Start With Who Gets In Free
Before buying anything, check whether you qualify for free entry. At French national museums, including the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Orangerie, admission to the permanent collections is free for visitors under 18 of any nationality. Residents of the European Union and the European Economic Area aged 18 to 25 also get in free at national museums, on showing ID. Visitors with disabilities and one companion are generally admitted free as well.
For families, this changes the arithmetic considerably: children rarely need a ticket, and only adults need to be costed in.
Prices at the Big Museums in 2026
The Louvre raised its standard ticket for most visitors from outside the EU and EEA to €32 on 14 January 2026, while the price for EU and EEA residents remained at €22. Other national museums have also moved towards differentiated pricing, so check each museum's own website for the current rate and book a timed slot online. At the Louvre, Orsay and Versailles, a timed reservation is strongly recommended and at busy periods effectively required.
Collections That Are Always Free
The City of Paris runs a group of museums whose permanent collections are free to everyone, with charges only for temporary exhibitions. They include:
- Musée Carnavalet: the history of Paris, from prehistoric canoes to Revolution-era objects, in the Marais.
- Petit Palais: the city's fine arts museum, opposite the Grand Palais, with paintings, sculpture and a garden café.
- Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris: 20th- and 21st-century art, next to the Palais de Tokyo.
- Maison de Victor Hugo: the writer's apartment on the Place des Vosges.
- Musée de la Vie romantique: a small house museum in the 9th arrondissement.
- Musée Cernuschi and Musée Cognacq-Jay: Asian art and 18th-century decorative arts respectively.
These are good choices for a rainy afternoon or for a short visit that would not justify a full ticket elsewhere. Most City of Paris museums close on Mondays.
The First Sunday and Other Free Days
Several national museums open free to all on the first Sunday of the month, sometimes only in certain seasons. The Musée d'Orsay is one of the best-known examples, and reservations are still needed. Expect large crowds on those days; for a calm visit, a paid weekday slot is often better value. Rules differ by museum and change from year to year, so confirm on the official website.
Is the Paris Museum Pass Worth It?
The Paris Museum Pass covers more than 50 museums and monuments in and around Paris, including the Louvre, Orsay, the Orangerie, Sainte-Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe and the Palace of Versailles. It is sold for two, four or six consecutive days. It does not include transport or the Eiffel Tower, and you still need to book time slots at museums that require them.
Prices are published on the official Paris Museum Pass website. The pass makes sense only if you plan to visit at least two or three paid sites per day and do not qualify for free entry. If you are under 18, or an EU resident under 26, it is usually poor value, since most of its sites are already free for you.
Timing Your Visits
- Closing days: the Louvre closes on Tuesdays and the Musée d'Orsay on Mondays. Versailles is closed on Mondays.
- Late openings: several museums open late one evening a week; Orsay stays open later on Thursdays. Evening visits are usually quieter.
- Book the first slot: the hour after opening is calmest at the Louvre and Orsay.
- Closures: the Centre Pompidou closed in 2025 for a renovation expected to last several years. Some of its collection is being shown in partner venues in the meantime.
Smaller Museums Worth the Price
Not every good museum is a big one. The Musée Rodin, the Musée Marmottan Monet and the Musée de Cluny, the national museum of the Middle Ages, are smaller, often less crowded, and can be seen in two hours. At the Musée Rodin, a garden-only ticket costs less than full entry and includes several of the best-known sculptures. Picking two or three focused museums can give a better experience than trying to cover the Louvre in a single day.
