Top Art Museum Recommendations

I’ve been to the Louvre and the Orsay. Definitely go to the Orsay, it’s in a former train station and while it is a large museum, it’s much smaller than the Louvre. I recommend the Louvre as well, but do be prepared for major crowds. Some wings are less crowded in others. Strongly recommend planning with your teen which areas you want to concentrate on. Also recommend signing up for the 1.5 hour guided tour offer with the Louvre. Have a wonderful time!

I agree with Kathy H

Not on your list, but for a 2-3 hour visit, I go to the Rodin museum every time I am in Paris. The sculptures in the garden always give me pleasure to contemplate. Inside the house are some interesting sculptures as well, but to see his famous, "The Kiss" and "The Thinker" is impressive. My favorites are "The Burghers of Calais" and "The Gates of Hell". Always food for thought. and they are "modern". Easy to combine with a visit to another museum in a day (except the Louvre, of course).
Not modern, but medieval, is the recently refurbished Cluny Museum. Chock full of wonders in a beautiful building combo of 1st century Roman baths and a 15th century mansion. An easy 2-3 hour pleasure! I saw it for the first time in 2023 and will happily return.
Enjoy your time in Paris!

Crowds at the Louvre depend on when you go, and certainly the biggest draws Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Liberty Leading the People. Otherwise, people seem to mostly ignore the rest, leaving them for more relaxed contemplation. If you want to look beyond the three, I suggest researching the collection/temporary exhibitions at the Jacquemart-André, the Pompidou Center, and the Louis Vuitton Museum. The last two for modern/contemporary.

Just as Muslims must perform the Hajj to Mecca at least once in their lives if they are able, an art lover must visit the Louvre. It might as well be this trip; who knows when or if you will go back?

The trick is to be very well prepared. Book in advance for the earliest time slot. Study the map and other info available in this part of their website: https://www.louvre.fr/en/visit/map-entrances-directions#museum-map. Use it to figure out the things YOU want to see, rather than what the crowd thinks they want to see (Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, etc).

We went twice 4 years ago, both times as part of a tour. The first time was a "top ten" guided tour where we hit the top ten sort of things. (We didn't wait in line for Mona, just waved to her from across the room). It was helpful to do that with a guide, because we didn't waste time figuring out how to get from point A to point B.

The second time, since we had hit the highlights, we mapped out the things we wanted to see ahead of time. We came in with the group (separate entrance, shorter line), then went off on our own. Most of the galleries we went to were not crowded AT ALL; a few were EMPTY. Our preferences lean toward the decorative arts (furniture, jewelry, porcelain, etc) rather than paintings, so your experience may be very different.

On the other hand, if you decide you really want to focus more on modern/contemporary, it's my impression that the Louvre is pretty short on that. I think the Orsay has more modern-ish stuff in their regular collection (say, early 20th century?), but when we were there, they had a temporary exhibit of Kehinde Wiley.

We did not see the Orangerie. We did go to Petit Palais; my memory of it is much more the BUILDING than what was in it. I remember a lot of sculptures. It's small so doesn't take a lot of time, if you have a shorter time slot you want to fill.

If you're interests are modern/contemporary here are a few:

• Museum of Modern Art of Paris.
  
• Cartier Foundation of Contemporary Art
• Picasso Museum

Unfortunately the National Museum of Modern Art is closed while the Pompidou Center is being renovated.

As far as the Louvre and Museé d'Orsay, just have a game plan before you arrive. The crowds at l'Orangerie can definitely detract from your enjoyment of Monet's murals.

You may want to look at memberships of the various museums for reciprocal admission or multiple admissions and other benefits.

The problem is they’re all great honestly. Don’t be put off the Louvre. Follow RS advice on crowd avoidance, advance tix, etc. Never waited in any real line to get in. Orsay imo is the stealthy tough one. It’s way bigger than people give it credit for, and you’ll try to see it all. These are two of the great art museums of the world, and I’d try hard to see them both (one a day.)

I would put Orangerie or Marmottan for your third. Again, both excellent but much more consumable. Marmottan is less convenient, but it’s also nice opportunity to visit a neighborhood outside the city center. Between the demands of the big museums, it’s a nice break.

Last year when my daughter was 15, we went to the Louvre 5 times in one trip. Once from opening to close. It was in April and I didn't think it was too awfully crowded except on the steps to the winged victory (people standing for selfies) and I was recently post knee surgeries and really needed to hold a rail. And Mona, but we were also there the evening before (Wednesday, open late) and got right to her within a couple of minutes. But if you want to see a ton of art, and aren't just there for the very most popular things, there's lots to see that's not crowded. But I'd make at least one of your trips on an evening they're open late because it really does clear out.

My daughter said that full day at the Louvre was the happiest day of her life so far. I did buy an Amis du Louvre card so we could go as many times as we wanted and had very short lines for security.

Then we got home and my little niece said she was sure I'd go back to Paris to get more use out of my Louvre card. I laughed. Then in October was back again twice with my husband!

I'd definitely do the Louvre -- there are areas which are terrific and not crowded and of course so many iconic pieces.
and definitely the Musee d'Orsay -- the impressionist area gets grossly overcrowded with reason but there is. a lot of fascinating stuff on the lower floors too

Then -- well the garden of the Rodin museum is quite something. I am not a great fan of Rodin's work but the situation of some of his best well known works in the garden is lovely and interesting

The Marmottan Monet in which hangs the painting Impression Sunrise that gave Impressionism its name is also an interesting choice

I'd do one of those two

There are many wonderful choices but I think these 4 are the short list for a first visit barring a very specialized interest --

You’ve mentioned the big ones, plus the Petite Palais. Judy mentioned the Rodin, as well. There are other small gems too … we had a lovely time last year at Musee Jacquemart-Andre with 16th and 17th C works incl some Dutch portraits by masters, as well as a great Georges de la Tour exhibit when we were there last year. There was also a wonderful John Singer Sargeant special exhibit at the Orsay, last year.

On a trip three years ago, there was a Sarah Bernhardt special exhibit at the Petite Palais, as well as a special exhibit about Monet’s Brother George at the smaller museum in the Luxembourg Gardens that included works by Claude Monet as well as Renoir.

In selecting where to go, it may well be worthwhile to check the various museum websites - or the Paris je t’aime website - to look for special exhibits that coincide with your visit … and tastes.

Given your interest in modern art, the Picasso Museum might be a good visit for you; I’ve not been there. The Centre Pompidou in Paris is closed for a major, multi-year renovation, but their website shows that some of their works are at the Grand Palais, elsewhere in Paris, and other museums from Brussels to Metz to Montpelier to Shanghai

If you’re in Paris in the very near future, I see on the Paris je t’aime website that there is a large Calder exhibit at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in the Bois de Boulogne. But that exhibit closes Sunday 8/16. https://parisjetaime.com/eng/event/exhibition-calder-paris-e2058

IMHO the Picasso is way down the list. This is mostly not the first rate stuff; I think it was the taxes the family paid to the french government. The latest overhaul of the museum did greatly improve the presentation of Picasso and it is worth a visit and we went to a good special exhibit last year, but overall if you are trying to pick 3 to see in Paris on a first visit, it would not be on my short list.

But do also look at special exhibits; the Hopper exhibit bits a few years ago was fabulous.

Oh and we seem to be leaving out one of the greatest museums in Paris the Fondation Louis Vuitton. The Gehry building is quite wonderful and we have seen 3 or 4 exhibits and each has been really excellent. If the artist being featured interests you, they do a very nice exhibit.

We have been to all of those and as lovers of Impressionism, particularly Monet, L'Orangerie is a favourite.

We will be in Paris again October and I already have tickets as they are having the Monet, painting time exhibition to honour the centenary since his death.

In case it helps to consider them chronologically:

Cluny
Medieval
⬇️
Louvre
Renaissance → Baroque → Rococo → Neoclassical → Romantic
⬇️
Orsay
Realism → Impressionism → Post-Impressionism
⬇️
Orangerie / Marmottan / Rodin
Impressionist era → early modernism
⬇️
Picasso Museum
Cubism and early/mid-20th-century modernism
⬇️
Musée d’Art Moderne / Pompidou collection
Fauvism → Cubism → Surrealism → Abstract → Pop
⬇️
Fondation Louis Vuitton / Bourse de Commerce
Contemporary

One tiny tweak to Europefan’s excellent chronology: the Louis Vuitton Fondation is an exhibit space. It doesn’t have its own collection. Currently it has Calder, while the next exhibition will be from a private collection.