I will be in Paris May 20th during the Night of Museums this year. Has anyone ever been? The museums will be open until around 11pm. Is it super crowded and/or worth going? I've been to Paris 4 times in the past year but my brother will be with me this time and he has never been. Will we be able to visit the Louvre and Orsay and enjoy the artwork during this even or is it more about other partaking in activities (tastings, live performances etc)?
Posted by
South Florida
776 posts
Check these websites. Even though English isn't available you can probably figure out what the venues are. Yes, very crowded, you can count on that, especially if you pick the "bucket list" museums.
http://parismusees.paris.fr/fr/nuit-des-musees-2017-0
These are Museums of the Ville de Paris
https://www.sortiraparis.com/arts-culture/exposition/guides/50836-nuit-des-mhttps://www.sortiraparis.com/arts-culture/exposition/guides/50836-nuit-des-
Links will take you to last year's program. Usually offerings don't vary much from year to year. As website says, this year's program is to come
Posted by
DeKalb, IL
29 posts
We went to one of the first ones 10 years ago. At that time went to the Invalides military museum and really enjoyed it. I don't recall it being too crowded, but it's a huge museum. Free admission, of course, and they also had a group of strolling musicians playing medieval and Renaissance music. There was also a special event in the area where Napoleon is buried but we never got that far.
We will also be back in Paris for Museum Night this year, and I am looking forward to seeing what the various museums will be doing. Some of the museums (like the Cluny) have started to add information to their websites, so if there is a particular museum you are interested in, you may want to check out the calendar of events. Hope that helps!
Posted by
OP
29 posts
Thank you! Are you going to use a specific strategy? Start early or go more towards the end of the night?
Posted by
DeKalb, IL
29 posts
No special strategy in mind yet. It will depend on where we decide to go and what is happening when. For example, the Petit Palais has an entire evening of Baroque music and dance, but the Louvre is keeping an exhibition of Vermeer and Dutch genre paintings open late, and I would love to go to both! Decisions, decisions. I suspect the Louvre will be a madhouse but I may grit my teeth and bear it.