The 10 Best Paris Museums For Your Bucket List

If you love museums, you’ll fall in love with Paris. 

Paris is home to over 130 museums, all unique and fascinating in their own right. 

There is a museum style for every visitor to Paris. Art (classic and modern), history, war, military, fashion, literature, food and wine and more – Paris museums cover every possible interest.  

Some of the museums in Paris are world famous landmarks that draw in visitors in their millions and take days to explore. Others are intimate, hidden spots ideal for an afternoon stroll through. 

Keen to see some Da Vinci or Yves St Laurent in the flesh? To get up close and personal with a classic Monet or Rembrandt? To dive into some French medieval history or take in some Napoleonic relics?

Our list of the best museums in Paris is the place to start! 

But before we dive into our list… 

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Buy a Paris Museum Pass and SAVE! 

If you are a museum buff and plan to visit as many as you can in Paris, you’ll need a Paris Museum Pass!

With over 50 museums as partners, there are 3 passes to choose from – 48 hours (2 days), 96 hours (4 days) or 144 hours (6 days). You choose the time limit that suits you, and the pass, once activated, allows an entry to each participating museum! This will save you serious money if you plan on visiting a number of Paris museums. 

Participating museums include many on our list, like the Centre Pompidou and the Musée D’Orsay, plus a large number of Paris chateaus and major monuments. 

Pick up your Paris Museum Pass here: https://www.parismuseumpass.fr

Important note: Always check official opening times with individual museums before planning your visit. Many Paris museums close one day a week, usually a Monday or Tuesday. Some museums also require a reservation prior to attending. 

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1. The Louvre  

Address: Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris.

Nearest Metro station: Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre.

Opening hours: Closed Tuesday. Open every other day 9am-6pm.  

Entry: €15 (adult). 

The Louvre is the mother of all museums. The world’s most visited museum, one of Paris’ most famous landmarks and a breathtaking venue that houses a collection numbering over half a million pieces, no trip to Paris is complete without a day (or three) exploring the Louvre. 

Established in 1793 in the wake of the French Revolution, the Louvre is grand and gorgeous on the outside and sprawling (over 60,000 square metres) and intricately organised on the inside. Divided into distinct collections, the Louvre is most famous for being home to Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa painting and the equally mysterious Venus de Milo sculpture. The Louvre’s collection is so vast, so detailed and so fascinating we definitely recommend at least a day spent here. In 2019, the Louvre had its biggest year ever, with almost 10 million visitors passing through its doors! 

Visit the Louvre: https://www.louvre.fr

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2. The Rodin Museum 

Address: 77 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris.

Nearest Metro station: Solférino or Varenne. 

Opening hours: Closed Monday, open every other day 10am-6:30pm. 

Entry: €13 (full price). Entry is free for all the first Sunday of every month. 

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) was a prominent French sculptor whose work is still admired and revered today. The Rodin Museum opened in 1919 and features Rodin’s own works plus the works of a number of other esteemed sculptors and artists. Over 700,000 visitors a year head here to see these works, including Rodin’s iconic The Thinker and The Kiss sculptures. 

There is also an extensive garden in the grounds of the Rodin Museum, with a lake and a cafe. On a sunny Paris day, the Rodin Museum is a beautiful place to spend some time learning about this important artist. 

Visit the Rodin Museum: http://www.musee-rodin.fr

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3. The Musée de l’Orangerie 

Address: Jardin Tuileries, 75001 Paris. 

Nearest Metro station: Concorde or Tuileries (RER).

Opening hours: Closed Tuesday, open every other day 9am-6pm.

Entry: €12.50 (full price). 

Located within the expansive grounds of the Tuileries Gardens, you’ll find the Musée de l’Orangerie. Originally used to house orange groves during the winter months, after World War I, it was launched as an artistic space, and today over half a million people visit the l’Orangerie each year, primarily to see its central piece – Claude Monet’s Water Lilies. 

The mammoth impressionist painting is 91 metres long and spans two oval rooms. The Musée de l’Orangerie is also home to other permanent collections by Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume. 

After your visit to l’Orangerie, the Tuileries Gardens are a fantastic place to wander around. Check out our blog listing the 10 Best Paris Parks and Gardens for more inspiration! 

Visit the Musée de l’Orangerie: https://www.musee-orangerie.fr/en

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4. The Musée d’Orsay

Address: 1 Rue de Lille 75343, Paris. 

Nearest Metro station: Solférino.

Opening hours: Closed Monday, open every other day 9:30am-6pm (later on Thursday). 

Entry: €16 (adults). 

After the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay is Paris’ second largest museum and has one of Europe’s largest art collections. Located within the grand Gare D’Orsay building, once a major Paris train station, the Musée d’Orsay officially opened in 1986. 

Since then it has grown to have a permanent collection of over 3000 pieces, many of which are globally renowned. Van Gogh’s iconic works Self Portrait, The Bedroom and Starry Night Over the Rhône are all here, as well as primary pieces by Manet, Cézanne, Degas, Renoir, Gauguin, Klimt, Munch, Toulouse-Lautrec and many other French and European masters.  

Visit the Musée d’Orsay: https://www.musee-orsay.fr

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5. The Musée Yves St Laurent Paris  

Address: 5 Av. Marceau, 75116 Paris. 

Nearest Metro station: Iéna or Alma-Marceau.

Opening hours: Closed Monday, open every other day 11am-6pm. Saturdays open until 9pm.

Price: €10 (full price). 

Few names in the fashion world captured the sheer class, elegance and quintessentially chic nature of French style like Yves St Laurent. And while the designer passed away over a decade ago, his creations live on in closets, on catwalks, in stores and here, at his Paris museum. 

Opened just a few years ago, the Musée Yves St Laurent Paris houses an impressive collection of the fashion icon’s designs, outfits, sketches, photos and more. The building the museum is in is also a treat for visitors, as “YSL” worked from here for decades. If you want to see a collection of dresses that would shock even Carrie Bradshaw, head to the Yves St Laurent Paris museum.

Visit the Yves St Laurent Museum Paris: http://www.museeyslparis.com

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6. Centre Pompidou 

Address: Place Georges-Pompidou, 75004 Paris. 

Nearest Metro station: Rambuteau or Châtelet. 

Opening hours: Closed Tuesday, open every other day 11am-7pm (later on Thursday). 

Price: €14 (adult). 

The Centre Pompidou experience starts as you arrive outside and take in the ultra-modern, intricate architecture of the museum. You’ll never see another building like it. Once you pass through the main doors, you’ll be astounded by the experience on offer within its walls. 

Dedicated to contemporary and modern art, the six-floor Centre Pompidou houses an outstanding art collection, including the likes of Warhol and Picasso, a huge public library and lots more. This is a very family-friendly Paris museum that the kids will also love! Over 1.5 million visitors each year head to the Centre Pompidou for a unique experience. 

Visit the Centre Pompidou: https://www.centrepompidou.fr

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7. The Petit Palais 

Address: Av. Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris.

Nearest Metro station: Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau.

Opening hours: Closed Monday, open every other day 10am-6pm. 

Price: €11 (full price). 

The Petit Palais is one of Paris’ best art museums, located facing the famous Champs-Élysées. The elegant building itself was built for the 1900 Paris Exhibition in the style of 18th century French architecture, and is now home to the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts. 

There are a number of diverse collections on display here with pieces numbering over 1000, including Renaissance paintings, drawings and sculptures. If you want to visit a more compact version of the Musée d’Orsay, thé Petit Palais is for you. You can see pieces by artists like Rubens, Rembrandt, Monet and Cézanne at this Paris museum. 

Visit the Petit Palais: https://www.petitpalais.paris.fr/en

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8. The Musée de Cluny

Address: 28 Rue du Sommerard, 75005 Paris.

Nearest Metro station: Saint-Michel or Maubert – Mutualité.

Opening hours: Daily (check hours).

Price: €10 (full price). 

The Cluny Museum is due to reopen in May 2022 after extensive renovations, and this is great news for lovers of Paris museums! 

Located in an elegant former hotel in Paris’ buzzing Latin Quarter, the Musée de Cluny (also known as the Musée national du Moyen Âge) is all about medieval history, namely Roman, and opened in 1843.  There are over 1600 pieces of art at the Cluny, including sculptures, tapestries, books, paintings and more. 

The ruins of Roman Baths the site is on date all the way back to the second century, and there is a tranquil garden to enjoy during your visit. 

Visit the Musee de Cluny: https://www.musee-moyenage.fr

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9. The Musée Carnavalet

Address: 23 Rue de Sévigné, 75003 Paris.

Nearest Metro station: Saint-Paul.

Opening hours: Closed Monday, open every other day 10am-6pm.

Price: Entrance to the permanent collection of the Musée Carnavalet is free. Temporary exhibitions incur an entry fee that may vary. 

The oldest official museum in the City of Paris, the Carnavalet Museum, is focused on the history of this amazing city. Spanning two mansions, the Carnavalet has over half a million pieces, and its collection of paintings is immense. The gardens of the Musée Carnavalet are intricately designed and maintained. 

Objects here span a range of eras, as far back as the Neolithic period, Bronze Age, Medieval Paris, the reign of the last French royals and more. Make sure to take in the statue of Louis XIV in the landscaped courtyard. 

Visit the Musée Carnavalet: https://www.carnavalet.paris.fr

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10. The Musée de l’Armée

Address: 129 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris. 

Nearest Metro station: Varenne.

Opening hours: Daily – 10am-6pm.

Price: €14 (full price). 

The Musée de l’Armée opened over a century ago, and is housed in the collection of buildings known as the Hôtel National des Invalides. The Musée de l’Armée is one of the largest museums dedicated to military history in the world. The over half a million items here span eras of military history from prehistoric times through to WWII, and are divided into themes. 

Expect to see many military photographs, artworks, artillery, weaponry and medals. But the real centrepiece of any visit to the Hôtel National des Invalides is the tomb of Napoleon I in the The Dôme des Invalides.

Visit the Paris Army Museum: https://www.musee-armee.fr/accueil.html

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Not in Paris? Many museums offer virtual tours! Check the official website of a museum to see if they offer virtual tours.

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