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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 hopelist 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 offerand budget-conscious tourists will be pleased to hear that its permanent collections can be viewed free of charge. This attractively constructed trapezium-

Top Five Art Museums to Visit in Paris

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http://www.amawaterways.com/paris_and_normandy-2015When visiting Paris on a river cruise vacation, be sure to check out some of the first-class art museums in the area, such as the Louvre Museum, the Musée d’Orsay, the Petit Palais, the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, and the Musée Rodin.

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  • Top Five Art Museums to Visit in Paris

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

    plans to visit the City of Light during their travels. Its 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 visitespecially if theres only a limited window of time available for these

    activities during a river cruise vacation. To help you choose, heres our admittedly subjective

    but reasonably well-informed, we hopelist 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 Louvres 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 XIVs

    coronation crown. The Louvre doesnt just display the history of artit is part of that history,

    having opened to the public way back in 1793.

    Muse dOrsay

    The Muse dOrsay 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 Muse dOrsay,

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

    railway station. Here youll find a large collection of impressionist and post-impressionist works

    from luminaries such as van Gogh, Czanne, 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-Elyses, 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, Czanne, Carpeaux,

    Delacroix, Ingres, and Dalou. Though its holdings are not nearly as extensive as the Louvres,

    this museum has a lot of offerand 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.

    Muse 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 Muse National d'Art Moderne, another modern art museum of considerable

    repute.

    Muse 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 Muse Rodin. Nearly

    300 other works by Rodin are on view in the nearby Htel 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

    http://www.amawaterways.com/