Museums · Paris · France
5 best museums in Paris
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: ZeusUpsistos, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Start with Louvre Museum, Musée d'Orsay and Musée Carnavalet. Together the 5 picks below take roughly 9–12 hours across 4 areas; 1 is free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 5
- Free entry
- 1
- Time to see them all
- 9–12 hours
- Areas
- 1st arrondissement, 7th arrondissement and Le Marais
Museums in Paris
Museum · 1st arrondissement
1.Louvre Museum
The world's most-visited museum holds the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace in a former royal palace.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · 7th arrondissement
2.Musée d'Orsay
Housed in a Beaux-Arts railway station, the Orsay has the world's best collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh and Cézanne.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Le Marais
3.Musée Carnavalet
The city's own history museum fills two Marais mansions with shop signs, recreated interiors, Revolution relics and Proust's bedroom.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Gallery · Tuileries
4.Musée de l'Orangerie
Two oval rooms built to Monet's own design hold his eight enormous Water Lilies panels, lit by natural light.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Couples
- Rainy day
Museum · 7th arrondissement
5.Musée Rodin
Rodin's former home and studio, the Hôtel Biron, displays The Kiss inside while The Thinker and The Gates of Hell stand in the rose garden.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1st arrondissement | Louvre Museum | 3–4 hours |
| 7th arrondissement | Musée d'Orsay and Musée Rodin | 2–3 hours + 1.5 hours |
| Le Marais | Musée Carnavalet | 1–2 hours |
| Tuileries | Musée de l'Orangerie | 1–1.5 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 5, 1 free, 4 mid-priced. Book ahead for Louvre Museum and Musée d'Orsay. The longest visit is Louvre Museum; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Louvre Museum: Timed-entry tickets are effectively required; reserve online before you go.
- Musée d'Orsay: Book a timed slot online, especially for weekends and Thursday late openings.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (1st arrondissement): Louvre Museum, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (7th arrondissement): Musée d'Orsay → Musée Rodin, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Le Marais and Tuileries): Musée Carnavalet → Musée de l'Orangerie, at least 2 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 8°C (46°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. One of the quietest months for sightseeing, with low hotel prices outside the school half-term week.
- January: highs of 7°C (45°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold and often grey, but museums are quiet and the winter sales (les soldes) usually start in early-to-mid January.
- November: highs of 11°C (52°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Damp and grey, but some of the lowest hotel prices of the year; Christmas lights go up mid-month.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Le Marais — Medieval lanes, galleries, falafel and boutiques in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés — Literary cafés, art galleries and elegant Left Bank streets in the 6th
- Eiffel Tower and 7th arrondissement — Grand avenues, Rue Cler market street and tower views
More of Paris
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Paris?
Louvre Museum. The world's most-visited museum holds the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace in a former royal palace.
+Which of these are free in Paris?
Musée Carnavalet.