If you’re planning a trip to Paris, or if you just love art, we’ve put together a list of the three best museums in the city. Paris is very well-known for its museums and the art inside them, housing some of the most famous works in the world. The museums themselves are works of art, each worthy of marveling at from the outside. Make sure to set aside at least a day to do these places justice (you could spend a day in the Louvre alone).
The Louvre
The Louvre is probably the most well-known museum on the list and has some of the world’s most valuable and well-known paintings. It is the largest art museum in the world and it is a monument in Paris, located on the right bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement. The Louvre used to be a chateau, dating back to 1793, and in 1989, the glass pyramids were built.
The Louvre houses one of the most famous paintings in the world: The Mona Lisa, as well as two very famous sculptures, Venus De Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. All of the interior is beautiful, starting from the staircases and the cellings. If you love classic art then this is the place for you..
Visiting tips: The museum is suitable for all ages. When buying tickets, make sure to buy them online, otherwise the waiting time to enter the museum is around 4o minutes, and it’s an extra 10 to 20 minutes when it comes to buying the actual tickets. There are two options for buying tickets online: you can either buy them for the whole day or for a specific hour you want to go. The line for the whole day is usually longer than the line for a specific hour. We recommend buying the ticket for a specific hour that you want to go and it is guaranteed that you will not wait a long time to get in. You can also get audio tours and there are a variety of stores in the museum to buy souvenirs, but we recommend having a look at the book selection the stores have to offer. For more information you can access the museum’s website: http://www.louvre.fr/en.
Address: Rue de Rivoli, 75001,Paris, France
Opening hours: Open every day except Tuesdays, from 9am-6pm, and until 10pm on Wednesdays and Fridays.
The Museum of Contemporary Art
Photo credit: mam.paris.fr
The second on ourlist is the Museum of Contemporary Art, which houses a variety of artists from Monet to Picasso. In the museum’s permanent collection is a huge room with a mural covering all the walls by Raoul Dufy, titled as The Electricity Fairy (shown above).
It also has temporary exhibitions covering different topics. When we visited, there was a Medusa exhibition and an exhibition featuring Derain, Balthus, and Giacometti. The Medusa exhibition covered different personalities that have made an impact on our world with jewelry from the different stages in the history. In the Derain, Balthus and Giacometti exhibition we were able to see their works from different stages in their lives, as well as some of their drawings and sketches.
Visiting tips: The permanent collection that the museum has to offer as well as the Derain, Balthus and Giacometti exhibition make the museum especially suitable for all ages. Some of the exhibitions that they have might not be very suitable for all ages such as the Medusa exhibition, as they cover things that young children might not understand. We recommend checking the museums website first: http://www.mam.paris.fr/en. There is no line to enter the museum and a very small line to buy tickets, but you can also buy tickets online just to be sure you won’t stand in line.
Address: 11 Avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris, France
Opening hours: Tuesday -Sunday from 10 am -6 pm (last admission 5.15 pm). And they also have Evenings open for exhibitions only, on Thursday until 10 pm (last admission 9.15 pm), and they are closed Mondays and on public holidays.
The Picasso Museum
Photo credit: ladepeche.fr
The third museum is the Picasso Museum, which is located in a beautiful old house. The museum has the largest collection of Picasso’s work, housing some of his most famous works. The museum has three floors filled with paintings, drawings, sculptures, and photos from different periods of Picasso’s life. When we visited, an exhibition entitled “Annee Erotique,” was on display, focusing on the women in the artist’s life.
Visiting tips: The museum is suitable for all ages. The museum also has a store full of books and souvenirs. Tickets can be bought online or when you arrive at the museum, since it is not usually very crowded.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Friday from 10.30 am-6 pm and from 9.30 am-6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. During French school holidays, it is open from Tuesday to Sunday: 9.30 am-6 pm. For more information you can access the museum’s website: http://www.museepicassoparis.fr/en/
Address: 5 rue de Thorigny 75003 Paris