It’s possible to visit a Parisian museum without a penny in your pocket! For a start, the city is full of museums that are simply free to enter, and then there are the special occasions! These include free night-time events, heritage days and the first Sunday of the month! Yes, once a month (and all year round), you can enjoy free admission to a number of Paris museums! From must-see institutions to lesser-known sites, we share our favorite free museums with you on a monthly Sunday visit.
Free museums on the 1st Sunday of the month in Paris: our favorites!
The Musée national de la Marine
Reopened in 2023, the Musée de la Marine in Paris is a marvel to explore. And just in time, it’s free this Sunday! With your free entrance ticket, you can visit the permanent collections, as well as current exhibitions. Right now, you can discover the exhibition dedicated to explorer Jean-Louis Étienne, who crossed the mythical Northwest Passage in August 2025. Please note: online booking is strongly recommended.
📍 Location: Musée national de la Marine, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75 116 Paris
Free museums on the first Sunday of the month: Musée de l’Orangerie
One of our favorite museums to visit for free on the first Sunday of the month is, of course, the iconic Musée de l’Orangerie. Located in the heart of the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, this museum is an ode to Impressionist and post-Impressionist art. Among the museum’s greatest treasures are Monet’s eight monumental panels of Water Lilies. There are also works by Cézanne, Renoir, Picasso and Modigliani.
📍 Location: Jardin des Tuileries, 75 001 Paris
The Cinémathèque française
This is the address of choice for cinephiles! Nestled on the edge of the Parc de Bercy, the Cinémathèque française regularly schedules retrospectives, previews and special screenings in one of its projection rooms! The building, designed by Frank O. Ghery, is also home to the Musée Méliès, dedicated to the 7th art and offering a veritable journey through its history.
📍 Location: 51 rue de Bercy, 75012 Paris
Musée d’Orsay
The Musée d’Orsay is another of our free admission sites (remember to book a slot in advance). Sculptures, graphic arts and pastels, photographs, decorative arts, paintings… The Musée d’Orsay boasts an infinite number of works and masterpieces. The museum’s superb clocks are a reminder of the railway station’s past.
📍Location: Esplanade Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, 75007 Paris
Free museums in Paris this Sunday: the Musée de La Poste!
It’s a little less well-known than its sister museums, but no less interesting to visit: the Musée de La Poste! Renovated in 2019, this atypical museum was established in the heart of Montparnasse in 1973. The whole family can discover the history of the heroes of airmail, the collection of French stamps and the uniforms of letter carriers and women. A museum rich in culture and surprises. See you there this weekend?
📍34 boulevard de Vaugirard, 75 015 Paris
Free museums on the 1st Sunday of the month in Paris: Musée Gustave Moreau
At the end of his life, Gustave Moreau decided to create a museum dedicated to his work. Since 1903, culture buffs have had the opportunity to push open the doors of this eponymous museum. Hundreds of paintings, watercolors and over 4,000 drawings by Gustave Moreau can be admired on 4 levels. The museum is free every 1st Sunday of the month.
📍 Location: 14, rue de La Rochefoucauld, 75009 Paris
Musée de Cluny, the National Museum of the Middle Ages
Under restoration since 2015, the Musée de Cluny will finally reopen to the public in 2022. After a long metamorphosis, the Musée du Moyen-âge unveiled its brand-new, 2.0 version. And good news: every 1st Sunday of the month, access to the museum and its collections is free, from 9.15am to 5.45pm.
📍 Location: 28 rue du Sommerard, 75 005 Paris
The National Museum of the History of Immigration
On the edge of the Bois de Vincennes stands the imposing Art Deco building of the Palais de la Porte Dorée, its façade adorned with a bas-relief by Alfred Janniot. In addition to its architectural richness, this building is also home to the Musée national de l’histoire de l’immigration. Dedicated to immigration, the museum explores its history and its many underlying themes (economy, culture, geography, racism, colonization, art, daily life…) and is keen to highlight its importance in French history.
📍 Location: 293 avenue Daumesnil, 75012 Paris
Quai Branly Museum
Inaugurated on June 20, 2006, the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac highlights the arts and civilizations of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, at the crossroads of multiple cultural, religious and historical influences. And good news: every first Sunday of the month, access to the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions of the Musée du Quai Branly is free!
📍 Location: 37 Quai Branly, 75007 Paris
Free museums on the 1st Sunday of the month in Paris: Centre Pompidou
At the Centre Pompidou,modern art and contemporary creation are open to all! Fascinating exhibitions, shows and debates take place in a legendary architectural setting. Yes, the Centre Pompidou has Europe’s 1ʳᵉ largest collection of modern and contemporary art. So why not access it for free?
📍 Location: Place Georges Pompidou, 75004 Paris
Musée des Arts et Métiers
The exciting Musée des Arts et Métiers is located right in the heart of Paris. Communication, construction, scientific instruments, energy, mechanics, transport, materials… No fewer than seven different themes are on offer! Every 1st Sunday of the month, set off free in the footsteps of the inventors and adventurers of the history of technology. And pssst, every Friday, the museum invites you to visit its permanent collection at night, free of charge.
📍 Location: 60 Rue Réaumur, 75003 Paris
Guimet Museum
It’s one of the capital’s most fascinating museums: the Musée Guimet! At the heart of this venue located in the 16ᵉ arrondissement of Paris, Asian arts take center stage. From Korea to China, via Japan or Central Asia… a veritable cultural journey awaits you at the MNAAG. And every first Sunday of the month, access to the Musée Guimet’s permanent and temporary collections is free!
📍 Location: 6 place d’Iéna, 75116 Paris
Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine
This museum brings together 1,000 years of history in 8,000 m² of space, inviting visitors to explore France’s most remarkable buildings from the past to the present day! Thanks to its three galleries, it approaches architectural heritage from a variety of angles, and regularly dedicates exhibitions to subjects as varied as stadiums and department stores (which are also open free of charge every first Sunday of the month)!
📍Location: 1 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 75116 Paris
The Museum of Hunting and Nature
Renovated in 2007, the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris has been expanded by one floor. Here, in the heart of the 17th-century Guénégaud and 18th-century Mongelas townhouses, we discover works by famous painters such as Desportes, Chardin, Oudry and Vernet. In addition to numerous objets d’art, hunting weapons and naturalized animals from Africa, America and Asia are on display. And pssst: every 1st Sunday of the month, admission to the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature is free! See you in the Marais!
📍Location: 62 rue des Archives – 75003 Paris