The best museums in Paris in 2026 are the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée de l'Orangerie, the Musée Rodin and the Musée Picasso. For something less crowded, the Musée Marmottan Monet, the Musée de Cluny and the Musée Jacquemart-André are outstanding.
Paris museums close one day a week — most on Mondays, but the Louvre, the Orangerie and the Bourse de Commerce on Tuesdays — so plan your days around them. The Centre Pompidou is closed for a major renovation until around 2030; its modern art collection appears in exhibitions elsewhere.
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1. Louvre Museum — 1st arr. · Louvre
The largest art museum in the world, from Egyptian antiquities to the Mona Lisa.
$$Mid-rangeBest for First-timers · Art lovers
The Louvre covers nine thousand years of art across three wings of a former royal palace: Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Near Eastern antiquities, French and Italian painting, decorative arts and Napoleon III's apartments. The Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory are the headline acts.
Tickets are timed and, since January 2026, cost €32 for non-EEA visitors (€22 for EEA residents). It is closed on Tuesdays; the late evening openings are the calmest time to go.
Good to know: See the Mona Lisa right at opening or in the last hour, then explore the quieter wings.
The best collection of Impressionist art anywhere, in a Beaux-Arts railway station.
$$Mid-rangeBest for Art lovers · First-timers · Couples
Monet's Poppies, Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette, Van Gogh's self-portraits, Degas's dancers and Manet's Olympia are all here, along with sculpture and decorative arts from 1848 to 1914, under the station's great glass roof.
Allow two to three hours. It is closed on Mondays and opens late on Thursday evenings, and the café behind the giant clock window is worth the stop.
Good to know: Head straight to the fifth floor for the Impressionists before tour groups arrive.
Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 75007 Paris, France
Monet's Water Lilies in two oval rooms, plus a superb small collection.
$BudgetBest for Art lovers · Couples
Monet's eight Water Lilies panels wrap around two oval galleries lit by daylight, exactly as he intended. Downstairs, the Walter-Guillaume collection holds Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani and Soutine.
It is small enough for an hour or two and combines perfectly with a walk through the Tuileries. Closed on Tuesdays.
Good to know: Go at opening time for a few minutes alone with the Water Lilies.
Jardin des Tuileries, Place de la Concorde, 75001 Paris, France
The Thinker and The Kiss in an 18th-century mansion with a rose garden.
$BudgetBest for Art lovers · Couples · Families
Auguste Rodin lived and worked in the Hôtel Biron, which now displays his sculptures and drawings alongside works by Camille Claudel. The garden, with The Thinker, The Gates of Hell and The Burghers of Calais set among roses and lime trees, is the highlight.
It is one of the most relaxing museums in Paris and good for a couple of hours. Closed on Mondays.
Good to know: On a nice day, have lunch at the garden café among the sculptures.
The largest public collection of Picasso's work, in a grand Marais mansion.
$BudgetBest for Art lovers · Couples
The Musée Picasso fills the Hôtel Salé, a 17th-century mansion in the Marais, with paintings, sculpture, ceramics and drawings from every period of Picasso's career, much of it from the artist's own estate. Exhibitions often place him alongside other artists.
Allow about two hours and combine it with the Marais' shops and cafés. Closed on Mondays.
Good to know: The rooftop café terrace is a calm spot for coffee in the middle of the Marais.
The world's largest collection of Monet, including the painting that named Impressionism.
$BudgetBest for Art lovers · Repeat visitors
In a mansion by the Ranelagh gardens, the Marmottan holds the biggest collection of Claude Monet's work anywhere, including Impression, Sunrise — the painting that gave Impressionism its name — and the late Giverny canvases, plus Berthe Morisot and illuminated manuscripts.
It is a little out of the way, which keeps crowds down. Closed on Mondays.
Good to know: Pair it with Giverny on another day to see where many of these paintings were made.
7. Fondation Louis Vuitton — 16th arr. · Bois de Boulogne
Frank Gehry's glass sails house the city's biggest blockbuster art shows.
$$Mid-rangeBest for Art lovers · Architecture · Couples
Frank Gehry's building in the Bois de Boulogne is worth the trip alone — a ship of glass sails with terraces looking over the woods to La Défense. Inside, the foundation stages major modern and contemporary exhibitions drawn from its own collection and loans.
Shows here are some of the most popular in Paris, so book a time slot. A shuttle runs from near the Arc de Triomphe.
Good to know: Go up to the roof terraces — they are part of the visit and many people miss them.
8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, Bois de Boulogne, 75116 Paris, France
8. Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection — 1st arr. · Les Halles
Contemporary art inside a Tadao Ando concrete drum in an 18th-century grain exchange.
$BudgetBest for Art lovers · Architecture
Japanese architect Tadao Ando slotted a concrete cylinder inside the domed Bourse de Commerce, creating galleries for François Pinault's collection of contemporary art. The restored 19th-century painted dome overhead is worth the visit on its own.
Exhibitions rotate, so check what's on. It is closed on Tuesdays and stays open late on some evenings.
Good to know: Walk the top-floor gallery around the drum for the best view of the dome.
A Second Empire mansion full of Italian Renaissance art — and one of the prettiest cafés in Paris.
$$Mid-rangeBest for Art lovers · Couples
Édouard André and Nélie Jacquemart filled their Boulevard Haussmann mansion with Italian Renaissance masterpieces, French 18th-century painting and fine furniture. After a renovation it reopened in 2024 with its grand salons and winter garden restored.
It hosts popular temporary exhibitions, and its café-restaurant in the former dining room is a classic for lunch or tea.
Good to know: Book exhibition tickets ahead — the big shows sell out on weekends.
10. Musée de Cluny – National Museum of the Middle Ages — 5th arr. · Latin Quarter
The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, in a medieval mansion over Roman baths.
$BudgetBest for History · Art lovers
Cluny combines a Gothic mansion with the remains of Roman baths, and holds France's great collection of medieval art: stained glass, ivories, the sculpted heads of the kings of Judah from Notre-Dame and, above all, the six Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.
It reopened in 2022 after renovation and is easy to see in an hour or two. A good contrast to the Louvre for anyone who loves Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle.
Good to know: Combine it with Sainte-Chapelle the same morning — both are the best of Gothic Paris.
11. Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac — 7th arr. · Eiffel Tower
Art and objects from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas in a Jean Nouvel building.
$BudgetBest for Families · Culture · Art lovers
Jean Nouvel's building, fronted by a huge vertical garden and set in a wild garden by the Seine, houses one of the world's major collections of non-European art: masks, textiles, sculpture and ritual objects shown in dim, atmospheric galleries.
It is a five-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower, making it an ideal pairing. Closed on Mondays.
Good to know: The rooftop restaurant Les Ombres has a view straight onto the Eiffel Tower.
12. Musée Carnavalet – History of Paris — 3rd arr. · Le Marais
The story of Paris from prehistory to today, free, in two Marais mansions.
Best for History · Families · Budget
The Carnavalet tells the history of the city through paintings, shop signs, models, reconstructed rooms (including Proust's bedroom and the Fouquet jewelry shop by Mucha) and objects from the Revolution. It reopened in 2021 after a full renovation.
The permanent collection is free, and the gardens are a quiet corner of the Marais. Closed on Mondays.
Good to know: Visit before exploring the Marais — it makes the streets around it much richer.
Which Paris museums are closed on Monday and Tuesday?
Closed Mondays: the Musée d'Orsay, Musée Rodin, Musée Picasso, Musée Carnavalet, the Musée du Quai Branly and the Marmottan. Closed Tuesdays: the Louvre, the Musée de l'Orangerie and the Bourse de Commerce. Always double-check public holidays.
Which Paris museums are free?
The permanent collections of the city's own museums are free, including the Musée Carnavalet, the Petit Palais and the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris. The Louvre is free on the first Friday evening of most months (not July or August), and several national museums are free for under-18s and EU residents under 26. See our guide to free things to do in Paris.
How much time do I need at the Louvre?
At least three hours for the highlights — the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory and the French and Italian painting galleries. Pick two wings, use the museum's map, and enter via the Carrousel du Louvre to save time.
Is the Centre Pompidou open in 2026?
No. The Centre Pompidou closed in 2025 for a renovation expected to last until around 2030. For modern and contemporary art in the meantime, visit the Bourse de Commerce, the Fondation Louis Vuitton or the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris.
Do I need to book museum tickets in advance?
For the Louvre, yes — timed tickets are required. Booking is strongly recommended for the Musée d'Orsay, the Orangerie and the big exhibitions at the Fondation Louis Vuitton and the Grand Palais. Smaller museums rarely sell out on weekdays.