Petit Palais - Paris

The Ribera exhibit that opened last month is the largest ever mounted in France on him; see my comments in trip reports. The building itself is well worth a close look, yes. The permanent collection is strong and hung almost in salon style.

I've never been there. And I also don't know why. I'll definitely add this museum to my must-visit places.

Avirose, thanks!

I can’t wait to see what exhibit they’ll have in June

Just by the photos, I can tell it’s a stunning building

Thank you !

In good weather get food in the cafe and eat in the gardens. When we were there last they had tons of lounging chairs in the garden and it didn't take long before we could acquire them -- very beautiful spot -- if no chairs, there are steps to sit on.

The special exhibits are paid/ticketed, but the regular galleries are free to visit.

Vote 2 for Janet's suggestion of the cafe there,lol.

Also, this is a free museum although there is a charge if they have a special exhibition. If there is something special on view, by all means pay to see it even if you are not sure who the artist is, lol. In October I went to a special exhibition on a Swedish artist, Bruno Liljefors with whom I was not familiar. It was outstanding and now I have a new artist whom I enjoy! Previously I went to an exhibition about Sarah Bernhardt with a bunch of posters by Mucha which was also outstanding. It was well worth the 10E or so to visit. I did not buy ahead, just purchased at the desk on entry.

There is a Petit Palais app which I have and which is pretty good. The audio is in French but there is translated audio as well as translated written text so you can do either. It's free, of course and well worth downloading.

I've been in a number of times and honestly, I guess I never had made it to the ground floor until this last visit. I finished the Liljefors exhibition which was on the ground floor and just continued around and saw things I'd not seen there before. They have a wide ranging collection from Rembrandt to Monet.

Since it is a City of Paris Museum it's closed on Mondays.

Janet, I will - that sounds so perfect …the garden is just gorgeous ….!

Thank you !

we loved it...also wondered why we hadn't been there. We had lovely lunch at their cafe, too.

I don't know whether they have audio tours. It is a wonderful museum with no crowds. I remember I was sitting on a bench in there admiring a Rembrandt. A small group of tourists walked past without seeming to realise it even existed. There are also some nice 19th century French paintings such as a few by Courbet.

Activity Girl, I’m so glad you loved it…I look forward also to lunch in the cafe as part of the experience ..

I’m saving this for my last day in Paris, because I think it’s going to be my favorite!

Ted, they don’t have guides …technically, …but they have a fabulous app that allows you to do essentially a self-guided tour (with tons of info)!

I visited it in 2016 and seem to remember a fairly large exhibit of beautiful Art Deco and Nouveau furniture.
Not sure if that is a permanent feature.
The building itself is lovely and if it’s a sunny day, the interior courtyard garden is so peaceful.
And very few visitors to get in your way!

SJ, the Paris 1900 section on the site mentions Art Nouveau, so I imagine that the exhibit in the museum includes that…which is great, because I love art nouveau!

It’s a shame it’s so little visited, but that does make it so much better for those of us who do visit

With the Louvre being the ghastly experience it has become, Petit Palais is one of my favorite museums and all-around places to go in in Paris. Gorgeous collection of 19th century French painters, including Leon Bonnat, in a restful and inspiring setting.

FWIW. there is a movement in Europe away from men's and women's restrooms to just 'restrooms'. The Petit Palace has done that; they closed off the urinals and now everyone just uses the booths in either room. The European plan of private cubicles (rather than the US ones designed to allow surveillance with lots of room under the doors and where the doors join) make unisex restrooms easier to attain with adequate privacy. We have seen it several places now.

Hi Betsy, I've been there twice and was completely knocked out both times. One time we saw a special exhibit which was well worth the entry price. The other time there was no special exhibit but the Palais itself was well worth seeing a 2nd time. I would also 2nd (3rd?) Janet's recommendation for eating at the Palais. Enjoy!

We loved it! It's easy to walk through and take it all in. It's not overwhelming like the Louvre. Lovely cafe, too.

Wow, this sounds great! I will be there next week and have added this to our itinerary. So glad I looked at this forum one more time.