The Highlights of Paris Museums

Few cities have museums like Paris, both inside and out. To see the highest concentration of art from the masters worldwide, this is the place to be.

Start out at – where else? – the Louvre. Housed in a fortress that dates back to the 1100s, this is the most visited museum in the world. If you only do one, this should be it. The number of works in the eight wings of the museum are staggering and span the globe, including Islamic, Egyptian, Etruscan, Greek, and more. The painting collection houses the collections of several kings of France as well as many other works from the European masters. Most famous is the Mona Lisa, but other well-known Renaissance paintings abound as well. Buy tickets ahead of time, arrive early and at an entrance other than the main one near the pyramid, and take advantage of one of the many published guides on how to see the best pieces if you only have a single day.

There is little modern art at the Louvre, though, so journey across the river to the Musée d’Orsay to see works from some of the more modern French greats. The d’Orsay almost takes over from where the Louvre leaves off, beginning with art from the mid-1800s. This means many of the Impressionism painters have works here, including Monet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Renoir, Degas, and Gauguin — just to name a few! Although definitely nowhere near as massive in scale as the Louvre, the d’Orsay still could occupy a good couple of days of your time. To spend a day here, just focus on a couple of artists or an artistic period. You’ll still get plenty of good viewing in.

More Impressionism is on display at the Musée de l’Orangerie, down the Place de la Concorde from the Louvre. Don’t miss out on the Tuileries gardens on the walk over from the Louvre, and then dive into the lily ponds of Monet’s paintings – they’re on special display here, and are one of the can’t-miss sights at this museum.

Southwest of the d’Orsay is the Musée Rodin, one of the newer museums in Paris. It focuses entirely on the artist Auguste Rodin, and is housed in his former living quarters. Complete with a beautiful lawn and sculpture garden, the Rodin showcases most of Rodin’s own work and also has his own personal art collection on display. This includes some by Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh, making it a place to view some of the Impressionist painters in a less large and crowded setting than the d’Orsay.

[photo courtesy of Joaquin Martinez Rosado]