Location: Paris
Top Things to do in Paris
Top 10 Art Museums in Paris, Ile-de-France
Lingering over pain au chocolat in a sidewalk café, relaxing after a day of strolling along the Seine and marveling at icons like the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe… the perfect Paris experience combines leisure and liveliness with enough time to savor both an exquisite meal and exhibits at the Louvre. Awaken your spirit at Notre Dame, bargain hunt at the Marché aux Puces de Montreuil or for goodies at the Marché Biologique Raspail, then cap it all off with a risqué show at the Moulin Rouge.
Restaurants in Paris
1. Musee d'Orsay
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 65,765 reviews
This beautiful museum, once a railroad station, now houses a staggering collection of Impressionist art, as well as other items created between 1848 and 1914. In 2011, the museum is running a renovation of the top floor (impressionist gallery). Only ground and medium floor are accessible. The top floor will re-open on the 20th of October. Meanwhile, some impressionist masterpieces are not visible.
Reviewed By 576elizabethc576 - Montpelier Station, United States
Excellent museum, incredible use of old train station space, loads and loads of lovely and important French art, easy to walk, large open spaces, good cafes, perfect light. We walked right in in June, no waiting, arrived at opening. Highly recommend.
2. Musee De Cluny
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,872 reviews
This museum, located in a spacious former hotel, houses a collection of medieval art, including jewelry, tapestries and sculptures. From 2018 to 2020, it is partly closed for renovation works. Don't miss the exhibition "Mgical Unicorns" (until February the 25th 2019)
Reviewed By choula1 - Jerusalem, Israel
cluny museum is a museum of medieval art. it has a very interesting collection of art as of the roman period, through the byzantine period, the middle ages and the renaissance. the building itself is built on remnants of gallo-roman baths. the exposition contains paintings, pieces of art, and gobelins, the most renown is the "lady and the unicorn" from the 16th century. highly recommended!
3. Musee Marmottan Monet
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,953 reviews
Located in a 19th-century mansion, this museum's fabulous collection of Impressionist paintings ranks second only behind the Musée d'Orsay.
Reviewed By JanA764
Beautiful museum a little way out of the city near the Bois de Boulogne, well worth the short trip, the Monets and the Morisot paintings are just a few of the lovely exhibits
4. Musee d'Art Moderne de Paris
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 699 reviews
Located in the East wing of the Palais de Tokyo, built for the 1937 international exposition, the museum was inaugurated in 1961. Its rich collections, named « La vie moderne », with more than 15,000 works, illustrate the major artistic themes of the 20th and 21st century: Fauvism, Cubism, the School of Paris, Abstract Art, New Realism, Narrative Representation, Conceptual Art, Supports/Surfaces... Its programming addresses national and international issues through monographic or historic thematic exhibits. The ARC (Animation-Recherche- Confrontation, Activities-Research-Debate) presents the latest artistic research.
Reviewed By lisamicklewright - Newbury, United Kingdom
We visited on a Friday lunchtime. It’s situated in a wing of the Palais de Tokyo and from the light flooded first few interior rooms you have views of the nearby Eiffel Tower, perfectly complimenting the large Robert Delaunays. We saw a Picasso head sculpture, many Dufys, superb Bonnards...including the masterpiece of Marthe in a bath. I was not keen on some of the work in other rooms...but as it’s free and there is so much good work to see you just speed up! Highly recommended.
5. Musee National des Arts Asiatiques - Guimet
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 958 reviews
This unique museum displays the personal collection of 19th-century East Asian art compiled by Émile Guimet.
Reviewed By paxa - Washington DC, United States
We always visit the Guimet when in Paris for its great collection of Asian Art. This time we were lucky to be just in time for the temporary exhibition "On the Tokaido Road", an extensive collection of 200 beautiful Japanese prints by Hiroshige and many other artists depicting the myriad scenes and spectacular landscapes on this important coastal road from the Edo period. An amazing collection rarely seen all in one place.
6. Louvre Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 99,632 reviews
Home to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Louvre is considered the world's greatest art museum, with an unparalleled collection of items covering the full spectrum of art through the ages.
Reviewed By 419udays - Pune, India
This was my second visit here The place is mesmerising what with loads of historic information on the audio guide as you traverse through various lounges Painting and Sculptures were our forte then and now also
7. Musee Jacquemart-Andre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,956 reviews
Built by Edouard André and his wife Nélie Jacquemart, both avid art collectors, in the new Paris being laid out by Baron Haussmann towards the end of the 19th century, this private mansion offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore a wealthy 19th century home.The museum presents a wonderful collection of masterpieces: Fragonard, Rembrant, Botticelli… This is the only museum open seven days a week in Paris, from 10am to 6pm.
Reviewed By mihaescuvlad - Timisoara, Romania
This is a very nice museum with a wonderful collection of mainly paintings and sculptures. It is a very good option for Mondays as it is open then. Try to buy tickets online so that you skip the entrance queue.
8. Jeu de Paume
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 202 reviews
A leading pole for the exhibition of photographic and other images, from the 19th to the 21st century (cinema, video, installation, etc.). Jeu de Paume produces, coproduces and hosts exhibitions as well as film programmes, symposiums, and public activities
Reviewed By KiwiGroom - Edinburgh, United Kingdom
I like photography especially older photography / images and the efforts people made to capture history. We visited when the Dorothea Lange exhibition was on display and I particularly liked the Great Depression photos while my wife thought the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII were the more interesting work. Like most galleries view the website and take a view on whether it's for you or not.
9. Musee Bourdelle
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 334 reviews
Reviewed By emduggs12 - New York City, United States
I'll admit that I did not know Bourdelle before going here, but the quality of the museum itself is spectacular. I was there during the Balenciaga exhibition, which was so well done and surprisingly worked alongside the sculptures. The museum has a bunch of different rooms/sections which are all worth seeing. Everything has descriptions and the atelier is pretty cool. The garden is wonderful (bring a book!) and there are two other connected gardens in between the other buildings. I was very impressed with the overall layout and flow of the visit and it did not seem at all redundant. For me, this museum was in a very convenient location- so if you find yourself in the area I highly recommend stopping in for a quick visit. I have not seen (as far as I remember) any of his statues since, but it was still a fun experience. If you like this museum, I recommend the Rodin museum(s) and the Maillol (possibly the Zadkine because it is nearby the Bourdelle but also by far its inferior).
10. Petit Palais
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,284 reviews
Built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition and completely renovated in 2005, the Petit Palais offers an artistic panorama from antiquity through the 20th century: ancient and medieval collections, precious art objects from the French and Italian Renaissance, Flemish and Dutch paintings (Dutuit bequest), icons (Cabal bequest), 18th century work (Tuck donation), French paintings and sculptures from the 19th century - Courbet, Carpeaux, Cezanne, Vuillard - and Art Nouveau creations.
Reviewed By 750dimitrisl - Sydney, Australia
Petit Palais is a stunning building. It is located across the road from its "twin" the Grand Palais. It was built in 1900 for the so called Universal Exhibition, and it must have made quite an impression. Today it is part of the Museum of Fine Arts. It is a wonderful example of extraordinarily beautiful architecture. Worth a look if you have the time.
