Musée Carnavalet
3e arrondissement · The history of Paris across two Marais mansions, free to walk into.
Museum dedicated to the history of Paris from prehistory to the present.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Paris Museums: Tickets, Prices And The Ones Worth Your Time
A plain, independent directory of every Paris museum worth your time: 39 museums and museum-like attractions, checked against their own ticket pages. The single most useful fact it holds is that eleven of them are free every day of the year, while the famous names charge, and the two free systems do not work the same way at all.
Which Paris Museums Are Free, And What Still Costs Money
Of the 39 museums listed, 11 are free to enter with no ticket at all, while 23 sell a bookable ticket. Two separate systems govern free entry and they do not overlap: the eleven City of Paris permanent collections are free to everyone all year, and national museums are free one Sunday a month. The Louvre has no free first Sunday, its window is the first Friday evening after 6pm.
Petit Palais
8e arrondissement · A 1900 exhibition palace with Courbet, Monet and a garden cafe, and no entry fee.
Fine arts museum with collections from antiquity to early 20th century in a Belle Époque building.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris
16e arrondissement · Matisse's La Danse and Dufy's electricity mural, free, next door to the Palais de Tokyo.
Modern and contemporary art collections including Fauvism, Cubism and post-war works.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Musée Bourdelle
15e arrondissement · The sculptor's studios and plaster casts, kept as he left them, in Montparnasse.
Sculpture museum in the former studio and home of Antoine Bourdelle.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Musée de la Vie romantique
9e arrondissement · George Sand's circle, a garden tea room, and a courtyard most visitors walk past.
Romantic era museum in the former home of Ary Scheffer featuring writers and artists of the period.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Musée Curie
5e arrondissement · Marie Curie's own laboratory and office, free, three days a week.
Museum on the history of radioactivity and the Curie family in their former laboratory.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Maison de Victor Hugo
4e arrondissement · Hugo's own apartment on the Place des Vosges, with the Chinese salon he designed for Juliette Drouet.
The writer's apartment of 1832 to 1848 on the Place des Vosges, kept as a museum of his life, work and interiors.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Musée Cognacq-Jay
3e arrondissement · The Samaritaine founders' 18th-century collection, in a Marais hôtel particulier.
Eighteenth-century paintings, furniture and porcelain collected by the founders of La Samaritaine, shown in a Marais mansion.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Musée Cernuschi
8e arrondissement · Paris's second Asian art museum, on the edge of the Parc Monceau, and nobody queues for it.
Asian art museum built around Henri Cernuschi's Chinese and Japanese collection, beside the Parc Monceau.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Maison de Balzac
16e arrondissement · The Passy cottage where Balzac wrote and hid from creditors, with a garden over the Seine.
The writer's last Paris house in Passy, where he revised La Comédie humaine, with his study, manuscripts and garden.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Musée Zadkine
6e arrondissement · A sculptor's cottage and garden hidden behind rue d'Assas, five minutes from the Luxembourg.
The house, studio and sculpture garden of Ossip Zadkine, off rue d'Assas in Montparnasse.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Start Here: The Paris Museums Worth Your First Day
The museums worth booking charge real money at the door: the Catacombes at €31, the Louvre at €22 for EEA visitors and €32 for everyone else. The Paris Museum Pass starts at €85, so it pays to know which door prices stack up before you buy. Each paid museum here links to its own bookable ticket.
Arc de Triomphe
8e arrondissement · The rooftop everyone forgets about, and the one view with the Eiffel Tower in it.
Neoclassical triumphal arch commemorating French military victories.
from $18.61 live price on the listing€22 from 1 April to 30 September, €16 on Wednesdays in that window, and €16 from October to March Check availability →
Musée d'Orsay
7e arrondissement · Impressionism at full strength in a converted railway station.
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces in a former railway station.
from $15.12 live price on the listing€16 booked online against €14 bought at the museum: here the online ticket costs more Check availability →
Palace of Versailles
Versailles · Not in Paris: 30 to 40 minutes out on the RER C, and closed Mondays.
Former royal residence turned museum of French history with extensive collections and gardens.
from $81.43 live price on the listingPassport €35 from 1 April to 31 October, with a reduced France and EEA rate of €32, and €25 the rest of the year Check availability →
Musée de l'Orangerie
1er arrondissement · Two oval rooms, eight Water Lilies panels, an hour well spent.
Home to Claude Monet's monumental Water Lilies series in two oval rooms, plus Post-Impressionist works.
from $15.70 live price on the listing€12.50 booked online, €11 at the museum Check availability →
Palais Garnier
9e arrondissement · No fixed closed day, but it shuts at short notice for rehearsals.
Opulent 19th-century opera house designed by Charles Garnier.
from $29.08 live price on the listing€15 for France and EEA visitors, €25 from outside the EEA, sold online only with no door sales Check availability →
Musée de l'Armée
Hôtel national des Invalides · Napoleon's tomb under the gold dome, plus two world wars in detail.
National military museum at Les Invalides with extensive collections on French military history, plus Napoleon's tomb in the Dôme church.
from $19.78 live price on the listing€17, which covers the Dôme and Napoleon's tomb Check availability →
Musée du Louvre
1er arrondissement · The one museum everybody books, and the one with the strictest timed entry.
World's largest art museum housing masterpieces from ancient civilizations to the 19th century.
from $69.80 live price on the listing€22 for EEA visitors and €32 for everyone else: the Louvre now charges two different admission prices Check availability →
Panthéon
5e arrondissement · The crypt, the Foucault pendulum, and a dome panorama that is closed for works.
Neoclassical mausoleum housing the remains of French luminaries.
from $15.12 live price on the listing€16 from April to September, €13 on Wednesdays and €13 all winter Check availability →
Catacombes de Paris
14e arrondissement · 1.5 km of bones, 20 metres down, and the hardest ticket in Paris to get on the day.
Underground ossuary in former quarries containing remains of millions of Parisians.
from $92.95 live price on the listing€31 at the door with the audio guide included. Timed slots sell out days ahead, which is why every resale and skip-the-line product costs several times that Check availability →
Fondation Claude Monet
Giverny · Monet's own garden and lily pond, open 1 April to 1 November only.
Claude Monet's home and famous gardens that inspired his paintings.
from $118.66 live price on the listing€13 at the gate, but the gardens are 75 km from Paris and shut from 2 November to the end of March Check availability →
Sainte-Chapelle
1er arrondissement · Fifteen windows, 1,113 scenes, and a queue that moves slowly through security.
13th-century Gothic chapel built by Louis IX to house relics of the Passion.
from $26.17 live price on the listing€16 for EEA visitors and €22 from outside the EEA Check availability →
Cité des sciences et de l'industrie
19th arrondissement · Europe's biggest science museum, and the one Paris museum built for children.
Europe's largest science museum with interactive exhibitions, planetarium, Cité des Enfants and temporary shows.
from $15.12 live price on the listingThe museum's own tariff page lists a full adult rate of €15, and under-25s pay €12 Check availability →Browse Paris Museums By Theme
Some travellers come for Impressionists, others for medieval crypts or fashion. Browse by theme and the directory sorts itself: art, history, architecture, oddities. The theme pages pull the relevant museums from the full 39, free and paid alike, so you can build a day around one interest.
Compare Every Paris Museum: Area, Price And Rating
Every museum in the directory appears in one comparison table: area, door price and rating side by side. It settles the practical questions quickly, such as which free museums sit in the same arrondissement as a paid one, and where the €31 Catacombes sits against cheaper neighbours.
| Musée d'Orsay | Impressionism at full strength in a converted railway station. | 7e arrondissement | $15.12 | ★ 4.7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Musée de l'Orangerie | Two oval rooms, eight Water Lilies panels, an hour well spent. | 1er arrondissement | $15.70 | ★ 4.7 |
| Palace of Versailles | Not in Paris: 30 to 40 minutes out on the RER C, and closed Mondays. | Versailles | $81.43 | ★ 4.7 |
| Arc de Triomphe | The rooftop everyone forgets about, and the one view with the Eiffel Tower in it. | 8e arrondissement | $18.61 | ★ 4.7 |
| Musée du Louvre | The one museum everybody books, and the one with the strictest timed entry. | 1er arrondissement | $69.80 | ★ 4.6 |
| Musée de l'Armée | Napoleon's tomb under the gold dome, plus two world wars in detail. | Hôtel national des Invalides | $19.78 | ★ 4.6 |
| Panthéon | The crypt, the Foucault pendulum, and a dome panorama that is closed for works. | 5e arrondissement | $15.12 | ★ 4.6 |
| Palais Garnier | No fixed closed day, but it shuts at short notice for rehearsals. | 9e arrondissement | $29.08 | ★ 4.6 |
| Catacombes de Paris | 1.5 km of bones, 20 metres down, and the hardest ticket in Paris to get on the day. | 14e arrondissement | $92.95 | ★ 4.6 |
| Fondation Claude Monet | Monet's own garden and lily pond, open 1 April to 1 November only. | Giverny | $118.66 | ★ 4.5 |
| Sainte-Chapelle | Fifteen windows, 1,113 scenes, and a queue that moves slowly through security. | 1er arrondissement | $26.17 | ★ 4.3 |
| Cité des sciences et de l'industrie | Europe's biggest science museum, and the one Paris museum built for children. | 19th arrondissement | $15.12 | ★ 3.8 |
| Musée Marmottan Monet | The largest Monet holding anywhere, including the painting that named Impressionism. | 16th arrondissement | $16.89 | ★ 4.8 |
| Musée Rodin | The Thinker, the Gates of Hell, and a garden worth the ticket on its own. | 7e arrondissement | on the listing | ★ 4.7 |
| Musée Jacquemart-André | A private mansion with Botticelli and Rembrandt still hung as the owners left them, open daily. | 8th arrondissement | on the listing | ★ 4.7 |
| Musée du quai Branly | Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas in a Jean Nouvel building under a green wall. | 7e arrondissement | on the listing | ★ 4.6 |
| Château de Fontainebleau | Eight centuries of French kings, an hour from Gare de Lyon, closed Tuesdays. | Fontainebleau | on the listing | ★ 4.6 |
| Musée Picasso Paris | The artist's own collection, kept in a 17th-century Marais mansion. | 3e arrondissement | on the listing | ★ 4.5 |
| Eiffel Tower | Open every day of the year, and the one Paris icon no museum pass covers. | 7e arrondissement | on the listing | ★ 4.2 |
| Conciergerie | Marie-Antoinette's cell, in the medieval palace next door to Sainte-Chapelle, and the two are sold together. | 1er arrondissement | $34.95 | ★ 4.2 |
| Atelier des Lumières | A former foundry where the paintings are projected 10 metres high, open daily. | 11th arrondissement | on the listing | ★ 4.1 |
| Musée de Cluny | The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, in a Roman bathhouse and a medieval abbot's house. | 5e arrondissement | $18.65 | |
| Musée Guimet | The largest Asian art collection outside Asia. Its annexe, the Musée d'Ennery, is shut until 2028. | 16e arrondissement | on the listing | |
| Musée des Arts et Métiers | Foucault's pendulum, Blériot's aeroplane and 3,000 machines, in a former priory. | 60 rue Réaumur | on the listing | |
| Grand Palais | Reopened after restoration, and now one of the venues hosting the homeless Centre Pompidou. | 8th arrondissement | on the listing | |
| Institut du monde arabe | Jean Nouvel's photographic-shutter facade, and a free rooftop view over the Seine. | 5th arrondissement | on the listing | |
| Fondation Louis Vuitton | Shut right now. It reopens on 9 October 2026 with the Gustave Fayet collection. | 16th arrondissement | on the listing | |
| Centre Pompidou | Closed since 22 September 2025 and not reopening until 2030. There is no ticket to buy. | 4th arrondissement | on the listing | |
| Musée Carnavalet | The history of Paris across two Marais mansions, free to walk into. | 3e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
| Petit Palais | A 1900 exhibition palace with Courbet, Monet and a garden cafe, and no entry fee. | 8e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
| Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris | Matisse's La Danse and Dufy's electricity mural, free, next door to the Palais de Tokyo. | 16e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
| Musée Bourdelle | The sculptor's studios and plaster casts, kept as he left them, in Montparnasse. | 15e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
| Musée de la Vie romantique | George Sand's circle, a garden tea room, and a courtyard most visitors walk past. | 9e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
| Musée Curie | Marie Curie's own laboratory and office, free, three days a week. | 5e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
| Maison de Victor Hugo | Hugo's own apartment on the Place des Vosges, with the Chinese salon he designed for Juliette Drouet. | 4e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
| Musée Cognacq-Jay | The Samaritaine founders' 18th-century collection, in a Marais hôtel particulier. | 3e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
| Musée Cernuschi | Paris's second Asian art museum, on the edge of the Parc Monceau, and nobody queues for it. | 8e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
| Maison de Balzac | The Passy cottage where Balzac wrote and hid from creditors, with a garden over the Seine. | 16e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
| Musée Zadkine | A sculptor's cottage and garden hidden behind rue d'Assas, five minutes from the Luxembourg. | 6e arrondissement | Free | Free entry |
Which Paris Museum Is Right For You?
Not sure where to start? Answer three short questions and the picker narrows the 39 museums to a shortlist that fits your budget, your interests and the time you actually have in the city.
This is a starting shortlist of the best-reviewed entries, not the full list. Answer a question below to rebuild it around your choices.
Old Masters And Sculpture In Paris
Musée du Louvre
1er arrondissement · The one museum everybody books, and the one with the strictest timed entry.
World's largest art museum housing masterpieces from ancient civilizations to the 19th century.
from $69.80 live price on the listing€22 for EEA visitors and €32 for everyone else: the Louvre now charges two different admission prices Check availability →
Musée Rodin
7e arrondissement · The Thinker, the Gates of Hell, and a garden worth the ticket on its own.
Dedicated to the works of sculptor Auguste Rodin, with sculptures displayed indoors and in the gardens.
Check availability →
Petit Palais
8e arrondissement · A 1900 exhibition palace with Courbet, Monet and a garden cafe, and no entry fee.
Fine arts museum with collections from antiquity to early 20th century in a Belle Époque building.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Musée Cognacq-Jay
3e arrondissement · The Samaritaine founders' 18th-century collection, in a Marais hôtel particulier.
Eighteenth-century paintings, furniture and porcelain collected by the founders of La Samaritaine, shown in a Marais mansion.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Impressionist Museums In Paris
Musée d'Orsay
7e arrondissement · Impressionism at full strength in a converted railway station.
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces in a former railway station.
from $15.12 live price on the listing€16 booked online against €14 bought at the museum: here the online ticket costs more Check availability →Musée de l'Orangerie
1er arrondissement · Two oval rooms, eight Water Lilies panels, an hour well spent.
Home to Claude Monet's monumental Water Lilies series in two oval rooms, plus Post-Impressionist works.
from $15.70 live price on the listing€12.50 booked online, €11 at the museum Check availability →Fondation Claude Monet
Giverny · Monet's own garden and lily pond, open 1 April to 1 November only.
Claude Monet's home and famous gardens that inspired his paintings.
from $118.66 live price on the listing€13 at the gate, but the gardens are 75 km from Paris and shut from 2 November to the end of March Check availability →
Musée Marmottan Monet
16th arrondissement · The largest Monet holding anywhere, including the painting that named Impressionism.
Houses the world’s largest collection of works by Claude Monet along with other Impressionist and modern artists.
from $16.89 live price on the listing€14 at the museum, and the bookable entrance ticket reads $16.89 Check availability →Modern And Contemporary Art In Paris
Musée Picasso Paris
3e arrondissement · The artist's own collection, kept in a 17th-century Marais mansion.
Houses the largest public collection of Pablo Picasso's works, spanning paintings, sculptures, drawings and ceramics.
Check availability →
Atelier des Lumières
11th arrondissement · A former foundry where the paintings are projected 10 metres high, open daily.
Immersive digital art center in a former foundry featuring projections of famous artworks and contemporary experiences.
Check availability →
Fondation Louis Vuitton
16th arrondissement · Shut right now. It reopens on 9 October 2026 with the Gustave Fayet collection.
Contemporary art foundation in a Frank Gehry-designed building hosting major modern and contemporary exhibitions.
Visitor info →
Centre Pompidou
4th arrondissement · Closed since 22 September 2025 and not reopening until 2030. There is no ticket to buy.
Iconic multidisciplinary centre housing the Musée National d'Art Moderne with extensive modern and contemporary art collections.
Visitor info →
Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris
16e arrondissement · Matisse's La Danse and Dufy's electricity mural, free, next door to the Palais de Tokyo.
Modern and contemporary art collections including Fauvism, Cubism and post-war works.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
History Museums In Paris
Musée de l'Armée
Hôtel national des Invalides · Napoleon's tomb under the gold dome, plus two world wars in detail.
National military museum at Les Invalides with extensive collections on French military history, plus Napoleon's tomb in the Dôme church.
from $19.78 live price on the listing€17, which covers the Dôme and Napoleon's tomb Check availability →
Conciergerie
1er arrondissement · Marie-Antoinette's cell, in the medieval palace next door to Sainte-Chapelle, and the two are sold together.
Medieval palace and former prison where Marie-Antoinette was held.
from $34.95 live price on the listing€13 at the door. The bookable ticket is a combined Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie ticket at $34.95, so it only pays if you are doing both Check availability →
Musée de Cluny
5e arrondissement · The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, in a Roman bathhouse and a medieval abbot's house.
National museum of the Middle Ages featuring Roman baths, medieval art, tapestries and Gothic architecture.
from $18.65 live price on the listing€14 at the museum. The bookable ticket is €16, about two euro over the door price Check availability →
Musée Carnavalet
3e arrondissement · The history of Paris across two Marais mansions, free to walk into.
Museum dedicated to the history of Paris from prehistory to the present.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Musée de la Vie romantique
9e arrondissement · George Sand's circle, a garden tea room, and a courtyard most visitors walk past.
Romantic era museum in the former home of Ary Scheffer featuring writers and artists of the period.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
World Cultures And Ancient Art In Paris
Musée du quai Branly
7e arrondissement · Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas in a Jean Nouvel building under a green wall.
Museum of non-Western arts, cultures and civilizations from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas.
Check availability →
Musée Guimet
16e arrondissement · The largest Asian art collection outside Asia. Its annexe, the Musée d'Ennery, is shut until 2028.
France's premier museum of Asian arts, with extensive collections from India, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and Central Asia.
Official tickets →
Institut du monde arabe
5th arrondissement · Jean Nouvel's photographic-shutter facade, and a free rooftop view over the Seine.
Cultural institute promoting Arab world art, history and contemporary culture with museum and exhibitions.
Official tickets →
Musée Cernuschi
8e arrondissement · Paris's second Asian art museum, on the edge of the Parc Monceau, and nobody queues for it.
Asian art museum built around Henri Cernuschi's Chinese and Japanese collection, beside the Parc Monceau.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Science And Invention Museums In Paris
Cité des sciences et de l'industrie
19th arrondissement · Europe's biggest science museum, and the one Paris museum built for children.
Europe's largest science museum with interactive exhibitions, planetarium, Cité des Enfants and temporary shows.
from $15.12 live price on the listingThe museum's own tariff page lists a full adult rate of €15, and under-25s pay €12 Check availability →
Musée des Arts et Métiers
60 rue Réaumur · Foucault's pendulum, Blériot's aeroplane and 3,000 machines, in a former priory.
National museum of science and technology with historic inventions, instruments and machines including Foucault's pendulum.
Check availability →
Musée Curie
5e arrondissement · Marie Curie's own laboratory and office, free, three days a week.
Museum on the history of radioactivity and the Curie family in their former laboratory.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Writers' And Artists' Houses In Paris
Musée Jacquemart-André
8th arrondissement · A private mansion with Botticelli and Rembrandt still hung as the owners left them, open daily.
Private collection of Italian Renaissance, Flemish and 18th-century French art displayed in a historic mansion.
Check availability →
Musée Bourdelle
15e arrondissement · The sculptor's studios and plaster casts, kept as he left them, in Montparnasse.
Sculpture museum in the former studio and home of Antoine Bourdelle.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Maison de Victor Hugo
4e arrondissement · Hugo's own apartment on the Place des Vosges, with the Chinese salon he designed for Juliette Drouet.
The writer's apartment of 1832 to 1848 on the Place des Vosges, kept as a museum of his life, work and interiors.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Maison de Balzac
16e arrondissement · The Passy cottage where Balzac wrote and hid from creditors, with a garden over the Seine.
The writer's last Paris house in Passy, where he revised La Comédie humaine, with his study, manuscripts and garden.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Musée Zadkine
6e arrondissement · A sculptor's cottage and garden hidden behind rue d'Assas, five minutes from the Luxembourg.
The house, studio and sculpture garden of Ossip Zadkine, off rue d'Assas in Montparnasse.
Free entry, no ticket needed.
Landmark Attractions In Paris
Palace of Versailles
Versailles · Not in Paris: 30 to 40 minutes out on the RER C, and closed Mondays.
Former royal residence turned museum of French history with extensive collections and gardens.
from $81.43 live price on the listingPassport €35 from 1 April to 31 October, with a reduced France and EEA rate of €32, and €25 the rest of the year Check availability →Arc de Triomphe
8e arrondissement · The rooftop everyone forgets about, and the one view with the Eiffel Tower in it.
Neoclassical triumphal arch commemorating French military victories.
from $18.61 live price on the listing€22 from 1 April to 30 September, €16 on Wednesdays in that window, and €16 from October to March Check availability →Panthéon
5e arrondissement · The crypt, the Foucault pendulum, and a dome panorama that is closed for works.
Neoclassical mausoleum housing the remains of French luminaries.
from $15.12 live price on the listing€16 from April to September, €13 on Wednesdays and €13 all winter Check availability →Palais Garnier
9e arrondissement · No fixed closed day, but it shuts at short notice for rehearsals.
Opulent 19th-century opera house designed by Charles Garnier.
from $29.08 live price on the listing€15 for France and EEA visitors, €25 from outside the EEA, sold online only with no door sales Check availability →Catacombes de Paris
14e arrondissement · 1.5 km of bones, 20 metres down, and the hardest ticket in Paris to get on the day.
Underground ossuary in former quarries containing remains of millions of Parisians.
from $92.95 live price on the listing€31 at the door with the audio guide included. Timed slots sell out days ahead, which is why every resale and skip-the-line product costs several times that Check availability →Sainte-Chapelle
1er arrondissement · Fifteen windows, 1,113 scenes, and a queue that moves slowly through security.
13th-century Gothic chapel built by Louis IX to house relics of the Passion.
from $26.17 live price on the listing€16 for EEA visitors and €22 from outside the EEA Check availability →
Château de Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau · Eight centuries of French kings, an hour from Gare de Lyon, closed Tuesdays.
Royal residence with Napoleon I associations and extensive interiors and gardens.
Check availability →
Eiffel Tower
7e arrondissement · Open every day of the year, and the one Paris icon no museum pass covers.
Iconic wrought-iron lattice tower designed by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World's Fair.
Check availability →
Grand Palais
8th arrondissement · Reopened after restoration, and now one of the venues hosting the homeless Centre Pompidou.
Historic exhibition hall and monument hosting major art and cultural exhibitions.
Official tickets →Paris Museums Day Trips: Versailles, Fontainebleau And Giverny
The palaces and gardens outside the city deserve their own planning. Versailles, Fontainebleau and Giverny are all reachable as day trips, and each has its own page with door prices and booking links. One warning: Giverny is seasonal and closed in winter, so check opening months before you travel.
Palace of Versailles
Versailles · Not in Paris: 30 to 40 minutes out on the RER C, and closed Mondays.
Former royal residence turned museum of French history with extensive collections and gardens.
from $81.43 live price on the listingPassport €35 from 1 April to 31 October, with a reduced France and EEA rate of €32, and €25 the rest of the year Check availability →Fondation Claude Monet
Giverny · Monet's own garden and lily pond, open 1 April to 1 November only.
Claude Monet's home and famous gardens that inspired his paintings.
from $118.66 live price on the listing€13 at the gate, but the gardens are 75 km from Paris and shut from 2 November to the end of March Check availability →Château de Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau · Eight centuries of French kings, an hour from Gare de Lyon, closed Tuesdays.
Royal residence with Napoleon I associations and extensive interiors and gardens.
Check availability →Free Walking Tours That Reach The Paris Museums
The directory lists 39 verified free walking tours through the GuruWalk platform. The model is simple: you book a free slot, walk with the guide, and tip at the end whatever the walk was worth to you. The walks reach the Marais, Montmartre, Saint-Germain, the Latin Quarter, the islands in the Seine and quieter outer neighbourhoods most visitors never reach on their own.
These six are the strongest of 39 verified free walks in Paris, chosen for rating, review volume and the museums they actually pass. More free walks and free museums →
Is The Paris Museum Pass Worth It?
The Paris Museum Pass costs €85 for 2 days, €105 for 4 days and €125 for 6 days, adult only, and validity is counted in hours from the first scan, not in calendar days. The arithmetic: the 2-day pass breaks even at 3 sites, which cost €89 at the door, the 4-day at 4 sites, and the 6-day at 5. It never includes transport and never covers temporary exhibitions, so plan around those exclusions before buying.
Paris Museums On A Map
The map plots all 39 museums by arrondissement, and the pattern is clear: they cluster on the Right Bank around the Louvre and the Marais, along the Seine on the Left Bank, with a handful farther out. Use it to group a day's visits by neighbourhood.
Beyond the map: Palace of Versailles 16 km south-west · Fondation Claude Monet 62 km west · Château de Fontainebleau 58 km south-east
Guides And Answers About Paris Museums
Beyond the listings there are 16 guides and 35 answered questions, covering free days, closed days, ticket prices and planning. Each guide takes one practical question and answers it with figures checked against the museums' own pages.
Art Museums In Paris
Paris art museums sorted by what you want to see, with real door prices.
Best Museums
The ranked shortlist of Paris museums, priced and rated honestly.
Fashion Museums
Two dedicated fashion museums, free costume collections, and a trail that avoids the Monday trap.
Free Museums
Two free systems, one Louvre exception, and the three city museums that always charge.
History Museums
A route through Paris history, from Roman baths to Napoleon's tomb.
Pass Break-Even
Real arithmetic on the Paris Museum Pass: when €85 pays back, and when it never will.
Browse all museum guides and answered questions.
Jeans At The Louvre
No dress code exists at the Louvre. Here is what the museum actually enforces instead.
Palais Garnier Tickets
Ticket or no ticket, dress code or none: the Palais Garnier visit explained.
Giverny Tickets And Distance
Tickets, prices, season and travel time for Monet's gardens at Giverny, 75 km from Paris.
Orangerie Tickets And Timing
Tickets, prices, free entry and how long to spend at the Musée de l'Orangerie.
Panthéon Tickets
Can you buy Panthéon tickets at the door? Yes, and here's what they cost, who gets in free, and how to skip the line.
Sainte-Chapelle Wait
How long the Sainte-Chapelle line really takes, and what the combined Conciergerie ticket buys.
Browse every answered question.
Common Questions About Paris Museums
Are Paris Museums Free?
Some are, and the split matters. Eleven City of Paris museums, including the Paris Musées network, are free to everyone all year with no ticket. National museums are free one Sunday a month instead. The two systems do not overlap, and a temporary exhibition suspends free entry even at the free eleven.
Which Museums In Paris Charge And What Do They Cost?
The Louvre charges €22 for EEA visitors and €32 for everyone else. The Catacombes cost €31. Palais Galliera and the Crypte archéologique are also paid, and the Crypte is shut for works. The Paris Museum Pass costs €85 for 2 days, €105 for 4 and €125 for 6.
Which Day Do Paris Museums Close?
Most museums in Paris close one day a week, and Tuesday is the most common closing day across the directory. Hours and closed days are published by the museums themselves, and this site checks them against those pages. The seasonal case is Giverny, which closes entirely in winter, so always confirm before travelling out of the city.
Do Paris Museum Tickets Need Booking Ahead?
Of the 39 museums listed, 23 sell a bookable ticket, and booking ahead is the safest route for the big names such as the Louvre, where timed entry keeps queues short. The 11 free museums need no ticket at all. Note that a temporary exhibition can make an otherwise free venue ticketed, which is exactly the situation at the Maison de Victor Hugo right now.
Is The Paris Museum Pass Worth It?
Only if you visit enough sites. The pass costs €85 for 2 days, €105 for 4 and €125 for 6, and validity runs in hours from the first scan. The 2-day pass breaks even at 3 sites, the 4-day at 4, the 6-day at 5. It never includes transport and never covers temporary exhibitions.
Which Paris Museum Should I See First?
For a first visit, the Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre anchor any list, though the Louvre now charges €22 for EEA visitors and €32 for others. Budget travellers should start with the eleven free City of Paris museums, which cost nothing all year. The Centre Pompidou closed on 22 September 2025 and does not reopen until 2030.
How Many Museums In Paris Fit In One Day?
Two large museums plus one small one is a realistic maximum, and three light sites work if they cluster by arrondissement. Free Sundays change the arithmetic since the free eleven stay free daily. The map shows which museums sit together, which is the fastest way to build a day without wasting time crossing the city.
Do Free Guided Walks Exist For Paris Museums?
Yes. The site lists 39 verified free pay-what-you-want walking tours through GuruWalk. You book a free slot, walk with the guide, and tip at the end whatever the walk was worth. The walks cover the Marais, Montmartre, Saint-Germain and other parts of the city, and they cost nothing to reserve.