For museum lovers, Paris is a dream come true. The challenge is choosing which museums to see and how much time to spend in museums, since there is so much else to see and do in this beautiful city.

If you want to save money and hassle, consider getting a Paris Museum Pass for a couple days and visit to your heart's content. About 60 museums in Paris and the surrounding area accept the Paris Museum Pass, which can help save money (and time) if you want to see a lot of museums. Another option is the Paris Pass, which covers museums, transport, and more. And there are even free museums, as well as some that offer free admission on the first Sunday of the month, and to EU residents under age 26 and teachers.

Note: When visiting large and popular museums, you are strongly advised to book a ticket ahead of time for a specific date and time. Although you will still have to go through security at the museum, this will save you waiting in line to buy a ticket. With an advance reservation, you show up at the designated time and can go straight to the security line. We have provided links to the individual museum web sites, where you can make your reservations and purchase tickets.

To help you plan your visit, we've organized the museums into a variety of categories.

Top Museums

The top museums of Paris offer a wide variety of exhibits. The Louvre is like several museums in one, and the Musée d'Orsay delights with its Impressionists and other famous works of art. More...

Museums by Artist

If you love Rodin, there's a whole museum devoted to his work. Same for Picasso, Monet, Delacroix, and others. More...

Historical Museums

Paris has a long and storied history, documented in museums ranging from the Carnavalet to the Archaeological Crypt of Notre-Dame and more. More...

Museums about Paris/France

While most museums might have broad international collections, some museums—the Invalides, the Cluny, the Sainte-Chapelle—are of particular interest to those who want to know more about Paris or France or French History. More...

Personal Art Collection Museums

Paris is fortunate in that many private collectors later converted their homes to museums, such as the Jacquemart-André Museum, the Cognacq-Jay Museum, or the Musée Nissim de Camondo. More...

Free Museums

Many Paris museums are free on the first Sunday of each month, so if you happen to be in Paris then you can benefit. Some of the city museums, such as the Petit Palais and the Modern Art Museum of the City of Paris are always free. More...

Museums of the City of Paris

The city of Paris owns and manages a diverse group of museums, ranging from the lovely Petit Palais to the Victor Hugo Museum to the Catacombs. Access to the permanent collections is free for most of these. More...

Museums of International Culture

Paris is an international city, so it's fitting that it has international museums, ranging from the Guimet, with its wonderfu collection of Asian arts, to the Institut du Monde Arabe, to the diverse collections of the Quai Branly. More...

Science Museums

The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is the biggest, but it's not the only museum that focuses on the sciences and research. More...

Museums for Kids

Kids can enjoy many of the museums already cited, but if you're looking for interactive exhibits and learning opportunities, consider places like the Musée des Arts et Métiers or the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie. More...

Museums that are Monuments

Is the Arc de Triomphe a museum or a monument? What about the Sainte-Chapelle? Don't worry about the definition—just go see them! More...

Modern Art Museums

Best known is the Centre Pompidou, but there are more, including the free Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and the Bourse de Commerce/Pinault Collection, which opened in 2021. More...

Special Focus Museums

Interested in learning more about the Paris sewers? There's a museum for that. Or if music is your thing, the Cité de la Musique will interest you What about Fairground arts?. And there are many others, including the high tech Atelier des Lumières. More...

Church Based Museums

A Paris Museum Pass includes such places as the magnificent Sainte-Chapelle and the Panthéon. More...

Decorative Arts

Several museums focus on the decorative arts; the largest is the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. More...

Museums by Area

If you want to maximize your visits by grouping your museums geographically, here are some ideas to consider. More..

Alphabetical List of Museums

Sometimes you just want to look at a list and browse through the names, so here's an alphabetical list of Paris Museums. More...

Special Exhibitions

Several grand halls in Paris, most notably the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, stage the special exhibitions that are too grand for the regular museums. Check what's currently being shown in Paris—these exhibitions are wonderful. More...

Paris museums are a big draw for visitors, and the top museums can be crowded. You'll want to plan your time, and also visit some of the lesser-known but equally wonderful museums described in these pages.

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