Paris is the world capital of art and culture and with over 130 museums available is certainly a great destination for visitors enjoying finer things in life. It would be difficult to select the best museums in Paris, but we will try, with some obvious favorites.
Musée du Louvre
Location: Louvre & Île de la Cité (1st Arrondissement)
Opening Hours: Sat-Mon and Thur 9 am–6 pm; Wed and Fri 9 am–9:30 pm
Ticket Prices: 15€ ($18) adults, free for children 17 and under (for EU citizens age 25 and under)
Louvre is definitely one of the best museums not only in Paris but entire France and it is at the top of the world museums list. Many tourists are going to Louvre Museum for one main item: the Mona Lisa painting. But this spectacular museum is much more than that. The other two famous art pieces are Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace, both world-famous sculptures.
Apart from other Da Vinci works, Louvre proudly hosts many masterpieces from Rembrandt, Reubens, Botticelli, Ingres, and Michelangelo.
The exhibition halls are divided by periods and regions, so you have 13th-18th century Italian paintings, Greek and Roman sculptures, the Galerie d’Apollon, art from ancient Egypt, and of course, large format French paintings.
Due to the size of the museum, it is physically impossible to visit every single piece of art, so we recommend multiple visits planned.
Musée d’Orsay
Location: 1 rue de la Légion d’Honneur, 7th arrond
Opening Hours: Tue–Wed and Fri–Sun 9:30 am–6 pm; Thu 9:30 am–9:45 pm
Ticket Prices: 12€ ($15) adults, 9€ ($11) ages 18–25, free for children 17 and under
Works of masters such as Renoir, Van Gogh, Manet, Degas, and Gauguin, are the main exhibits of this unique museum, located in a transformed and renovated Belle Epoque train station.
To name a few masterpieces: Edouard Manet’s Le Déjeuner sur l’Herbe, Renoir’s Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, Montmartre, Monet’s La Gare St-Lazare and Gauguin’s The White Horse.
There are also sculptures and decorative arts on display here, including a remarkable collection of Art Nouveau furniture and various objects. There is also an exhibition of early photography.
Musée Rodin
Location: 77 rue de Varenne
Opening Hours: Tue–Sat 10:00 am–6:30 pm; Monday – closed
Ticket Prices: 12€ ($15) adults, 9€ ($11) ages 18–25, free for children 17 and under
This museum has two locations, one in Paris and the second one in Meudon, southwest from Paris in Rodin’s old home.
It was conceived as the main exposition place for works of famous French sculptor Auguste Rodin.
It features various works from Rodin’s large opus and a large number of exhibits collected by the artist himself.
Museum also hosts various temporary art installations and contemporary art exhibitions.
The Museum shop sells very popular miniature reproductions of famous Rodin’s works: the Kiss and the Thinker.
Musée de l’Orangerie
Location: Jardin Tuileries
Opening Hours: Mon-Wed-Thu-Fri-Sat-Sun 9:00 am–6:00 pm; Tuesday – closed
Ticket Prices: 9€ ($11) adults, 6.5€ ($8) ages 18–25, free for children 17 and under
The museum hosts impressionist and post-impressionist paintings and works from a large variety of masters.
Most famous for Claude Monet’s monumental series of water lily paintings, Les Nymphéas, Musée de l’Orangerie is located in the side corner of the Tuileries Gardens next to the Place de la Concorde.
The museum became famous also during the exhibition of Rubens and Degas.
From other collections, it is worth mentioning The Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection.
Museum was featured in Woody Allen’s 2011 film Midnight in Paris.
Quai Branly Museum – Jacques Chirac
Location: 37 Quai Branly
Opening Hours: Tue-Sun 10:30 am–7:00 pm; Monday – closed
Ticket Prices: 10€ ($12) adults, 7€ ($9) ages 18–25, free for children 17 and under
With collections of over a million items, this museum is featuring the indigenous art and cultures of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas.
This is actually a museum complex consisting of four buildings, occupying 30,000 square meters (320,000 sq ft).
The founder of the museum is Jacques Chirac, late former president of France,
From other top museums in Paris we recommend: Musée de Cluny, Petit Palais, Musee Picasso, Museum Carnavalet and National Museum of Modern Art.
Conclusion
There are many museums in Paris to choose from and this list is just to get you started, We just gave you some head start in search of the best museums in Paris. Enjoy!