Whether you’re interested in contemporary or classical art, architecture, fashion, or sculpture, there’s a collection in Paris set to inspire. In a city that’s home to over 130 museums, choosing just a couple to visit can be tough. Let us guide you through your options and help planning your city break a little easier.

The best museums in Paris

Grab your camera and head into Paris to discover the city’s plethora of unique and eye-opening museums. Lots of Parisian museums and galleries are free to visit, while others require you to buy a ticket when you arrive. If you know where you’re going, it can be a good idea to look at tickets online beforehand to make sure you’re getting the best possible deal. Buying your museum tickets online also often means you can skip the queues when you arrive!

The best museums in Paris include:

Let’s look at these favourites in a little more detail.

The City of Paris museums

Perhaps you’d like to start by visiting an official City of Paris museum? There are 14 to discover, all managed by the City of Paris cultural team, so you know you’re in for something exciting. These diverse museums are smaller and more intimate than some of the city’s big hitters, but that’s one of the things we love about them.

Most City of Paris museums are free to visit, so you can spend a whole day flitting between exceptional collections without spending a cent! The selection includes the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art, the History of Paris Museum, and a fashion museum inside a Renaissance-inspired palace just a stone’s throw from the Champs-Élysées. What could be better?

The Centre Pompidou

Type of museum

Modern art

Location

4th arrondissement

Opening times

11:00 – 22:00 daily

Ticket prices

€14 average*

Look out for

Matisse, Picasso, and Kandinsky

*Prices correct July 2020

 

The Centre Pompidou is one of the best-known buildings in Paris, with exposed pipes, air ducts, and pops of primary colours making it an attraction in itself. Inside, the Pompidou contains the most extensive modern art collection in Europe, as well as a library, performance space, and even a cinema!

Explore the permanent and temporary collections over several floors, including unique galleries and even an outside area. Discover the history of modern art, from Primitivism and Cubism to Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism. There’s plenty to see at Pompidou, so we recommend you set aside a full afternoon to get the most out of your visit.

The Arts and Trades museum

Type of museum

Science

Location

3rd arrondissement

Opening times

Closed Monday

Tuesday – Sunday 10:00 – 18:00

Friday 10:00 – 21:30

Ticket prices

€8*

Look out for

The first model of the Statue of Liberty

*Prices correct July 2020

 

The Musée des Arts et Métiers, or museum of arts and trades, invites visitors to discover the work of inventors and pioneers throughout history. Founded in 1794 as a way to educate the country’s manufacturing industry, this is Europe’s largest science museum and an ideal choice whether you’re interested in innovation or just looking for an afternoon’s amusement.

Explore over 2,400 inventions spread across seven collections, from Energy and Mechanics to Construction, Communication, and Transport. This museum is an excellent alternative to the many artier options in Paris. It also makes a family-friendly choice if you’re travelling with little ones, who might appreciate an aeroplane more than a piece of classical art.

The National Rodin Museum

Type of museum

Sculpture

Location

7th arrondissement

Opening times

Closed Monday

10:00 – 18:30 Tuesday – Sunday

Ticket prices

€12*

Look out for

Paintings from Rodin’s personal collection

*Prices correct July 2020

 

The Musée National Rodin is an architecturally beautiful museum celebrating the life and work of Auguste René Rodin, who is widely considered the founder of modern sculpture. Visit this picturesque spot and explore some of the artists’ most famous pieces, including the Kiss, the Cathedral, and The Walking Man.

While there are lots of pieces to see inside, including paintings by Van Gogh, Monet, and Rodin himself, the gardens are the star of the show here. Stroll around the perfectly landscaped greenery and look out for more iconic sculptures including The Gates of Hell, Burghers of Calais, and The Thinker.

Visiting the Louvre

Whether it’s your first time in Paris or your fiftieth, a visit to the Louvre is never a bad idea. A former fortress and royal palace, this is one of the most exciting museums in the world, with plenty to enjoy no matter where your interests lie.

A treasure trove of artwork from the masters of their craft, you’re sure to remember this awe-inspiring museum for years to come. Wander through gallery after gallery, stumbling on masterpieces like The Raft of the Medusa, the Venus de Milo, and, of course, the Mona Lisa.

The Louvre is undoubtedly home to some of the most iconic paintings in the world. It’s a good idea to set aside a full day for your visit, allowing plenty of time to get lost in your thoughts and study your favourite pieces. Don’t forget to admire the building itself! Old meets new in this unique space. From ornate rooms with high arched ceilings to royal chambers and a marble and stone court, there are lots of exciting areas to discover.

The Louvre opens at 09:00 every day, except Tuesday when the museum is closed. We recommend you get there in the morning to avoid some of the afternoon business. If you do want to visit in the afternoon, try to wait until around 15:00 to avoid the lunchtime bustle. It’s always a good idea to buy tickets online before the day of your visit to skip the queues and get straight to exploring. Tickets cost €15 on the day and €17 online*, but the extra euros are usually worth it to skip that wait!

*Prices correct July 2020

The Musée d’Orsay

Another one of Paris’ most famous museums, the Musée d’Orsay is named after Count D’Orsay, a French artist, dandy, and man of fashion in the early- to mid-nineteenth century. The museum is home to some of the greatest in 19th century French and European art, making it a great place to visit during your time in the city.

The Musée d’Orsay occupies a unique converted train station on the banks of the Seine. It’s a Parisian landmark in itself, so be sure to drink in your surroundings as you enter the building. Once inside, look out for masterful works including Paul Cézanne’s The Cardplayers, Vincent Van Gogh’s Self Portrait, and Claude Monet’s London, Houses of Parliament.

In a museum of such size and scale, you might struggle to see everything in one day. Why not take a guided tour? Official tours are a great way to see gallery highlights and learn a little more than is written on the placards. Hear stories about the artists, their lives, and what inspired each piece as you stroll efficiently from room to room. If you’re heading off on your own, no worries! Get ready for an adventure in artwork as you stumble across lots of recognisable gems.

Opening hours are 09:30 to 18:00, except on Mondays when the museum is closed. You can also visit until late on Thursday evenings for an exciting and unusual night out in Paris. We recommend you buy your tickets online for a more convenient trip.

Palace of Versailles

Though located a little outside the city of Paris, Versailles Palace can be accessed very quickly by train. It takes about 45 minutes to travel from the centre of Paris to Versailles.

For more than 100 years, from 1682 until the French Revolution, Versailles Palace was the main residence of the French Royal Family. Its most famous residents were the ill-fated Queen Marie Antoinette and her husband King Louis XVI, who were executed when the country rejected monarchy and became a republic.

Today, Versailles lives on as an exquisite museum offering insight into the luxurious lives of former monarchs, from the majestic Hall of Mirrors to the King’s State Apartments. In fine weather, take a rowboat out on to the Grand Canal in the palace gardens.

Conciergerie Museum

Take the metro to City Island, a small urban island in the middle of the Seine River, which is home to Notre-Dame Cathedral, as well as the Conciergerie Museum. Set amidst vineyards and lavender fields, the Conciergerie is a lavish royal residence dating back to the Middle Ages, when it was built as a tribute to the monarchy.

Take a self-guided tour with an interactive digital device called a HistoPad. You’ll learn all about the historical intricacies of the palace and the many purposes it served over time. From royal residence to prison cell for the unfortunate Marie Antoinette awaiting execution, to its current function as a court of law, the Conciergerie has seen plenty of action throughout the centuries.

Louis Vuitton Foundation

From Les Sablons metro station, a 10-minute walk through the gorgeous Bois de Boulogne park brings you to this unique museum. The postmodern, colourful glass building looms in the distance, creating a stark contrast with the green foliage of the park and forest.

The Louis Vuitton Foundation displays great works of art collected by the eponymous company. It features an impressive collection of Impressionist paintings and puts on two innovative temporary exhibitions per year.

Visiting the Foundation shows how the world of fashion and art intersect, as the company strives to share its art collection with the world. If you are on a time budget, avail yourself of the foundation's short tours, which bring you straight to the highlights of the collection. Or, take more time to enjoy the museum and bask in the surrounding park.

The Palace of Discovery

Take the metro to Champs Elysées-Clemenceau or Franklin D. Roosevelt. Both stations are located just a short walk away from the Palace of Discovery, a science museum housed in a gorgeous building. Conceived by French physicist Jean Perrin in 1937, the museum aims to make science accessible to a large audience.

This museum never fails to please kids. With plenty of fun, interactive exhibits exploring everything from chemistry to astronomy, children find plenty of scope for playful learning here. Apart from looking at the history of science, the museum also focuses on current issues, such as the development of information technology and artificial intelligence.

Paris is famous for its culture. The city's many museums offer fresh perspectives on art, history, and science. Whether you are looking to spend a fun day out with your family or hoping to lose your train of thought while admiring a painting, Paris never disappoints. You can easily reach Paris by train from any other city in France or Europe, so check out our great ticket options today and embark on your own romantic Paris adventure.

Getting around

We love wandering around new cities, getting lost among beautiful streets and discovering favourite spots. Still, sometimes it just isn’t possible to do it all on foot. Thankfully, the French capital has an excellent public transport system which provides lots of straightforward ways to get from A to B.

There are six major train stations in Paris, as well as lots of suburban lines which make getting around easy. Metro and underground RER services can take you to another part of the city in no time. Hop on at your local station and travel through arrondissements in a flash, fitting in plenty of excitement during your time in the city.

Whenever you board a train in Paris, make sure you validate your ticket using one of the yellow machines on the station platform. Buy single ride tickets or pick up a pass to last you the whole day; getting around has never been so simple! Major Paris train lines can also take you to other parts of France or Europe, making the possibilities almost endless.

Getting to Paris by train 

You can easily get to Paris by train from any other French city. TGV high-speed offer direct services that run frequently from Bordeaux to Paris (2h 9m),  Avignon to Paris (2h 41m), Lyon to Paris (1h 55m), Nice to Paris (5h 44m), Marseille to Paris (3h 12m) and Strasbourg to Paris (2h 23m).

If you're travelling into Paris from another country, popular cross-border routes include London to Paris (2h 13m), Amsterdam to Paris (3h 12m), Brussels to Paris (1h 22m), Stuttgart to Paris (4h 13m), Barcelona to Paris (6h 38m), Zurich to Paris (4h 6m) and Munich to Paris (6h 37m).

 

Ready to book your tickets?