Friday, August 14, 2009

Affordable Travel in Paris - Free Museums

Are you looking for affordable travel ideas in one of the most expensive cities in the world - Paris?

Actually you might be surprised at how affordable travel can be in Paris, you just have to be smart about your choices and do a little research in advance.

In today's post we will explore affordable travel at Paris museums, check back for future posts on affordable travel ideas in Paris.

Free Museum Sundays

On the first Sunday of every month most of the major museums, known as musée national, open their doors for free visits. This includes the Louvre, D'Orsay and the Pompidou, three of the most visited museums in Paris. There are a number of other national museums included in the free Sunday.



Two things to keep in mind regarding free visit days, first don't expect to be the only person waiting to get in for free - the museums are likely to be very busy. Second the free visit does not include special exhibits - this can be especially disappointing at the Pompidou where the most interesting exhibits are the special exhibits. You can still visit the permanent exhibits check below for other ideas on visiting the Pompidou.

Free Museum Visits Every Day

Paris has an amazing number of museums which are free to visit all year around (again except special exhibits so check in advance).

Among my favourite free Paris museums are:

Petit Palais
Musée Bourdelle



Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris

Other Free Visits

Hôtel de Ville - city hall also has regular exhibits which are often free

Luxembourg Gardens Fence - check out the photography on the fence at the Luxembourg Gardens - amazing photography exhibits and its free to walk around, afterwards enjoy a walk through the gardens - also free.

Discounted Museum Nights or Late Night/Afternoon Visits

A number of the museums such as the D'Orsay and Pompidou have a night when they have a discounted rate. The D'Orsay has a 6 euro rate on Thursday afternoon/evening.

Best advice is to check with the museum website to see what exhibits are on and if they offer special discounts or free visits.

Happy museum visiting!

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