There are so many cultural and architectural gems to explore in Paris… But in the capital, art and culture are also offered free of charge to the aesthete and the curious. The myriad of free of free exhibitions and the many fascinating activities available free of charge. But just which Paris museums are free? Whether they offer free admission all year round, or free access to their permanent collections, find out who these museums and monuments are.
Free museums and monuments all year round in Paris
The Musée Curie – A fascinating museum to discover in Paris
In the 5th arrondissement, at the heart of the Curie campus, you’ll find the Musée Curie. Just a stone’s throw from the Panthéon, where Pierre and Marie Curie have been laid to rest since 1995, discover this Parisian museum, so rich in science and history, free of charge. Housed in Marie Curie’s former laboratory, the museum retraces the various stages of the illustrious family of 5 Nobel Prize winners. Simply fascinating….
📍1 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75005 Paris
Le Musée de la Préfecture de Police – The history of the Paris police force
Saint-Tropez has its Gendarmerie museum and Paris has its Préfecture de Police museum. Located in the heart of the police headquarters of the 5th and 6th arrondissements, this enriching venue traces the history of the Paris police from the 17th century to the present day. Major historical events, famous criminal cases, weapons, uniforms, exhibits. With free access, treat yourself to a visit that’s out of the ordinary.
📍4 rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, 75005 Paris
The Shoah Memorial – One of Paris’s most moving museums
From Sunday to Friday, and at night on Thursdays, visit the Shoah Memorial free of charge . In this 5,000 m2 space, silence is the order of the day, and emotion is inescapable. Europe’s leading information center on the subject, the Shoah Memorial helps you to understand the genocide of the Jews during the Second World War.
📍17 rue Geoffroy l’Asnier, 75004 Paris
The Fragonard Perfume Museum – The museum to awaken your senses
After more than 2 years of closure, the Musée du Parfum Fragonard reopens its doors on March 14, much to our delight. In an atypical, didactic way, the museum invites visitors to discover all the stages in the manufacture of this everyday luxury object: perfume. Raw materials, harvesting, extraction, distillation, formulation, industrialization, bottling, creation, the nose’s craft… The Fragonard Perfumery reveals all its secrets here , free of charge.
📍9 rue Scribe, 75009 Paris
Le Musée national de la Légion d’honneur et des ordres de la chevalerie – A jewel of French cultural heritage
Free to all, the Musée de la Légion d’honneur et des ordres de chevalerie presents collections that are unique in the world. On the forecourt of the Musée d’Orsay, in the Hôtel Salm, a place steeped in history reveals itself to aesthetes. The history of the Musée de la Légion d’honneur et des ordres de chevalerie dates back to 1911. That year, a passionate collector and two members of the Grand Chancellery organized an exhibition of French decorations and the Legion of Honor at Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Such was its success that it encouraged the creation of a museum inside the Palais de la Légion d’Honneur.
📍2 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur, 75007 Paris
Les Arènes de Lutèce – The oldest Gallo-Roman remains in Paris
They are classified as Historic Monuments and can be visited free of charge every day: the Arènes de Lutèce ! In the 5th arrondissement, this Gallo-Roman amphitheatre, a vestige of the time when Paris was known as Lutetia, amazes onlookers. And with good reason: this is the oldest vestige of human settlement on Parisian land still visible in the capital!
📍49 rue Monge, 75005 Paris
Free museums for permanent collections
Musée de la Vie romantique – One of the most beautiful museums in Paris
In Paris, the splendid Musée de la Vie Romantique unveils its permanent collections free of charge. There are also fascinating ephemeral exhibitions (for a fee) and the bucolic Rose Bakery tearoom. In the “New Athens” district, discover the former home of painter Ary Scheffer. With its courtyard, its garden and the beauty of its collections, the Musée de la Vie Romantique is unquestionably a jewel in France’s cultural heritage.
📍16 Rue Chaptal, 75009 Paris
La Maison de Victor Hugo – A must-see museum in Paris
” What makes the night in us can leave the stars in us ” French Romantic poet, playwright, writer, novelist and cartoonist, Victor Hugo is the author of such iconic novels as Les Misérables, Notre-Dame de Paris, L’Homme qui rit and La Légende des Siècles. Place des Vosges, Paris, the home of the writer with the golden feather is a place not to be missed. From the antechamber to the salon rouge, via the dining room, the Chinese salon, the petit salon, the study and the bedroom… take a free stroll through Victor Hugo’s apartment, the very one he rented from 1832 to 1848.
📍6 place des Vosges, 75004 Paris
Musée Carnavalet – The History of Paris in one place
After more than 4 years of renovation, the Musée Carnavalet – Histoire de Paris reopened its doors last May. On Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Parisians can now marvel at a sublimely designed museum. Completely redesigned layout, enhanced architecture… the capital’s temple to history proudly displays its 625,000 works of art. Not including temporary exhibitions, you can treat yourself to a free visit to the permanent collections of Paris’s oldest museum. A true tour of the City of Light through the ages…
📍23 rue de Sévigné 75003 Paris
Le Petit Palais – The Paris Museum of Fine Arts
The Petit Palais – Musée des beaux arts de la Ville de Paris was built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, at the same time as the Grand Palais and the Pont Alexandre III Alexandre III Bridge. Built by architect Charles Girault, it is now considered an architectural gem of Parisian cultural heritage. With the exception of temporary exhibitions, the Petit Palais – Musée des beaux arts de la Ville de Paris offers you a free artistic stroll, just long enough to admire the beauty of its permanent collections.
📍Avenue Winston-Churchill, 75008 Paris
Musée Cernuschi – The Paris Museum of Asian Art
Outside exhibitions, the Musée Cernuschi graciously unveils its permanent collections. Inaugurated in 1898, this museum is one of the oldest in the capital From China to Japan from China to Japan, Korea to Vietnam, the Musée des Arts de l’Asie de la Ville de Paris takes you on a voyage of discovery.
📍7 Avenue Velasquez, 75008 Paris
Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris – A must-see!
Between the Champs-Elysées and the Eiffel Tower lies the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. An emblematic palace of 1930s architecture, it offers visitors a rich collection of over 15,000 works, making it one of the largest museums of modern & contemporary art in France. Picasso, Dufy, Modigliani, Derain, Picabia, Chagall… Visit the permanent collections of the Musée d’Art Moderne free of charge, and discover the major artistic trends from the 20th century to the present day.
📍 11 avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris
La Maison de Balzac – A beautiful house to visit for free
Except for temporary exhibitions, the Maison de Balzac is free to visit. On the slopes of Passy, you’ll be delighted to discover the novelist’s only surviving Parisian home. It was in the study that Balzac corrected the whole of La Comédie Humaine. Discover a 650 m² garden with a view of the Eiffel Tower, a café and an enriching permanent tour.
📍47 Rue Raynouard, 75016 Paris
Musée Cognacq-Jay – One of Paris’s lesser-known free museums
This museum presents collections and objects of art from the 18th century. Located in a superb private mansion, this little-known museum is well worth a visit!
📍8 rue Elzévir 75003 Paris