Visiting the Petit Palais: free admission, hours, and how to get there from the 7th

Question

Accepted Answer

The Petit Palais, avenue Winston-Churchill (8th), is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 6pm, and its permanent collections are free, with no reservation required.

What you'll see

The Petit Palais is the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts. The building was designed by Charles Girault for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, and the museum was inaugurated on December 11, 1902. The collections span from Antiquity to the late 19th century: paintings, sculptures, objets d'art. We happily recommend it to those leaving the Musée d'Orsay wanting to see more, without a ticket or a queue.

If you're short on time, the museum's free visitor app offers a "12 Masterpieces" tour. That's the one we suggest for a first visit.

Free or paid

The permanent collections are free and require no reservation. Temporary exhibitions are paid, and the museum strongly recommends booking online.

Opening hours and closing days

Opening: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm.
Last entry: 5:15pm for the permanent collections, 4:45pm for temporary exhibitions.
Late openings: until 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, for temporary exhibitions only. The permanent collections are closed at that time.
Closures: every Monday, and January 1, May 1, July 14, November 11, and December 25.

One thing to keep in mind right now: on Wednesday, November 11, the museum is closed.

The garden and Café 1902

The interior garden is fully enclosed and access is free during museum opening hours. Café 1902 serves there Tuesday to Sunday, from 10am to 5:45pm (last order at 5:15pm), and until 7:40pm on late-opening evenings. In mild weather, this is where we recommend taking a break.

How to get there from our hotel

From avenue Duquesne, we walk: head to the Esplanade des Invalides, cross the Pont Alexandre III, and avenue Winston-Churchill leads straight to the entrance. If you prefer public transport, the museum indicates RER C at Invalides, lines 1 and 13 at Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau, and line 9 at Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Before you go

Luggage is not accepted at the museum: only lockers for bags are provided. Strollers are allowed, and the step-free entrance is at the bottom right of the grand staircase. Personal-use photography is permitted.