Free Paris Museums

Paris is filled with incredibly beautiful and interesting museums. For most people, Paris is synonymous with the Louvre, one of the most popular museums in the world. What most people travelling to Paris do not know is that if planned carefully, they can visit the Louvre for free!

But there is more than the Louvre museum that can be visited for free. There are several museums in Paris that can also be visited free of charge or at reduced prices. Some museums and monuments offer one day a month free entrance; others offer a free night opening once a week, free children’s entrance, reduced tariffs for the elderly and handicapped, etc. Inform yourself before you arrive in Paris so you can make the most of your Paris vacation in a budget.

The first Sunday of every month you can have free access to the following museums in Paris:

• Musée du Louvre.
• Musée d'Orsay
• Musée national Picasso
• Musée Rodin
• Musée national d'art moderne
• Musée de l'Assistance Publique
• Musée national des Arts asiatiques Guimet
• Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature
• Musée national Eugène Delacroix
• Musée Gustave Moreau
• Musée national Jean-Jacques Henner
• Musée national du Moyen Âge
• Musée national de l'Orangerie
• Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine
• Cité nationale de l’histoire de l’immigration
• Musée du Quai Branly
• Musée Rodin

If you are between 18 and 25 years of age, check in advance the Museum you want to visit as some Paris museums offer free admission for people 18 to 25 years old who are residents in the European Union, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein (on presentation of ID).

Ordinarily you need to pay €10 for a full-day access to the Louvre Museum –the ticket also gives you access to the Musée Eugène Delacroix.  Visiting the Louvre the first Sunday of the month you can save yourself the entrance fee, rather a saving if you are planning a family trip with children over 12 years of age (children under 12 years of age have free entrance). 

To make the most of your free visit to the Louvre Museum arrive early in the morning.  On Sundays the museum is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On top of offering free entrance for everyone on the first Sunday of every month, the Orsay Museum in Paris offers permanent free access to accompanied, disabled visitors holding a disability card or a "priority" card for the disabled

Centre Pompidou - Musée national d'art moderne for free

The Pompidou centre offers free access to its museum and permanent exhibitions on the first Sunday of every month.  

The Centre Pompidou also offers free entrance to those European residents between 18 and 25 years of age. 
If you are less than 18 years old, you can benefit of free access to the Centre Pompidou temporary exhibitions.

Disable visitors and their companions also have free access to the Centre.

If you wish to benefit from the free entrance to the Centre Pompidou you must ask for your FREE ticket at the cash-point the day of your visit.

One of the most well known Parisian landmarks, the Notre Dame church can be visited for free at certain times of the year.

Open 7 days a week, the normal entrance fee to visit the Notre Dame is €8 for adults and free for the under 18s.  However, during the months of November to March you can visit the Notre Dame for free the first Sunday of the month.  That is; the first Sunday of November, December, January, February and March.   During these months those under 26 years old residents in the European Community can also visit the Notre Dame for free. 

One of the most famous landmarks in Paris, the Arc de Triomphe is another Paris monument that you can visit for free the first Sunday of the month from November to March.  This is the perfect viewpoint during the Christmas season to appreciate the illuminations of the Champs Elysees and the other 12 avenues that converge here.

The rest of the year, access to the Arc de Triomphe remains free for the disabled and their assistants, job seekers, children under 18 years of age and those under 26 years old and resident in the European Union.

If you are coming to Paris it is worth searching for free seasonal attractions.  For example during the whole Christmas season there is a free  300 m2 ice skating rink in front of the Eiffel Tower. In the same place there is also a sledge area for young children. 

The Paris town hall also offers several free merry-go-rounds in the city.  You will need to check in the Paris Tourist site for the exact addresses.