Paris, the city of art: the back story

About Paris, the city of art: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Paris Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Paris has some of the richest museums in the world. The Louvre holds the old masters, the Musée d’Orsay the art of 1848 to 1914, and the Orangerie Monet’s Water Lilies. Rodin, Picasso and Monet have museums of their own. The new century added private foundations: the Fondation Louis Vuitton in the Bois de Boulogne and the Pinault Collection in the Bourse de Commerce. The Opéra national de Paris plays at the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille, and the Philharmonie de Paris is at La Villette.

The great museums

The Louvre, closed on Tuesdays, recommends a timed ticket for everyone (ticket.louvre.fr). The Musée d’Orsay faces it across the Seine.

Artists’ houses

The Musée Rodin in the Hôtel Biron and its garden; the Musée Picasso in the Hôtel Salé in the Marais; Monet at the Marmottan and the Orangerie.

Book timed tickets for the Louvre, the Orsay and the Orangerie before you travel.

The new foundations

The Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, and the Fondation Cartier, now at 2 place du Palais-Royal. The Centre Pompidou building is closed for its transformation from 2025 to 2030, in its own words; its collection travels to partner venues.

Music

The Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille for opera and ballet; the Philharmonie de Paris and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées for concerts.

Our advice: an evening at the Palais Garnier is the most Parisian night out there is.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Paris, the city of art: the back story before you go.