Paris Museums Near the Louvre: Hours, Prices and Free Days
Updated October 28, 2026
The Paris museums that pair best with the Louvre are less than 2 km away: the Musée d'Orsay, across the Seine; the Orangerie, at the far end of the Tuileries Garden; and the Museum of Decorative Arts, inside the same palace. Before you plan, check the closing days: the Louvre and the Orangerie close on Tuesdays, while Orsay, Rodin, Picasso, Carnavalet, the Petit Palais and Decorative Arts close on Mondays. Two of these best museums in Paris are always free for their permanent collections, and the Centre Pompidou is closed for works until 2030. Prices and hours are from each museum's official website.
- #1
Musée d'Orsay
Impressionism, 700 m from the Louvre across the Seine.
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm and on Thursdays until 9:45 pm; closed on Mondays, May 1 and December 25. General admission costs 16 €; under-18s get in free and the first Sunday of each month is free for everyone, with booking required. The joint ticket with the Orangerie costs 20 € and the joint ticket with the Musée Rodin 25 €. From the Louvre you can walk over the Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge.
- #2
Musée de l'Orangerie
Monet's Water Lilies, at the western end of the Tuileries, 1 km from the Louvre.
It fills the former orange-tree greenhouse of the Tuileries Garden, from 1852, and holds the Water Lilies panels Claude Monet gave the State in 1922, plus works by Cézanne, Matisse, Modigliani, Picasso, Renoir and Soutine. Open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and closed on Tuesdays, like the Louvre; on exhibition Fridays, until 9:00 pm. Admission: 12.50 € online and 11 € at the door. Metro Concorde, lines 1, 8 and 12.
- #3
Museum of Decorative Arts
Right next to the Louvre, at 107 rue de Rivoli, 300 m from the Pyramid.
Some 6,000 objects across seven floors covering eight centuries of design, the art of living and style. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm (Thursdays until 9:00 pm for exhibitions only) and closed on Mondays. Collections: 15 €; collections and exhibitions: 18 €; free for under-18s. It has its own entrance and ticket, separate from the Louvre's.
- #4
Musée Rodin
The Thinker and the sculpture garden, at 77 rue de Varenne, 1.6 km away.
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm, last entry 5:45 pm; from October to February the garden closes earlier, at sunset. General admission costs 14 €, and it is free on the first Sunday of each month from October to March, with no booking. There are joint tickets with Orsay (25 €), the Quai Branly (23 €) and the Army Museum (26 €). Metro Varenne (line 13) or Invalides (lines 8 and 13, RER C).
- #5
Petit Palais
The City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts: permanent collections free.
The permanent collections are free with no booking; you pay only for temporary exhibitions. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, closed on Mondays and on January 1, May 1, July 14, November 11 and December 25. The inner garden is free to enter during museum hours. It is on avenue Winston-Churchill, 1.6 km from the Louvre, at metro Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau, on the same line 1 that serves the Louvre.
- #6
Musée Carnavalet
The history of Paris, free, in the Marais, 2 km away.
The permanent collections of the city's history museum are free, open access and with no booking. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (last entry 5:15 pm) and closed on January 1, May 1 and December 25. The visitor entrance is at 23 rue Madame de Sévigné; the handiest stop from the Louvre is Saint-Paul, on line 1, with no change. Suitcases are not allowed.
- #7
Musée Picasso
The painter's collection in the Hôtel Salé, in the Marais, 1.9 km away.
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm, with last entry at 5:15 pm, and closed on Mondays, January 1, May 1 and December 25. It is free on the first Sunday of each month. The garden opens from April 1 to September 30 and there is a rooftop café. It is at 5 rue de Thorigny, a few steps from the Carnavalet: you can see both in the same afternoon.
- #8
Centre Pompidou
Closed for works from September 22, 2025 until 2030.
The Beaubourg building, 1.2 km from the Louvre, closed to the public on September 22, 2025 for a renovation covering asbestos removal, safety, energy efficiency and accessibility; it is due to reopen in 2030. Meanwhile the centre runs exhibitions at other venues in France and abroad. If you want modern art on this trip, the Orangerie and the Musée Picasso are the nearest alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Which Paris museums are free?
The permanent collections of the Petit Palais and the Musée Carnavalet are free every day they open, with no booking. Others are free on certain days: Orsay on the first Sunday of each month (with booking), the Musée Picasso on the first Sunday of each month and the Rodin on the first Sunday from October to March. The Louvre is free on the first Friday of each month from 6:00 pm (except July and August) and on July 14.
Which museum is open on Tuesday, when the Louvre is closed?
The Louvre and the Orangerie close on Tuesdays. Open that day are the Musée d'Orsay, the Rodin, the Picasso, the Carnavalet, the Petit Palais and the Museum of Decorative Arts, which close on Mondays instead. A Tuesday in Paris is a good day for Orsay.
What is the most famous museum in Paris?
The Louvre Museum, home of the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. If you want Impressionism, the Musée d'Orsay is 700 meters away, across the Seine.
Is the Centre Pompidou open?
No. The building closed on September 22, 2025 for works that will last until 2030. Its exhibitions move to other venues in the meantime.
What is at the Orangerie and how much is it?
Claude Monet's Water Lilies, installed in oval rooms, and works by Cézanne, Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani and Soutine, among others. Admission costs 12.50 € online and 11 € at the museum; there is a 20 € joint ticket with Orsay.
Is the Paris Museum Pass worth it?
It depends on how many museums you see. According to the Musée Rodin website, the pass covers more than 50 museums and monuments in Paris and the region and costs 85 € (2 days), 105 € (4 days) or 125 € (6 days). With the pass you enter the Louvre by the green line at the Pyramid, and the museum recommends booking a time anyway.
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