Paris is renowned for its dozens of world-class museums, from head-spinning fine art collections to history, science and industry exhibits, chilling underground catacombs, and even old curiosity cabinets. Better still, many of the city’s finest collections are entirely free.
Browse Museums & Galleries by Interest
The Best Modern Art Museums in Paris (& How to Enjoy Them)
Last Updated on November 7, 2023 The birthplace of countless artistic movements, Paris is also– unsurprisingly– home to some of the world’s finest modern art collections. From…
Best Free Museums in Paris, from Fine Art to City History
Last Updated on November 17, 2023 When I was a young teaching assistant and a newcomer to Paris, I had to stretch my meager budget as best…
The Best Independent Art Galleries in Paris
Last Updated on September 18, 2023 Paris is home to a number of “greats”– from monuments to food and fashion, museums and art galleries. Especially when visiting…
Best Small Museums in Paris: 10 Gems You Shouldn’t Overlook
Last Updated on October 10, 2023 The first time I set foot inside the Louvre Museum, I had already been living in Paris for three or four…
Weird Museums in Paris, from Curios to Underground Kingdoms
Last Updated on June 20, 2023 Among the hundreds of museums, galleries and special collections that make up the Parisian art and culture scene, there are quite…
5 Great Museums for Kids in Paris: Family-Friendly Collections
Last Updated on June 21, 2023 I often get e-mails from parents asking how to keep their young ones stimulated and happy in the French capital. And…
Monet Museums in Paris: Where to Find the Impressionist Master
Last Updated on November 7, 2023 The French capital is one of the best cities in the world to take in the mesmerizing work of Impressionist master…
5 Parisian Museums With Fantastic Views
Last Updated on July 10, 2023 While the primary reason you’ll be beelining to some of the French capital’s best museums is for their collections and exhibitions,…
The Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris: 8 Reasons to Love It
Last Updated on January 21, 2021 More than a museum, it’s a cultural touchstone Few places in Paris carry the sort of sentimental weight that the Centre…
The Musée Carnavalet, Dedicated to Paris City History, Finally Re-Opens
Last Updated on July 8, 2021 Anyone aiming to better understand the long and complex history of the French capital would do well to pay a visit…
The Catacombs of Paris: History & How to Visit
Last Updated on November 29, 2023 Few places in the French capital inspire the kind of morbid fascination that the Catacombs of Paris do– and that’s not…
Inside Musée de Cluny, Paris’ Newly Renovated Medieval Museum
Last Updated on June 7, 2023 The Musée de Cluny/Musée National du Moyen Age (National Museum of the Middle Ages) is arguably one of France’s finest and…
Visiting the Atelier des Lumières, Paris’ First (All)-Digital Art Museum
Last Updated on March 2, 2023 When I first heard that an all-digital art museum and cultural space called the Atelier des Lumières would be opening its…
The Jeu de Paume Gallery in Paris, Showcasing Photography & Multimedia Art
Situated at the northwestern edge of the Jardin des Tuileries, the Jeu de Paume in Paris is one of the city’s most important exhibition spaces dedicated to…
Inside the 104 (Cent-Quatre), a Vibrant Contemporary Art Hub in Paris
Last Updated on March 18, 2021 A fascinating and important branch in the Parisian culture scene, the 104 (Le Cent Quatre) is a vast communal art center…
The Jean-Jacques Henner Museum: A Quietly Stunning Paris Collection
Last Updated on February 11, 2020 Most tourists never set foot into one of the French capital’s finest single-artist collections, the Jean-Jacques Henner Museum. This is a…
Inside the Paris Wine Museum (M. Musée du Vin)
Last Updated on November 13, 2023 Aside from the humble baguette, there is perhaps no other staple more common in French homes than the bottle of wine…
Exploring the Fondation Louis Vuitton Museum in Paris, Inside & Out
Last Updated on January 21, 2021 We don’t wish to disappoint you: this newcomer to the Parisian arts scene doesn’t resemble a giant, patterned couture bag from the…
Rodin Museum in Paris: Spotlighting France’s Most-Famous Sculptor
Last Updated on September 14, 2023 The Rodin Museum in Paris (Musée Rodin) is dedicated to the work, life and legacy of the nation’s celebrated sculptor of…
In Focus: The Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris
Last Updated on July 6, 2023 Holding one of the finest collections of masterpieces from impressionist Claude Monet, the Musée Marmottan Monet is a small Parisian museum…
Why to Visit Fluctuart, Paris’ First Floating Art Gallery
Last Updated on July 3, 2023 Opened in July 2019, Fluctuart is the world’s first floating “urban art center”. Docked at the foot of The Pont des…
Quai Branly Museum in Paris: A Full Guide
Last Updated on June 30, 2023 Inaugurated in 2006, The Musée du Quai Branly (Quai Branly Museum) harbors one of Paris’ most important collections, dedicated to arts and…
In Focus: The Guimet Museum in Paris, Dedicated to Asian Arts
Established in 1889 by prolific French art collector Emile Guimet, this vast museum named after him is one of France’s most important collections of art and artifacts…
Guide to the Musée Maillol in Paris: A Tribute to the Franco-Catalan Sculptor
Last Updated on November 7, 2023 Inaugurated in 1995, the Musée Maillol is a private museum that highlights the work of Franco-Catalan sculptor and painter Aristide Maillol–…
The Musée Grévin (Paris Wax Museum): A Full Guide
Last Updated on June 12, 2023 It may not have quite the global name recognition of Madame Tussaud’s in London, but the Paris wax museum known as…
Best Things to Do For History Lovers
Medieval Paris: A Self-Guided Tour of 6 Intriguing Places
Last Updated on October 19, 2023 During the 19th century, the Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann gutted much of what had been medieval Paris– forging the iconic skyline and…
The Catacombs of Paris: History & How to Visit
Last Updated on November 29, 2023 Few places in the French capital inspire the kind of morbid fascination that the Catacombs of Paris do– and that’s not…
These 5 Places in Paris Aren’t Usually Associated With African-American History. They Should Be.
Last Updated on January 7, 2021 “It’s a great city, Paris, a beautiful city––and––it was very good for me.”– James Baldwin, Another Country (1962) One of the…
Looking for Roman Paris: Ancient Ruins From Lutetia
Last Updated on August 10, 2023 Hoping to see significant Roman ruins in Paris on your next trip? Probably not. Unlike Pompeii, Lyon (the former capital of…
The Musée Carnavalet, Dedicated to Paris City History, Finally Re-Opens
Last Updated on July 8, 2021 Anyone aiming to better understand the long and complex history of the French capital would do well to pay a visit…
An Elegant Paris Building– With a Dark History of Nazi Collaboration
Last Updated on July 28, 2020 On the Place des Petits Pères in central Paris, a sense of calm abounds these days. The Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Victoires church graces…
The Tour Saint-Jacques: An Enigmatic Treasure in Central Paris
Last Updated on August 24, 2023 During my early years living in Paris, I passed a nondescript construction site in the city center on a semi-daily basis…
Seeking Josephine Baker in Paris: A Bit of History & Places to Visit
Last Updated on September 13, 2023 When most people think of Josephine Baker, they imagine her dancing in some glamorous Paris venue at the height of the…
Inside the Paris Wine Museum (M. Musée du Vin)
Last Updated on November 13, 2023 Aside from the humble baguette, there is perhaps no other staple more common in French homes than the bottle of wine…
Looking for a Good Virtual Tour of Paris? Start With These.
Last Updated on January 19, 2023 When the world was turned upside-down by a minuscule, spike-covered virus, in 2020, many of us who take joy in travel…
Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris: Walking Paths & Famous Graves
Last Updated on March 29, 2023 Opened in 1824, Montparnasse Cemetery sits on a site that was once occupied by three farms, in what was then a…
Seeking Belle-Epoque Paris in the Grands Boulevards District: My Full Guide
Last Updated on March 7, 2023 Technically, the tangled arrangement of wide, grandiose streets known as the Grands Boulevards in Paris stretch all the way from the…
The American Revolution in France: Key Sites to Visit in Paris
Last Updated on September 15, 2023 Especially since I became a dual Franco-American citizen, I’ve been fascinated by the “dialogic” nature of the American and French Revolutions…
The Oldest House in Paris Was Built by Famous “Alchemist” Nicolas Flamel
Last Updated on February 11, 2022 The modest medieval house located at 51, Rue de Montmorency in Paris is off-radar for most tourists. Yet for a niche…
Seeking Edith Piaf in Paris? Visit These Places
Last Updated on November 21, 2023 Affectionately dubbed “the little sparrow” and “la môme” (the kid) in France, Edith Piaf is a musical legend who has (rather surprisingly?)…
