Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Place de la Concorde
BRUNO DE HOGUES / GETTY IMAGES ©
ART MUSEUM
GRAND PALAIS
10am-10pm Tue-Sat, to 8pm Sun & Mon; Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau)
Erected for the 1900 Exposition Universelle (World Fair), the Grand Palais today houses
several exhibition spaces beneath its huge 8.5-ton art nouveau glass roof. Some of Paris'
biggest shows (Renoir, Chagall, Turner) are held in the Galeries Nationales, lasting three to
four months. Hours, prices and exhibition dates vary significantly for all galleries. Those lis-
ted here generally apply to the Galeries Nationales, but always check the website for exact
details. Reserving a ticket online for any show is strongly advised.
Other exhibit spaces include the imaginative Nef - which plays host to concerts, art in-
stallations, a seasonal amusement park and horse shows - and several other minor galleries.
Renovations are ongoing and the monument will continue to develop its layout in the com-
ing years, though it will remain open. There's also a fabulous restaurant,
Mini Palais
.
ART MUSEUM
PETIT PALAIS
10am-6pm Tue-Sun; Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau)
Like the Grand Palais opposite, this architectural stunner was also built for the 1900 Exposi-
tion Universelle, and is home to the Paris municipality's Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée
des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris. It specialises in medieval and Renaissance objets d'art
such as porcelain and clocks, tapestries, drawings and 19th-century French painting and
sculpture; and also has paintings by such artists as Rembrandt, Colbert, Cézanne, Monet,
Gaugin and Delacroix.
SCIENCE MUSEUM
PALAIS DE LA DÉCOUVERTE
9.30am-6pm Tue-Sat, 10am-7pm Sun; Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau)
Attached to the Grand Palais, this children's science museum has excellent temporary exhib-
its (eg moving lifelike dinosaurs) as well as a hands-on, interactive permanent collection fo-
cusing on astronomy, biology, physics and the like. Some of the older exhibits have French-
only explanations, but overall this is a dependable family outing.
MUSEUM
MUSÉE MAXIM'S
