Museums & Galleries in Paris

The world's largest art museum and a historic monument housing over 380,000 objects including the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory of Samothrace. The former royal palace displays works spanning from ancient civilizations to the mid-19th century across eight departments. The iconic glass pyramid entrance leads to vast galleries requiring multiple visits to explore fully. Highlights include French paintings, Egyptian antiquities, and Renaissance masterpieces. Strategic planning and early arrival are essential to navigate this colossal museum effectively.

Housed in a stunning Beaux-Arts railway station, this museum contains the world's finest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces. Works by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne, and Gauguin fill the elegant galleries. The building itself is an architectural gem with its grand clock and iron-and-glass vault. Upper floors offer magnificent views through the station's iconic clock face. The museum bridges the gap between the Louvre's classical collections and modern art at the Pompidou Center.

Set in an elegant 18th-century mansion with beautiful sculpture gardens, this museum showcases Auguste Rodin's most famous works including The Thinker and The Gates of Hell. The indoor galleries display marble sculptures, drawings, and personal collections in intimate rooms. The outdoor gardens provide a serene setting with sculptures placed among rose bushes and reflecting pools. Works by Rodin's student and lover, Camille Claudel, are also featured. This museum offers a peaceful respite from Paris's busier attractions.

This intimate museum is renowned for Claude Monet's monumental Water Lilies murals displayed in two oval rooms designed according to the artist's specifications. The curved walls immerse visitors in Monet's impressionist vision of his Giverny garden. The lower gallery contains an excellent collection of works by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, and other early 20th-century artists from the Walter-Guillaume collection. Located in the Tuileries Gardens, it provides a contemplative art experience in a perfectly scaled setting.

Closed for renovation from 22 September 2025 until 2030 — the museum collection and rooftop terrace cannot be visited, and the Bpi library has moved to temporary premises. Since February 2026 the Maison Pompidou on the piazza hosts exhibitions and activities. You can also still see the radical inside-out building, with its exposed pipes and escalator tubes, from the sloping piazza, and the Stravinsky Fountain next door remains a lively stop. For modern and contemporary art while it is closed, go to the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris or the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection. Check the official website for the Pompidou's temporary programme at partner venues.