Paris is a city of art. And if you ever planned a trip to an artsy European city, you know how overwhelming it is to visit a capital like Paris, Florence, Rome or Vienna where every corner is an open air museum. In this article, I will help you explore the art in Paris without having to stand in line for hours, or feel overstimulated by all the different museums and art destinations you need to cross off your list.

A little side note: if you plan on visiting Paris, make sure to plan a day trip to Giverny to see Monet’s house and gardens.

In case you are in a hurry, here’s the list:

The Louvre Museum

I’m sorry to break it to you, but you have to visit the Louvre. I know you want to hear someone say that the Louvre is not worth it but if we are talking about art in Paris, 90 percent of that is inside the Louvre. However, you can make your visit much easier with the skip-the-line tickets, or by booking a guided tour which is honestly what I would personally do. When you visit the museum, many people tend to focus on the exhibitions and ignore Napoleon’s apartments which you shouldn’t miss.

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What are the masterpieces you shouldn’t miss in the Louvre Museum?

  • The Mona Lisa
  • Liberty Leading the People
  • Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss
  • The Winged Victory of Samothrace
  • The Great Sphinx of Tanis
  • The Coronation of Napoleon
  • The Wedding Feast at Cana
  • David with the Head of Goliath
  • The Battle Between Love and Chastity
  • The Venus de Milo
  • Death of the Virgin
  • The Raft of the Medusa

Château de Versailles

Now this is not a museum, but palace of Versailles is an art piece on its own and it holds a great collection of paintings, sculptures and art pieces from the Renaissance era. If you are visiting Paris, you have to see the palace at least once. The hall of mirrors is one of the most Instagrammable places in the city, but you also shouldn’t skip the Grand Trianon, and the fountains. So always make sure that you are booking a ticket with the gardens included to make the most out of your visit.

Picture via the GetYourGuide app

Opera Garnier

This Baroque masterpiece with the most charming Renaissance influences can not be skipped. The highlight of the palace is its architecture and magnificent interior. You can book a guided tour if you want to know more about the history of the building and the city, but a self guided tour is just as good for Opera Garnier in my opinion since a lot of the info could be found online.

Picture via the GetYourGuide app

National Archives Museum – Hotel de soubise

If you are a history enthusiast, this museum is a great destination for you. It holds many symbolic archive documents including the last letters from marie-Antoinette, the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, the founding paperwork for Sainte-Chappelle, and a diploma from Charlemagne.

However, the gardens are the best part of this museum, as you get to explore the natural and architectural beauty of this unique heritage site, located right in the heart of historic Paris and only a few steps away from the Picasso Museum and Cognacq-Jay Museum.

Petit palais

Designed by Charles Girault, Petit palais became a museum in 1902. It is based on a trapezium shape and is made up of four wings around a semi-circular garden bordered by a richly decorated peristyle. The Petit Palais Museum offers an artistic panorama from antiquity through the 20th century: ancient and medieval collections, precious art objects from the French and Italian Renaissance, Flemish and Dutch paintings (Dutuit bequest), icons (Cabal bequest), 18th century work (Tuck donation), French paintings and sculptures from the 19th century – Courbet, Carpeaux, Cezanne, Vuillard – and Art Nouveau creations. And it is one of the best free things that you can do in Paris. You could easily spend hours in it to discover the different wings.

Carnavalet Museum (free entrance)

This museum is less popular than the ones I previously mentioned but it has an interesting collection of artworks. The collection contains over 618,000 items dating from prehistory to the present. Paintings, sculptures, scale models, shop signs, drawings, engravings, posters, medals and coins, historical objects and souvenirs, photographs, wood paneling, interior decorations and furniture combined to tell the unique story of Paris.

Conclusion

Paris holds more than 153 museums that you can choose from during your trip. However, if I was to personally choose only one museum to visit, I would go to the Louvre, but I also think that Chateau de Versailles is totally worth the visit at least once in a lifetime. Enjoy creating <3