How to tour Paris museums
Take a walking tour or simply meander about aimlessly to take in the sights of the city, which is very basic. In order to fully appreciate Paris’ museums, I strongly suggest you to make a reservation in advance. You may enjoy the museums in two ways: the tourist way (you wait, it’s packed…) and the Parisian way (you don’t wait, it’s not crowded..). (secret entrances, avoiding the rush days and hours). Learn how to take advantage of the museums in Paris by following these simple guidelines. You might think of this post as a Parisian guide to getting the most out of your time at museums across the city.
When is the best time to visit the museums in Paris?
First and foremost, I would suggest visiting the museums early in the day, before the crowds of Parisians arrive. Not because Parisians are unfriendly, but rather because they like visiting museums on a regular basis, which causes institutions to get congested quite rapidly.
It is possible that visiting museums may be a negative experience since you will be unable to see the artworks, you will be disturbed by the noise, and you will be unable to enjoy your visit.
Because they have worked all week, Parisians flock to the museums on the weekends, particularly on Sunday afternoons, when they have the most free time. As a result, if you want to escape the crush of tourists in Paris, it would be best to visit the museums during the weekdays.
Create your own private tour of Paris right now « the best way to experience Paris Museums
However, due to the large number of people visiting the museums, even throughout the week and during the summer months, the museums may get congested.
One important factor to keep in mind is that the Louvre is very packed on Mondays because the Orsay Museum is closed, but on Tuesdays, the Orsay Museum is entirely filled since the Louvre Museum is also closed.
To have a calm museum visit in Paris, it is ideal to arrive early in the morning before the crowds arrive. This will allow you to take in the sights and sounds of the city without feeling rushed.
A museum visit at the time of its opening is certain to be enjoyable if you are an early riser and arrive before the crowds. There is a list of museums at the conclusion of the article, along with information on the ideal times to visit each.
There is another hint that only a small number of people are aware of: many museums are open in the evenings at least once a week. For example, the Louvre Museum shuts at 9:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, while the Orsay Museum closes at 9:45 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, respectively.
Evening museum visits will be less crowded than daytime visits, and the mood will be considerably more intimate than daytime visits.
Is it necessary for me to purchase my tickets in advance?
There is no doubt that the answer is “yes.” In order to save money and time, there are a few things you should keep in mind before getting in line to purchase your ticket.
If you reside in the European Union and are under the age of 26, you are entitled to free admission to the majority of Parisian museums. You don’t even have to stand in line to acquire a ticket; all you have to do is present your identification card at the entry and you’ll be in.
Please don’t be afraid to inquire about museum passes for certain museums if you are certain of which ones you want to visit. You may be able to obtain savings on your museum visits if you ask the vendor about specific museum passes.
A Paris Museum Pass, on the other hand, will enable you to visit more than 60 museums and notable landmarks around Paris and its environs. It is available for purchase online. Alternatively, you may pick from three alternative packages: a 2-day Museum Pass, a 4-day Pass, or a 6-day Pass.
In addition, Viator offers the Paris Pass, which provides access to all of the city’s most popular attractions, including a hop-on hop-off tour of the city, metro tickets, and major museum tickets. More information about this pass may be found here.
Additionally, you will be able to bypass the wait and make an unlimited number of visits to the museums that are included in the package that you choose. This pass, on the other hand, is only helpful and intriguing if you know you’re going to visit a lot of museums and monuments during your time in Paris, or if you’re a big fan of art in general.
If you like to experience the city by roaming the avenues of Paris, this museum ticket will not be beneficial to you. For example, in order to make your money’s worth, you must visit more than four museums in two days to make your money’s worth.
For example, visiting the Pompidou Center, the Orsay Museum, the Louvre, and the Pantheon would cost you 49.50€. As a result, my recommendation is that you consider how many museums you want to visit before purchasing a pass.
What is the best way to avoid the Louvre’s crowds?
tremendous amount of time when you book your tickets online.
>> Select a time for your admittance.
CHECK AVAILABILITY BEFORE ORDERING
If you prefer to tour museums with a guide who speaks your native language, audio guides are often available in a variety of languages. However, if you need a tour guide to accompany you and explain everything in your native language, museums provide guided tours that begin every hour and last for two hours.
Another alternative is to hire a private tour guide who will design a customized itinerary for you that includes the highlights of the Paris Museums.
If you don’t want to spend your time in Paris doing simply conventional tourist, the city has filled with stunning museums that you may visit. Additionally, you can always narrow your emphasis to a certain subject by selecting just the museums that are connected to what you wish to see.
Here are some contact details for the many museums in the area.
The Louvre Museum is located in Paris, France.
The doors open at 9.30 a.m. The store closes at 6 p.m. Avoid going to the museum on Mondays since it is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesdays and Fridays, the restaurant is open until 9:45 p.m. Purchase e-tickets for the Louvre (together with Tiqets) online (fast-track access).
The Orsay Museum is open from 9.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The store closes at 9 p.m. If possible, avoid visiting the museum on Tuesday (since it is closed on Monday). On Thursdays, the store is open until 9:45 p.m. Our Montmartre Tour includes skip-the-line admission to the Orsay Museum, so you can spend more time exploring the city.
Musée de l’Orangerie: Half a museum, half a monument, that’s what this place is. This museum is also a must-see in Paris if you are a fan of impressionist painting.
Musée Marmottan Monet:
This museum, which is devoted to Monet’s paintings, is a must-see in Paris if you are a fan of Impressionism. If you attend on a Friday morning about 10 a.m., the museum should be quiet and free of people, which is ideal.
At the heart of Paris’s 7th district, you will find this wonderful museum, which will display the works of the French artist Rodin. It is housed in a gorgeous townhouse. The museum, which is closed on Mondays, is a good place to come after lunch on a bright day to take a stroll in the museum’s garden. Purchase your tickets with Viator.
the Picasso Museum.
Between 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. Hours on Saturday and Sunday are 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. In this museum, which is located in the Marais neighborhood, you will have the opportunity to examine not only Picasso’s masterpieces, but also his personal collections.
Discover Walks offers a Marais Art Tour that includes tickets to the Picasso Museum that are available ahead of time. More information may be found here.
The Musée des Invalides is the official museum of the French Army. It is possible to trace the history of the French army from the Roman period through World War II by looking at the development of weaponry and troops’ equipment.
To avoid the crowds, I recommend going around 3 pm or 4 pm, so that you may wander along the avenue des Invalides and relax on the lawn afterwards.
Napoleon’s Tomb is included in the price of the ticket.
I hope you have found the few suggestions in this post useful. You now know how to get the most out of your museum visit in Paris! Take pleasure in Paris. Take pleasure in its museums, its art, and its history!
The 9 Best Museums in Paris
According to Britannica, Paris is home to 130 museums, ranging from the Arab World Institute to the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay to a museum founded by the Louis Vuitton Company – yes, the company that makes the pricey bags!
It goes without saying that the French are huge fans of art and culture. Despite the fact that they did not develop it, they have certainly elevated and preserved it. Here is a selection of the best museums in Paris, which you should visit over the course of a few days or weeks.
The Louis Vuitton Foundation is number nine.
The Louis Vuitton Foundation is located in Paris.
Even just driving past this structure and admiring its design is worthwhile. If you thought you were hip for visiting to the Paris Modern Art Museum (seen below), you are suddenly in an entirely other level altogether. This is one of my favorite museums in Paris to visit on a casual basis.
The structure itself, created by famous architect Frenk Gehry, is worth a visit in and of itself. You’ll discover largely contemporary art and really sophisticated art installations once you enter the building. Artworks by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ellsworth Kelly, Olafur Eliasson, Gilbert & George, Jeff Koons, and many more artists are on display.
Because of its sophisticated and unique construction, the building serves as a venue for a variety of Parisian events, including the occasional Louis Vuitton fashion show, which takes place here (2015)
The entrance fee to go inside is 14€, although they do offer discounted pricing for students and family reductions as well.
The address is 8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi in Montreal (16th arrondissement)
We recommend that you read our other articles especially on the Louis Vuitton Foundation for additional information on tickets, hours of operation, artworks and facts, architectural idea and all of the drama that surrounded this building’s opening:
The Louis Vuitton Foundation celebrated its grand opening with a dramatic ceremony and a list of the top # Things to See.
The eighth museum is the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.
Is it possible that you’ve been to Paris so many times that you’ve become too cool for the Louvre?
The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris, often known as the MAM,
is one of the most entertaining museums in Paris. It is a lot more relaxed experience than other big collections, and it is a wonderful museum to visit with children.
Visiting this collection on your own is a great way to spend some time, maybe after a beverage and before visiting the Eiffel Tower. It boasts a few large pieces of art as well as a slew of other eye-catching features. I believe you will be persuaded if you do an internet search for it.
Although the Paris Modern Art Museum is technically free to enter, they do request a non-mandatory gift of 5€ in order to see the permanent collection of artwork.
This museum is also a fantastic location for exhibits. For various exhibits, they charge anything from 7€ to 13€ each person. In order to encourage the preservation and development of art for future generations, we are promoting this museum as part of our “Medici of the Twenty-First Century” campaign.
While we like and respect traditional art, one day our work will be considered classical in its own right, and it will be unable to compete without our assistance.
Address: 11 Avenue du Président Wilson (4th Arrondissement – close to the Eiffel Tower) in Paris
More information about tickets, hours, artworks, and facts may be found in our other articles dedicated to the Paris Museum of Modern Art, which are as follows:
Musée Marmottan Monet (Museum of Monet)
The Monet Museum, like the Picasso Museum, is primarily dedicated to the artist Monet. It is the proud owner of almost 300 paintings by
Claude Monet, including Impression, Sunrise, which is considered to be one of the most influential works of the Impressionist movement. Artwork considered to be the period painting and namesake of the Impressionist Movement, according to academics.
You will also discover Nympheas, as well as a variety of other works by the renowned artist. The museum is only what it is now as a result of the legendary gift of his father’s surviving pieces of art by Michel Monet, the institution’s second born son and heir.
However, rather of allowing the artworks to join the private sector, Michel decided that they should be honored by the French government. This is something that is uniquely French.
This museum is a must-see if you’ve been to Paris a few times or if you’re a fan of Monet’s work. Admissions will cost you between 8€ and 12€.
Address: 2 Rue Louis Boilly (16th arrondissement, near Metro station La Muette – line 9), Paris, France.
Hours of operation: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (closed Mondays)
To this day, Auguste Rodin is the most well-known French sculptor.
His most renowned work is The Thinker, which may be seen at the Rodin Museum in Paris, France.
The museum is just adjacent to the metro station Invalides. It is made up of a garden and two buildings. The first is the Rodin Museum Boutique, which is essentially a gift store and café.
Then there’s the Hôtel Biron Mansion, which serves as the primary building. The building was sold to a very rich man named Louis-Antoine de Gontaut-Biron, thus the name. As a result, Hôtel Biron was born
.
The home is set in a vast, well-kept garden with a number of sculptures by the maestro himself. There are other pieces by various artists, notably Camille Claudel, Rodin’s prize pupil.
The collection contains around 6000 sculptures, however many are held off-site. Outside in the garden, you’ll discover The Thinker.
With a local guide, this museum is a fantastic place to explore.
77 Rue de Verenne, 77 rue de Verenne, 77 rue de Verenne, 77 rue
10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Closed Mondays)
5. Picasso National Museum in Paris
Pablo Picasso is a Spaniard, not a Frenchman. He, like most artists, adored Paris, and Paris, in turn, adored him. He was so beloved in Paris that he was given his own museum. The Picasso Museum is located at the Hôtel Salé in Paris’s Marais area.
Thousands of Picasso works, ranging from painting to ceramics, are on display in the museum. Unlike the Rodin Museum, which houses works by a variety of painters, the Picasso Museum’s collection is devoted only to the master.
Yes, there are works by other artists, but the majority of them are artists who are imitating, criticizing, or paying homage to Picasso.
Newspaper clippings and other historical objects are also on display throughout the museum, forming a kind of chronological history of Picasso’s 70 years of devotion to the growth of art. Tickets are 12€, although prices may change depending on the museum’s current display.
5 Rue de Thorigny, Paris (3rd arrondissiment)
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (closed Mondays)
4. L’Orangerie Museum
At the Musée de l’Orangerie, part of Monet’s Water Lilies display. Paris is the capital of France.
When you think of Paris, the Louvre and Versailles come to mind. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Musée d’Orsay. When the Rodin Museum is mentioned, most people remark,
“Oh yeah, I forgot about that one.” If you haven’t studied art, you’ve probably never heard of the Orangerie Museum, but you’ve certainly heard of Claude Monet.
The Water Lillies exhibit by Claude Monet is not the only item to see in the l’Orangerie Museum, but it is perhaps the most impressive. It arguably does not qualify as a “art installation” by today’s standards, but it was the only one at the time it was painted (1918, post-WWII armistice).
The phrase didn’t even exist at the time, and it wasn’t popularized in art until the 1950s.
Regardless, for a variety of reasons, the Musée de l’Orangerie is one of my favorite museums in Paris.
Tickets are inexpensive. 6€
There will be no large crowds.
It’s simple to stop in after your Louvre lunch (check out restaurant recs near Louvre)
Jardin Tuileries is located in the 1st arrondissement, just across from the Louvre’s Tuileries Garden.
Read our other articles on the Musée de l’Orangerie for more information on tickets, hours, artworks, and facts:
3. Orsay Museum
Orsay Museum Paris is the capital of France.
This museum is strategically placed just over the river from the Louvre, making it simple to locate. It has a long and illustrious history that extends well beyond its artwork. It used to be known as Gare d’Orsay, or Orsay Train Station, and much of the historic building is still visible. When it opened in the year 1900, the railway station was known for being the world’s first electrified urban train station.
The museum has around 80,000 pieces of art, the majority of which date from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. It has a pretty fascinating arrangement and is a little less daunting than its elder brother, the Louvre. There will be considerably less people in this gallery.
Is it worthy of a visit or a tour? It is one of the world’s finest art collections, but with so much to see in Paris, it may not be worth seeing on your first trip unless you have at least four days and a lot of energy. If you have 2 to 3 hours to spare, you should certainly pay it a visit. A local certified gui
de, just as in any museum, is required to bring the works of art to life.
1 Rue de la Legion d’Honneur, Paris (7th arrondissement)
Read our other articles on the Musée d’Orsay for more information on tickets, hours, artworks, and facts:
Everything you need to know about visiting a museum
The Musée d’Orsay’s Top 10 Things to See
The Palace of Versailles is number two.
The Grand Trianon is a palace in Paris. Versailles is a city in France.
The Palace of Versailles is a must-see in Paris since it is so historically significant. The golden gates of Versailles are a 10-minute walk or a short RER ride away. The building serves as both a museum and a large estate. It would be the best museum near Paris if the Louvre didn’t exist, but we’re better off with both!
Because of how diversified a site it is, it is one of the best places to visit in France and the globe. The museum (palace) is not only rich of art and history, but the grounds are also enormous. The majority of visitors only view a tenth of the estate.
Place d’Armes, Versailles, France
Read our other articles on the Château of Versailles for more information on tickets, hours, artwork, and facts: