The Best Times to Visit Paris Museums: A Day-by-Day Guide
(6 minute read)
Paris is home to some of the world’s great museums—but the real magic happens when you pair the right collection with the right time. Late openings, quiet mornings, weekly closures, even the weather all change the feel of a visit. Use this day-by-day playbook to pick your moments, dodge the crush, and let the art breathe.
Before you plan your week
Many big museums close one set day a week (most often Tuesday or Monday).
Late openings are gold: fewer school groups, calmer rooms, and moodier lighting.
“Last entry” is earlier than closing—often by 45–60 minutes—and galleries begin to clear before lights out.
Schedules can shift for strikes, renovations, and special nights—always double-check the museum’s site the week of your trip.
Monday
Best: Musée de l’Orangerie (9:00 AM–6:00 PM; closed Tue)
If you want a soft landing, start with Monet’s Water Lilies in the oval rooms of the Orangerie. Doors open at 9:00 AM; being there at or just after opening buys you 20–30 quiet minutes before tour groups. The museum is compact—perfect for a jet-lagged first day—and the Tuileries are right outside for a decompression stroll. Note that last admission is typically around 5:15 PM and rooms begin closing shortly after, around 5:45 PM.
Good alternative: The Louvre (open Mon; late Wed/Fri)
Mondays can actually work for the Louvre because other sites are shut—go right at 9:00 AM or after 4:00 PM to avoid the lunchtime swell. Remember: it’s closed on Tuesdays; late nights run to about 9:00 PM on Wednesday and Friday (details below).
Tripologiste tip: If it’s the first Sunday of the month, Orangerie is often free with a timed ticket—wonderful for budgets, crowded for serenity. Book ahead and arrive early.
Tuesday
Best: Musée Jacquemart-André (10:00 AM–6:00 PM; late Fri)
With the Louvre and several other heavy-hitters closed on Tuesdays, pivot to a jewel box: this 19th-century mansion filled with Old Masters, a Florentine gallery, and a dreamy café. It’s intimate, curated, and rarely chaotic—especially if you arrive at opening. Current pattern: Mon–Thu roughly 10:00 AM–6:00 PM, Friday often to 10:00 PM, Sat–Sun to around 7:00 PM.
Also open Tuesday: Musée d’Orsay (its late night is Thursday). If you’re set on Impressionism now, go late afternoon for softer crowds and softer light on the fifth-floor galleries. Orsay is usually closed Monday.
Tripologiste tip: Slot a smaller, free city museum after lunch—Musée Carnavalet or Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris—to see strong permanent collections without ticketing drama. Parts of the modern art museum’s collection sometimes stay open later on Thursdays (often to 9:30 PM).
Beat the crush with late nights, quiet openings, and smart timed-entry—we’ll map the Louvre/Orsay/Orangerie sweet spots to your dates. Book a free planning call.
Wednesday
Best: The Louvre (late to around 9:00 PM)
Evening Louvre is a different museum: the light drops, the audio guides quiet down, and the Denon and Sully wings feel human again. Enter after 6:00 PM and aim for a focused loop instead of a conquest. Late nights run Wednesday and Friday, with last entry about one hour before closing; rooms begin to clear roughly 30 minutes prior.
What to see, strategically:
Do a triangle: Winged Victory → Italian Renaissance (peek Mona Lisa if you must) → Grande Galerie → Egyptian statuary.
Or pick a theme (Near Eastern antiquities, 19th-century French painting) and live there for two hours.
Tripologiste tip: If seeing Mona Lisa matters, check the estimated wait on signage and time it during the last hour. You won’t be alone, but you’ll be less not-alone.
Thursday
Best: Musée d’Orsay (9:30 AM–6:00 PM; late to about 9:45 PM; closed Mon)
Thursday night Orsay is one of Paris’s great art experiences. The fifth-floor Impressionists glow, the Van Goghs are easier to approach, and the Beaux-Arts station hall turns cinematic.
Modern & contemporary alternatives:
Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris (MAM): Tue–Sun roughly 10:00 AM–6:00 PM; Thursday often to 9:30 PM for parts of the collection. Free permanent collection = easy add-on.
Palais de Tokyo: Open 12:00 PM–12:00 AM, closed Tuesday. It frequently runs nocturnes and seasonal late-night programs.
Note: Centre Pompidou is closed for a multi-year renovation with programming dispersed at partner venues. For modern art nights, lean on the alternatives above.
Tripologiste tip: For Orsay, book a 7:00–7:30 PM entry. You’ll float past the commuter rush and have two relaxed hours in the top galleries.
Friday
Best: The Louvre (late to around 9:00 PM)
Missed Wednesday? Do the Louvre tonight. The Friday crowd skews local/date night; energy is calmer than Sundays. Same last-entry rules apply.
Modern option: Bourse de Commerce—Pinault Collection (typically 11:00 AM–7:00 PM; Friday late to 9:00 PM). Curated contemporary shows in a spectacular restored grain exchange a short walk from Les Halles.
Sometimes: The Orangerie runs occasional Friday “nocturnes” tied to exhibitions—check the calendar, as these are not weekly.
Tripologiste tip: Eat early nearby and enter the Louvre around 6:30 PM. Even 90 minutes in a single wing feels abundant when the building quiets.
Saturday
Best: Musée Rodin (10:00 AM–6:30 PM; closed Mon)
Weekends are busy everywhere, so go where gardens give you oxygen. The Hôtel Biron’s intimate galleries pair perfectly with the sculpture garden, where The Thinker and The Gates of Hell live among roses. Last entry is usually about 5:45 PM; the garden begins winding down ahead of closing.
How to do it: Arrive at 10:00 AM, stroll the garden first while the light is soft, then dip into the mansion when the midday swell hits. If you’re still hungry for sculpture, the (separate) Rodin–Meudon site opens on weekends and is crowd-light.
Tripologiste tip: Pair Rodin with a lazy Invalides picnic or hop to the Musée d’Orsay for a single late-afternoon gallery pass (no late hours today, but after 4:00 PM is gentler).
Sunday
Best: Musée de l’Orangerie (9:00 AM–6:00 PM; closed Tue)
Sunday mornings are made for water lilies. Be at the door at 9:00 AM to have those ovals nearly to yourself; by 10:30 AM the rooms warm up. If it’s the first Sunday, admission may be free with advance time-slot booking—great value, bigger crowd.
Alt: If you did Orangerie Monday, spend Sunday wandering free city-museum collections or pick a single Louvre wing for a targeted hour right at 9:00 AM.
Tripologiste tip: Rain spikes museum attendance. If Sunday looks wet, flip your plan: do a morning neighborhood market and save the museum for late afternoon as day-trippers peel off.
A One-Week “Less-Crowd” Skeleton (mix & match)
Mon: Orangerie at 9:00 AM → Tuileries walk
Tue: Jacquemart-André at 10:00 AM → Left-Bank flânerie
Wed: Louvre after 6:00 PM (late night)
Thu: Orsay after 6:30 PM (late night) or MAM late opening → Palais de Tokyo (12:00 PM–12:00 AM)
Fri: Bourse de Commerce late to 9:00 PM or Louvre encore (late night)
Sat: Rodin at 10:00 AM → garden linger
Sun: Orangerie at 9:00 AM (or Louvre at 9:00 AM if you skipped it)
Smart Logistics That Change the Game
Timed entry > “skip the line.” Book official time slots; third-party “skip” passes often mean a different line, not no line.
Pick an entrance. At the Louvre, Porte des Lions or Carrousel can move faster than the glass pyramid at peak times (subject to occasional closures).
Travel light. Security is smoother with a small bag; some cloakrooms close before the galleries do.
Eat intentionally. Museum cafés get slammed 12:30 PM–2:00 PM. Either go early, or plan a nearby bistro and return.
Mind the calendar. School holidays and blockbuster exhibitions shift crowd patterns; late nights still help.
Bottom Line
Paris doesn’t just have great museums; it has great museum moments. Catch the Orangerie at dawn; take the Louvre after dark; let Orsay’s clock glow on a Thursday night; breathe in Rodin’s garden on a Saturday morning. Plan the day, respect the last-entry rules, and let the art set the pace. Your photos will thank you—so will your feet.
Hours and closures above reflect common patterns; always re-check current details before you go.
Paris pros and first-timers—what’s your stealth hour? Share your quietest slot or late-night route below.
Ready to turn this guide into a museum-perfect itinerary—with tickets, routes, and buffers timed for calm rooms and happy feet? Book a free planning call.