Things to do in Paris

THE PARIS MUSEUMS AND THE PARIS PASS

Amongst all of the things to do in Paris, visiting one or more of the famous Paris museums is almost compulsory. The "Paris Pass" is quite possibly the best and most cost effective way of taking in a few of the top venues - not to mention the saving in valuable holiday time spent queueing for tickets. Please see the advert below for full information and online purchase details.

To offer a selection of top Paris Museums is a difficult and a subjective task - there are enough excellent venues in this city to keep any Art aficionado happy for a life time - the short term visitor to Paris does not have the luxury of time to spare, and can only visit a few. It is safe to say that there are few purists in the art world who would deny that most of the museums described on this page, deserve their place amongst the elite.

All of the museums highlighted below can be located using our Paris zoomable google map feature at the highlighted links.

THE MUSEE D`ORSAY AND THE LOUVRE

The best known and rightly acknowledged top two Paris museums for visitors to see, are the Louvre and my personal favourite the Musee d`Orsay. The louvre building with its distinctive and iconic glass pavement pyramid, houses the worlds most famous painting - Da Vinci`s Mona Lisa - it hosts a fabulous and enormous collection of works dating from centuries back and up to ( broadly) the mid 19th century. A short walk across a bridge over the river Seine takes you to the Musee d`Orsay which picks up the time line where the Louvre ends. The Musee d`Orsay houses an equally incredible art treasure including many of the finest works by artists from the impressionist period of the mid 19th century to the early 20th century. Artists such as Monet, Van Gogh, Degas, Lautrec, Cezanne and Gauguin are prominently featured - Paintings such as Van Gogh`s "Starry night" and Monet`s "lady with umbrella" can be viewed from only centimetres away - Be warned this extreme proximity to artistic genius can provoke an emotional response, even amongst the most cynical!

OUR BEST OF THE REST

The following Paris museums make up the balance of our favourites -

A) The Centre Georges Pompidou - A fabulous modern masterpiece of architecture with a great roof top Panoramic view of the city ( a ticket can be obtained in the building for this) and live performance spaces throughout. Along with many other attractions, the Pompidou centre houses the National museum of modern art featuring works by Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Kandinsky, Chagall, Mondrian and Picasso amongst many others in the permanent collection - The temporary exhibitions are also always excellent and well worth a visit.

B) Musee d`Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris - housed in the Palais de Tokyo, this museum is in a fabulous setting with great views of the Eiffel Tower from the terrace cafe. The museum features works from the 20th and 21st centuries. The exhibitions that pass through the museum are always of the highest quality, and very popular with modern art fans of all disciplines.

C) The Musee Rodin - this museum is dedicated to the works of the great sculptor himself and houses his iconic "the Thinker". Works from his brilliant protege - Camille Claudel (amongst others) are also featured - A real highlight here is to go for a wander in the extensive and beautiful sculpture gardens.

D) The Musee Carnavalet is completely free to visitors who come here to learn about and understand the complex, intriguing and romantic history of Paris over the years - Housed within some distinctive and attractive old buildings, the exhibits are spread over a hundred rooms covering different periods of time and displaying objects belonging to major historical figures.

E) Hotel national des Invalides- Formerly used as a hospital and home for invlalided soldiers from the time of Louise the 14th, it is now home to Napoleon`s tomb and the Musee de l`Armee which displays military hardware and artifacts going back through the centuries.

F) The Musee national d`Histoire Naturelle is one for the children - the museum contains various exhibits with the highlight being an atmospheric exhibit featuring stuffed animals and effects to explain evolution - A further "Hands on" room comes complete with microscopes and dead/live creepy crawlies for the kids to enjoy.

G) Cité des sciences et de l'industrie de la Villette - Europe`s largest science museum is one for all the family, and features all the modern highlights and innovations with regard to science, technology and their industrial applications - The centre features interactive displays and amusements for the kids and also an Imax theatre, planetarium and submarine amongst many other attractions - A nice antidote if you have slightly overdosed on the culture and high art.

H) The Musee du Vin - The history of wine and wine making - Who would want to miss out on this one? - Definitely one of our favourites!