Top Five Art Museums to Visit in Paris

Paris has been a major cultural center for centuries, so it’s no wonder why many tourists make

plans to visit the City of Light during their travels. It’s not uncommon for river cruise

vacationers to schedule a stop at one or more of the many world-renowned art museums that dot

the city. With all the cultural riches on display, however, it can be difficult to decide which

museums to visit—especially if there’s only a limited window of time available for these

activities during a river cruise vacation. To help you choose, here’s our admittedly subjective—

but reasonably well-informed, we hope—list of the top five art museums in Paris.

Louvre Museum

The Louvre, as it is often called, is beyond all doubt the most popular museum in the world,

attracting millions of guests from across the globe. Not even the British Museum (London) or the

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) can match the popularity of this museum, whose name

has become a common pop-culture reference. So what accounts for the esteem that the Louvre

enjoys? The Louvre’s vast collection of artwork is unparalleled: The famed Mona Lisa and the

Venus de Milo are both on display, but you can also see thousands of Islamic artworks from the

Middle Ages, as well as an even larger number of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Etruscan

antiquities. Additional treasures on view include pieces by big names such as Rembrandt,

Vermeer, and Titian; you can also examine historically important artifacts such as Louis XIV’s

coronation crown. The Louvre doesn’t just display the history of art—it is part of that history,

having opened to the public way back in 1793.

Musée d’Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay routinely comes in second after the Louvre in discussions about Paris art

museums, and some commentators prefer it to its far more famous cousin. The Musée d’Orsay,

noted for its striking glass arch, owes its unusual appearance to the building’s past life as a

railway station. Here you’ll find a large collection of impressionist and post-impressionist works

from luminaries such as van Gogh, Cézanne, Degas, and Gauguin; you can also view a number

of notable sculptures (including ones from Rodin and Carpeaux), photographs, and decorative

artworks.

Petit Palais

Situated near the famed Champs-Elysées, the Petit Palais displays a wide range of artworks from

the Classical era, the Renaissance, and the 19th century, as well as various pieces of Christian-

themed art. Name artists represented at the Petit Palais include Monet, Cézanne, Carpeaux,

Delacroix, Ingres, and Dalou. Though its holdings are not nearly as extensive as the Louvre’s,

this museum has a lot of offer—and budget-conscious tourists will be pleased to hear that its

permanent collections can be viewed free of charge. This attractively constructed trapezium-

shaped building, mixing elements of traditional and modernist architecture, is well worth

visiting.

Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris

Established in 1961, this museum is dedicated to modern art, and, in fact, its 20th

-21st century

collection is larger than that of any other institution except the famed Museum of Modern Art

(MoMA). It houses more than 100,000 modern artworks, including ones from Picasso, Matisse,

Duchamp, Ray, Ernst, and many more. Please note that this establishment should not be

confused with the Musée National d'Art Moderne, another modern art museum of considerable

repute.

Musée Rodin

This museum is all about Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), the French sculptor best known for the

world-famous (and often parodied) The Thinker. A bronze casting of that famously brooding

figure can be found out in the enormous (three hectares), lush garden of the Musée Rodin. Nearly

300 other works by Rodin are on view in the nearby Hôtel Biron. The museum also features

important pieces from individuals associated with Rodin, including paintings once owned by the

great artist.

Company Bio

AmaWaterways has established itself as a leader in the river cruise industry, offering a variety of

vacation experiences through Europe, Africa, and Asia. The company has won a number of

industry honors, including the 2015 Travvy Award for Best River Cruise Line and the 2013

Luxury Travel Advisor Award of Excellence for Best River Cruise Company.

Sources

http://www.louvre.fr/en/homepage

http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/home.html

http://petitpalais.paris.fr/en

http://www.mam.paris.fr/en/

http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en