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The 17 Best Museums in Paris

From the Centre Pompidou to the Palais de Tokyo (and yes, of course, the Louvre), these are the French capital’s must-do museums.
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Cyrille Weiner/Musée Carnavalet

The Louvre has been thrust into the limelight in recent years, not due to renovation but thanks to Beyoncé and Jay-Z and the casts of such Netflix shows as Lupin and Emily in Paris. But even without its small screen boost, the museum has long been a traveler’s biggest draw—it has the largest collection of art in the world, spanning 10,000 years of history. You absolutely must visit at least once in your life—but don’t stop there. Paris is blessed with a plethora of marquee art and cultural institutions that showcase centuries of sculpture, painting, illustration, and photography. Stand rapt before Monet’s Water Lilies at L’Orangerie, take in avant-garde contemporary works in the Pinault Collection at the Bourse de Commerce, or spend the afternoon reflecting on the ties between humans and wildlife at the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature. Read on to find our editors’ picks for the best museums in Paris.

Read our full Paris travel guide here.

This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.

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    D.Giancatarina/Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature
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    Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature

    It doesn’t often make the top ten list for travelers, but it should: the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (the Hunting and Nature Museum) has occupied a hotel particulier since 1967. Since then, it has showcased the collection of François Sommer, a leading hunter and friend of André Malraux, a novelist and former French minister of cultural affairs who inaugurated the museum. The collection examines the relationship between humans and the living world through the lens and historical traditions of hunting. Visitors are invited to consider how the human perception of wildlife has evolved over time. After a two-year renovation, the museum reopened in 2021 with additional exhibition space. Given the intimate nature of the space, you could conceivably visit the permanent collection within an hour but we recommend allowing for more time—you'll want to linger quite a while in the trophy room.

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    Institut du Monde Arabe

    The Institut du Monde Arabe opened in 1987 but its iconic building, designed by Jean Nouvel, looks as fresh and contemporary as ever. The light dances in and around the building, thanks to the distinctive pattern of 240 mashrabiyas—half of which have photosensitive apertures that open up to 18 times a day. There are multiple dining options within the museum, from self-service to fine dining (both located on the ninth floor, with spectacular views out over the city). The museum sees a mix of visitors—those who are interested in the Arab world, obviously, from the merely curious to experts, and those who are visiting for the famous building design. The museum is so light-filled and airy that you rarely feel that the spaces are crowded, and the glimpses of the Seine and the Left Bank offer a beautiful counterpoint to the work within. Everyone should take the time to walk around the museum's exterior to fully appreciate the innovative and captivating façade.

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    Petit Palais

    As its name suggests, the Petit Palais is the little sister of the Grand Palais, but don't be fooled: the building is still plenty stately. Designed by Charles Girault for the World’s Fair of 1900, the building became a museum in 1902. Its architectural grandeur was meant to pay tribute to the arts and the city of Paris, initially housing decorative murals and sculptures. Since there is free entry to the permanent collection, many visitors simply come to take in the quiet and sunshine in the garden.

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    Centre Pompidou

    When the Centre Pompidou, known by locals as Beaubourg, opened in 1977, it was a radical (and controversial) design for a museum—all industrial pipes and open glass views of Paris. Forty-plus years later it's the undisputed grande dame of Paris's contemporary art world. Within the massive 100,000-piece collection that stretches back to 1905, you’ll find everything from Picassos to video installations. It is highly recommended to book your tickets in advance for a specific time slot and note that if you’re in town on the first Sunday of the month, admission to the permanent collection and children’s gallery is free. 

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    Musée du Louvre

    The Louvre hardly needs an introduction—it is still the most-visited museum in the world, welcoming 8.9 million visitors in 2023. The former royal palace is now the magnificent home of some of the world's most iconic artworks (ever heard of the Mona Lisa?). Don't freak out, but walking through the halls where Louis XIV once strolled (he lived here before moving to Versailles), surrounded by the most famous art on earth can be an overwhelming experience. What’s more, there are some 35,000 artworks and artifacts from prehistory to the 21st century housed within its walls. As a result, it could take a lifetime to see and experience it all so don’t try.

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    Hôtel de la Marine

    This recent addition to the capital’s cultural offering is unlike any other in the city, largely by dint of its heritage and size. Perched over the Place de la Concorde, the museum occupies the former royal Garde Meuble—the depository for the King’s furniture collections, crown jewels, tapestries, and decorative arts—and what later became the country’s naval headquarters for 200 years. Given that it only opened to the public in 2021, it remains moderately trafficked but the word is out. Open to the public for the first time in 250 years, its new incarnation as an immersive museum experience allows visitors to explore the 18th century apartments of the Garde-Meuble intendants, recreated and restored to their original layout and design, as well as the structure’s grand reception halls filled with period furnishings, paintings, and objets d’art. Key to the visit is the audio guide, which leans theatrical. You could speed through the audio guide in an hour, get a view of the Place de la Concorde from the covered balcony, and take in the jaw-dropping Cabinet des Glaces, a mirror-walled boudoir not unlike the hall of mirrors in Versailles, covered in paintings.

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    Fondation Louis Vuitton

    As one of few privately owned and funded art spaces in Paris (owned by LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault), the Fondation Louis Vuitton arrived with a bang when it opened to the public in 2014. Star Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry designed the building, which looks like a magical sailboat afloat on a man-made lake in the Bois de Boulogne. Thanks to the spectacular architecture and blockbuster exhibitions, the museum is bustling at all times, despite its location in the far reaches of the 16th Arrondissement.

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    Musée Picasso Paris

    The Hôtel Salé alone is reason to visit, but of course the real draw is Picasso's oeuvre, more popular than ever following a much-hyped 2014 reopening. And since the museum is centrally located in the bustling Marais, it's easy to work the Musée Picasso into a day out shopping and dining. While there are other single-artist museums in Paris, the combination of Picasso's fame and the beauty of the setting make this one of the very best. Reserve tickets in advance to avoid long lines.

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    Grand Palais

    Set to reopen just in time for the Olympics, the Grand Palais is as associated with years of Chanel runway shows being held in the nave of this stately Beaux-Arts space as it is with the art exhibitions it houses. It’s an emblem of French grandeur and architectural process. The grand dame of buildings, originally built for the World’s Fair of 1900, has been closed for refurbishments since 2021 and will reopen partially for the 2024 Summer Olympics before its grand reopening in 2025. The Grand Palais Ephémère, a 100,000-square-foot temporary space on the Champ de Mars, hosts the artistic, cultural, fashion, and art events that would typically be held in the Grand Palais.

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    Musée des Arts Décoratifs

    Occupying the west wing of the Louvre—though not part of the Louvre—the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is the definition of grand. And, as the home to one of the world’s largest collections of decorative arts and design, including fashion, it has to be. It’s also the city’s second oldest museum, after the Louvre, making the historic building itself and its stunning, vaulted central atrium, part of the draw. It doesn’t command the same visitorship as its grand neighbor or the Musée d’Orsay (Les Arts Décoratifs drew in less than 700,000 visitors in 2023) but remains a favorite among design and fashion aficionados.

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    The Bourse de Commerce-Pinault Collection

    One of the most long awaited temples to modern art in Paris (twenty years in the making) sits prominently between the Seine River and Les Halles in the 130-year-old Bourse de Commerce building, once a grain and commodities exchange a stone’s throw from the Louvre. The Pinault Collection, named for the 5,000 piece private collection of contemporary greats from arts patron and billionaire François Pinault (founder of Kering), occupies a striking, domed building painstakingly restored by the award-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando over the course of a decade. One stunning, winding staircase brings visitors up to additional gallery spaces while another leads to the Halle Aux Grains restaurant on the third floor, run by beloved restaurateurs Michel and Sébastien Bras (and yes, ancient grains get a spotlight on the menu). Advanced booking recommended. 

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    Musée d'Orsay

    A vast collection of Impressionist art is the focus at the Musée d’Orsay, the second-most-visited museum in Paris (after the Louvre, of course). At every turn, you'll be delighted to recognize yet another piece from pop culture or that art history class you took. There is no room not worth exploring here, so let yourself just wander among masterworks by names like Degas, Cézanne, Manet, Renoir, and Monet. Pre-booking online is recommended for priority access within 30 minutes of the reserved time.  

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    The Carnavalet-History of Paris Museum

    To understand present day Paris, it’s worth stepping into the past at the Musée Carnavalet, the museum of Parisian history located in the heart of the Marais. Vestiges from old Paris, from furnishings to signage and storefronts, objects (from stained glass to a 6,000 year old canoe discovered in the Seine), artwork and cultural artifacts, take up two grand 17th century buildings that underwent a five-year renovation, reopening in spring 2021. Among the most important features in the museum’s new iteration: greater accessibility for reduced mobility visitors, improved navigability through each space, and a more robust collection—more than half of the pieces on display in the permanent collection were kept in storage prior to the redesign. Tickets to the permanent collection are free and do not require advanced booking. 

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    Musée Rodin

    Auguste Rodin lived in the Hôtel Biron in the later stage of his life, where the gardens inspired some of his work. The former home opened as a museum to the public in 1919, almost 200 years after it was built for a wealthy financier. The high ceilings of the intimate rooms allow visitors to see Rodin's sculptures and drawings up close, while the large gardens showcase his most famous bronze sculptures, like "The Gates of Hell" and "The Thinker."

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    Palais de Tokyo

    The Palais de Tokyo is the largest center for contemporary art in Europe. Opened in 2002, its mission is to celebrate living artists across multiple disciplines. As part of the renovation of the building, the 1937 structure was stripped back to the original concrete, giving it a raw and unfinished feeling that is distinctly different from the typical white-room museum layout. Visitors should start their exploration in the subterranean levels, where art such as large-scale graffiti works are on display, and end with a drink or dinner either at Monsieur Bleu or Bambini, the more festive spot from the Paris Society Group.

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    Musée de l'Orangerie

    If you’ve strolled through the Tuileries gardens, you’ve seen L’Orangerie right on the edge, which is visible from the Place de la Concorde and set up in a former greenhouse. The more intimate scale belies the astonishing art housed within. Among the most well-known works are Monet’s "Nymphéas," the water lily paintings he donated to the state in 1918. Also on display: a strong selection of Post-Impressionist works, including Matisse, Modigliani, and Picasso.

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    Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain

    Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel in 1994, Fondation Cartier is an ultra-modern museum and cultural center for contemporary art, and the gardens—here, called Theatrum Botanicum—are treated as an art installation of their own. Before the opening of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, this was the top destination for contemporary art in Paris. Given the less-than-central location, the average visitor to Paris may overlook it; those initiated in contemporary art, however, won’t leave Paris without stopping here.

Lindsey Tramuta is a contributing writer for Condé Nast Traveler. Based in Paris for more than 16 years, she is the author of the bestselling books The New Paris: The People, Places & Ideas Fueling a Movement and The New Parisienne: The Women & Ideas Shaping Paris. She regularly contributes to The New... Read more
Contributing Writer
Melissa Liebling-Goldberg is a freelance writer, editor, and digital consultant, specializing in style, food,and travel. Melissa has held a variety of editorial roles at publications including People, Teen Vogue, and Gilt Groupe, and has written for Food & Wine, Glamour, and Vogue, among others. A native Texan and lifelong pug... Read more
Contributing Writer
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