No, All Museums are not Boring and Expensive
By Juliette Martel
It’s not a surprise to hear that Paris is a cultural capital. Here is some advice to enjoy it while you are here!
Let’s begin with the museums. I don’t know if you are much of a museum person, but if you are going to be in the city for a few months, you need to go see at least the Louvre. And the Musée d’Orsay. Oh, and there’s the Grand Palais. And wait, I just thought about five others while writing this.
You got it, there is a lot of museums in Paris and I am sure you can find one that will interest you. And if the Louvre is not your thing, then don’t go there! To be honest, I have been a Parisian since I was born and I don’t really like the Louvre. Paris has so many other interesting and fun museums.
Here’s the important thing: if you are from the European Union and you are under 26, most national museums and monuments are FREE for you. Yes, free! So stop complaining about how life is expensive in Paris (and hell when you pay 3 euros for a shot of coffee, you know it is) and start discovering what the city has to offer you! If you’re not from the UE, don’t worry, you will still benefit from a reduced entrance fee.
What is there to see for free (or reduced price for non-EU)?
Well, of course, Paris’ two most famous museums, the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay. But also the Arc de Triomphe, the Panthéon and the towers of Notre-Dame – that’s for the famous ones and you’ve probably already seen them as a tourist.
Now that you are a Parisian, I strongly recommend you to go for less mainstream choices: the Centre Pompidou if you are more of a modern art person, the Conciergerie where Marie-Antoinette spent the last days of her life, the Musée Rodin if you are crazy about sculptures, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs for their really cool exhibitions about basically everything from fashion and jewelry to architecture and advertising.
Still too mainstream? Let’s go for small museums only few know about : museums about chocolate, the Post, sport, the army, money, Judaism… There has to be one for you!
Oh, and I forgot to mention museums where permanent exhibitions are free (but not special exhibitions): the museum of modern art, Victor Hugo’s house, the Petit Palais and more.
I can’t tell you here about every museum in Paris, but I suggest you to take a look at the complete list of national monuments and museums. You have no excuse not to go and visit at least two or three.
So, which one will you start with?
