They also have the lady and the unicorn tapestry series, which is another miracle of handiwork.
The parts we were able to visit took a very short time, and, even when fully open, would be a manageable block of time. The area is also well worth a stroll.
Address: 28 Rue du Sommerard, 75005 Paris, France
Hours: temporarily closed, check website for hours.
Admission: 0-9 Euros
Metro: Cluny-La Sorbonne
Insider tip: The Paris Museum Pass also covers entrance to the Cluny.
Pantheon
Another museum in the area around the Sorbonne where we stayed is the Pantheon. It was formerly an abbey church, but now serves as a mausoleum and houses crypts of Marie Curie, Victor Hugo and other famous people. The Neo-Classical architecture is stunning, and worth the visit even without the history and displays.
The Pantheon is also surrounded by little cafes (2 of which we ate at) and bistros for eating lunch or dinner.
Address: Place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris, France
Hours: temporarily closed, check website for hours
Admission: varies
Metro: Jardin De Plantes
Insider tip: The Paris Museum Pass also covers entrance to the Pantheon.
Pompidou Centre
The Pompidou Centre is a treasure trove of modern art. The building itself is fascinating, and unusual for Paris, in its stark contemporary state, juxtaposed against the traditional Parisian buildings surrounding it. It was quite controversial when it first opened.
Views from the 5th floor of the Pompidou across the skyline of Paris are stunning, and another reason to visit. The art here dates from about 1905 forward, and includes some fine pieces of art from the mid-1900s.
There is a child focused area if you are traveling with children.
Address: Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004 Paris, France
Hours: temporarily closed, visit the website for hours.
Admission: 11-15 Euros
Metro: Centre Georges Pompidou, Rambuteau, Hotel de Ville.
Insider tip: The Paris Museum Pass also covers entrance to the Pompidou Centre.
Tips and Tricks
I used an app called Visit a City to plan this trip. We loved that it included walking/public transportation routes as well as travel time, allowing you to squeeze in as much as possible, and plan things. It linked to all of the websites of the attractions, so you could check hours, admission fees, and other details. It also sent updates when hours changed, or other notifications. Best yet, it was free!
It is also the first time I bought a Paris Pass, and took full advantage of the included wine tasting and public transportation tickets. The Paris Pass included skip the line rights at most museums, a link for reservations at the Louvre (it can be an hours long wait otherwise), and free or discounted admissions and discounts in the gift shops/cafes.
I also bought some great souvenirs of the trip at the museum shops–including a Paris sketchbook at the D’Orsay, and an adult coloring book at the Orangerie.
And I have to say, after a day of museum hopping, I was thirsty! We really enjoyed the wine tasting at O Chateau, which is very close to the Louvre, and included in the Paris Museum Pass perks.
I am not suggesting that you have to do all of these museums, and certainly not all of them in 1 or 2 days (I don’t think that would even be possible). I am suggesting that you see some of them, based on your preferences and tastes. I will say that Lori and I managed to see 7 of them in our 4 days there. We missed a few we wanted to visit, so now we have an excuse to go back.
I haven’t even touched on the dozens of small, niche museums here, so there really is something for everyone to enjoy. I’ve tried to focus on the ones I think most people should not miss, and which represent some of Paris’ finest artistic and cultural traditions.
Which Paris museums are your favorites? What do you love about them?
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