The Petit Palais is a beautiful old building which houses a free art museum. The special exhibits have a fee (around $14-$20 Euros), but the permanent collection is free and does not requite a reservation. They have a pretty garden view from the cafe as well, which is a nice place to stop for a coffee or tea while admiring the outdoors. Not far from the Musee d'Orsay and l'Orangerie if you would like to visit both on the same day. read more

Free, no reservations, not crowded and SKETCHING! Full of people sketching statuary, paintings, each other. Six year olds sprawled on the floor drawing Rodin. They'll lend you a stool. No deposit, just "voila, amusez vous!" Possibly my new fave in Paris. Although that's stupid, one cannot have A favorite place in Paris.... read more

Loved our visit to the Petit Palais. Free entry, gorgeous architecture, and two full floors of sculptures, paintings, and artifacts that are beautifully displayed. The building--designed by Charles Girault for the 1900 Universal Exhibition--is a masterpiece in itself. The collection spans from antiquity to the early 20th century and is surprisingly extensive. If you're nearby, don't miss it. read more

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On the boring side. Very limited exhibitions. Art was not to our liking, not varied, spent less than half an hour in the museum. Gift shop worthless. read more

A hidden gem! This is my favorite museum in Paris Well laid out and curated. And it's free! A definite must see. read more

A wonderful art museum to visit in Paris! It's free for all and doesn't require a reservation, which is amazing. They have such beautiful artwork. There are certain exhibits happening at different times of the year, so check those out if there's something specific you want to see. There's a general area open all year round. They have a gift shop on the bottom floor. Beautiful place, doesn't require a super long time to get through it. read more

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First off, this museum is FREE which is rare in Paris. It's also not very well known which makes it not as busy. The selection of art here is particular but beautiful. Some of the pieces are truly breathtaking. The gardens was under construction when we went so there wasn't much to see there. If you're looking to grab some coffee or save money, I would recommend coming here for an hour or so. read more

Petit Palais - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

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This is one of the Paris museums that didn't require a reservation for general admission (exhibit specific do require separate tickets). This spot doesn't disappoint and also has pieces by Monet and Rembrandt along with contemporary artists. I can't wait to go back read more

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A free museum is not something I thought I'd come across in Paris, but Petit Palais is just that! Aside from its beautiful exterior, Petit Palais also boasts a broad collection of art from sculptures and paintings, to royal relics once housed by the royals. There is also a beautiful outside courtyard lined with chairs to relax and take in the beauty. While this museum isn't huge, it's a great way to spend a little bit of your time while in Paris. Of course if you're really into art you could spend hours where, but since it's free it's easy to stop in for a short amount of time and get your art fix. We went on a weekday afternoon and got in immediately, no line, just a quick bag check. read more

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Le Petit Palais a free art museum near a lot of notable Parisian locations. With art spanning from the renaissance to present, they even have a Monet. If you're looking to kill an hour sometime during your stay, I'd highly recommend stopping by. read more

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Walking back to our hotel we passed the ornate palace. It is on the corner of Winston Churchill Blvd & the Champs-Elysees; Winston stands guard at the corner. The doors were opened, there was no charge so wandered inside. There were frescos on the ceiling, tiled walkways, a lush garden, statues, a lot of beautiful art & a large gift shop. The Petit Palace was built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition & is now the now the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts. It is across opposite the Grand Palais that appeared boarded up. read more

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If you ever arrive in Paris and forget or fail to get a reservation at the Musee d'Orsay or Louvre-- check this place out! It's not only beautiful, extensive, less crowded-- but free! There's something for all art lovers and you can also buy tickets for special exhibitions. We saw an incredible, comprehensive early 20th century show on Paris art and culture with Picasso, Cocteau, Man Ray, dance, fashion, etc. read more

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We toured Paris with a local on May 1, on which every museum is closed. Our pal wanted to show us this place, one of her favourite spots in Paris, but expected it to be be closed too. But it was open! And the permanent collection is free. The cafe is lovely, there's a large indoor space, plus several tables outside in the garden. Get a table here and enjoy feeling like a Parisian aristocrat for a few minutes as you sip your coffee, eat your cake, then take a look at the beautiful paintings in the main collection. It's a smaller museum, so you can take in some art without feeling overwhelmed. There are some lovely works here and I highly recommend this spot if you're wandering the historic sights, need a coffee break, and want to be inside a beautiful palace without dropping any Euros. read more

Petit Palais - Take a coffee break in the gorgeous garden rotunda. - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

Do you want to stand in a long line to get tickets? Do you want to shuffle through the stuffy crowded rooms? Do you want to NOT be able to see famous art because it is mobbed by hordes of camera armed tourists? Then this museum is not for you (Louvre is though) However, if you want a free admission to a beautiful airy and spacious museum that houses variety of art (including famous one like Rembrandt), then Petit Palais is a great choice. You will not regret it. read more

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Free entry and wonderful! The building is stunning and not too large so quite easy to quickly cruise through in under an hour or spend all afternoon here. You can relax in the garden in lounge chairs and get food from the cafe and read about the art with the free Wi-Fi. Underrate museum in Paris but very charming and worth a visiting! read more

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What a gorgeous building! I went here yesterday with a tour group & the outside/inside is beautiful. Be sure to look up; there are so many details in the ceiling & walls that you will miss if you don't have a proper look & take it all in. The main exhibit halls are free. read more

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This is a great art museum, a well organized and manageably sized collection across styles ranging from Orthodox icons to Dutch masters to Impressionists. All presented in a great building with a relaxing garden courtyard. Oh, and it's free. But despite all of this, it's easy to move around and take your time. read more

What a beautiful sight to see - and it's FREE! If you want to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the retail filled Champs-Élysées, this is your spot. Although it's name is the Petit Palais, it surely is large and grand. Located across from the larger, Grand Palaias, and was built for the World Fair in 1900. It's an absolutely beautiful structure that houses an impressive art collection. It also has a lovely garden, with plenty of seating. It's adjacent to a small cafe where you can pick up a snack. We were very tired from walking at this point, so we grabbed a glass of wine, and sat down to take in the beauty of the garden during golden hour - aka sunset time. I would definitely make a stop here if you're in the area - beautiful interior and again FREE! read more

What a gem among all the incredible artistic venues within this tremendous city of Paris. Spend an enjoyable and relaxing afternoon with wonderful works of art in a breathtaking building. The garden should not be missed as well. Just perfection! read more

Petit Palais - Museums Near Me - Paris, 75

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TLDR: free entry and a good place to see art, or maybe take a little break. ____ It's Free to get in. What?! Yep! Walked right in, no cost. There's some nice art to take a look at and a nice outdoor patio. After a long day of walking, we took a little break in the courtyard and Bought some wine from the cafe. Sitting in a freaking palace, sipping wine, as the sun was setting. What a way to take a break. Really loved the hour or so spent here. After the break we took on the art and headed out to the next stop. Great little pit stop. read more

The Location: Metro #1 & 13, Exit "Champs Elysees Clemenceau". The metro station is right next to the museum. The Admission: FREE! It is right across street from Grand Palais, another beautiful museum. Another historic architecture in this area. Lots of pictures moments.... don't forget to walk down the street to the bridge. Love the gold statues~ read more

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A must see in Paris, very easy to access and it's free. The Petit Palais is a tiny gem located across the street from the Grand Palais, and I think it's more interesting. Built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, the Petit Palais was built to be a lasting building that would become a permanent fine arts museum after the exhibition. Very well lit and easy to walk through. The garden is small with a restaurant, if you can get a seat. read more

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If you're looking for free things to do in Paris, I'd add Petit Palais to your list. It's a complete misnomer as this place is huge and there's no shortage of intricate architectural design. It's opposite the grand palais and features the most beautiful garden and some cool exhibits. I was lucky to catch the cherry blossoms blooming in the gardens. There's also a cafe inside and you can sit in the garden and enjoy your drink. read more

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If there is one thing that Paris isn't lacking and that is Museums. In fact one would think that the Louvre was big enough to pretty much hold all of the art in the city, but as it turns that that is definitely not the case because a little way down the road you are going to find these two palaces that happen to be across the road from each other. A part of me at first was a little overwhelmed, but it turned out that the big one, which happens to be the Grand Palais, is actually an exhibition hall, whereas the smaller one, this one, is more of an art gallery. Well, it also have exhibitions, but there is a reasonably sized permanent collection to keep you enthralled during the off season. The collection isn't bad, and does cover quite a few periods, and it does take a little while to see everything, but it is worth it. By the way, don't let the name mislead you - it certainly isn't petit. read more

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Enjoyed a fantastic exhibit (Paris 1900) at the Petite Palais in Paris! The building itself is gorgeous and was built for the Universal Exhibit of 1900, when Paris showed itself off to the world. The exhibit has EVERYTHING from that period and many things from the original exhibit: paintings, posters, sculptures, fashions, ceramics, photographs, even moving pictures (including the opportunity to sit down and watch the entire Trip to the Moon film by Georges Melies). Love Art Nouveau? This is the exhibit for you! Either reserve tickets online a few days ahead, or get there at least 30 minutes before opening time, to get in quickly. Plan on spending at least 2 hours (probably more) in the exhibit. read more

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Went yesterday to see the Albert Besnard exhibition at the Petit Palais...why? because his bust is in the little park cum roundabout just by where I'm currently staying... Never heard of him otherwise but wow...absolutely fantastic! The use of light on the white and the orange dresses, on the yellow scarf...the dotted splashes of white paint that you see up close, become an amazing silver dress or gold on another when you step back The Indian, Algerian and Moroccan paintings are fantastic And then if that's not enough there's all the work he did for le petit palais or the comédie française... It's no wonder they gave him a state funeral...which they show on screen Go...10€... brilliant, not to be missed read more

The queue was far too long for the Grand Palais, and this being across the street, it was a solid back-up plan to get out of the cold. It's filled with mosaic floors, a beautiful interior garden, and a petite, though impressive art collection. Their little cafe had a nice selection of hot teas, coffees and a few macarons and sweets-- and how lovely that you can sit outside to look at the interior greenery. I bet this is an idyllic spot on a spring day. Inside the building, they have picturesque iron staircases that are hard to capture in a photograph. The crowds are not as large here, so better for the agoraphobic set. Don't miss the lovely art collection, including a Monet, a Cassat and some larger than life modern photography of faces sprinkled throughout, as well as some 3-D pieces. I'd mistakenly thought all the best art was at the Louvre and am curious how these similar Parisian museums own or divide up the goodies. read more

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Beautiful building housing an art museum with a nice courtyard inside. There is free entry (we went on a Thursday), not sure if it's all the time. But the museum is actually quite large even though it's called "Petit", with lots of different types of art from different countries, time periods, movements, etc. read more

Free & beautiful. This was a quick walk from the Alexandre lll bridge. And was a great way to explore a bit of Paris that wasn't extremely hyped up. It wasn't crowded & we were able to admire the building and the garden without being disturbed. I highly recommend a stop here if you're already making a stop by the bridge. read more

After spending so much money in Paris, it was nice to get free entry to a beautiful landmark. It was within​ walking distance to Champs Elysees, the Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower, and the Seine. read more

To be honest, we didn't go into the museum and viewed the architecture of the building from the exterior. Located across the avenue from the Grand Palais, this building, in my opinion, was far more visually stunning. I'm surprised it's not become more of an iconic symbol for Paris, as it is stunning. read more

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Located right across from Grand Palais in the heart of Paris sits this nice little museum. From the outside, this facility is absolutely gorgeous. Once on the inside, a lot of the same takes place and there is a ton of great art and lush gardens that run through the grounds. Overall, a great place to stop in and view the sights but there are a ton of better museums within the Paris vicinity... read more

Okay, so I seem to speak French. I was not really aware of this until I went to France, and people kept asking me quizically whether or not I was American. Mmmmm. All that reading about art history in French finally paid off! I read about this musee in the French magazine in our hotel room. We tried to go on a Monday, but it was closed, so we saved it for the last day of our trip. This turned out to be a Wednesday, so admission was free! It is an act of love to reveal this museum, as there were no lines, no waiting, and the viewing crowd is almost exclusively French. There is also an excellent gift shop, with great books and high quality reproduction jewelry and scarves at reasonable prices for a museum gift shop. The Petit Palace itself was built as an exhibition hall for the World Exposition of 1900, along with the larger Grande Palais located across the street. The building design has that hopeful exuberance that is characteristic of World Fair architecture, grand and expansive, yet with a certain wistful longing for what went before. It is like walking into a palace with mosaic floors, and beautifully painted barrel vault ceilings. The building was created as an exhibit space, and it perfectly shows off the art, but don't expect any English translations here. There are many delightful art pieces, representative an all periods of French art, but you will not see the "blockbuster" type paintings on display at the Louvre. These are brilliant representations of works like Monet's landscape similar to "Impression Sunrise," the work that started the Impressionist movement. Also early works by Courbet the Realist, and even avery early Cezanne quartet of panels of the Four Seasons, that he mischeviously signed "Ingres." The true treasures were downstairs, in the early medieval to Renaissance rooms, some set up as period pieces as in the Musee des Artes Decoratives. These blended the works with their design equivalents. There is a large section of "Gothic Revival" art, showing a nostalgia for times past. The works flow through art periods historically, and we did not even need a guidebook Treat yourself to this jewel casque of a museum! read more

The museum is free and is worth going to in order to experience the beauty of the foyer. The art pieces are minimal and not as renown as those held in the other museums like the Musee du Louvre and Musee d'Orsay. read more

What a delightful find. They were almost full, but we got lucky with one of the last tables. The owner and the server were delightful and fun. The food was delicious and we were offered a house made after dinner drink, Corsican style. Wonderful! Great dining experience in Old Town Nice! read more

that landmark is beautiful and just being able to hang out inside is worth it...recently saw the Dutch masters in Paris exhibit and it was disappointing, not worth 13 Euros per person! we saw a few painting from Van Gogh, Jongkind, Breitner but it could have been so much better. the information posted on the walls about different artists was good and useful but more artwork was needed. the title "les peintres Hollandais a Paris" was catchy and we expected a lot more, we did the whole thing in 45mn max! read more

I've been to Paris many times, but never visited this museum. The main part of this art museum is free, but I was here to see the Oscar Wilde exhibition which was great. They had his actual notebooks and his plays. read more

Petit Palais is amazing. The building and surroundings are breathtaking. They even have some Monet exhibits. I highly recommend!

Great location slightly off the champs de Lysee , beautiful structure & the price is right......free , but only a sporadically interesting collection , Alfred Sisley, one stunning Monet, otherwise rather boring read more

Nothing petite about this palais. Gorgeous building and wonderful collection of art. Admission was free. It was a little confusing though because you had to go get your free ticket, then stand in another line and present the ticket. We spent hours admiring everything & photos were permitted so we were able to take lots of pictures of the things we really liked. It wasn't crowded at all. They have great collections of Art Nouveau and Medieval art, as well as a wonderful antique sign collection as you enter. The gift shop had some wonderful books-sadly I was running out of money so I couldn't buy Le Bijoux Art Nouveau En Europe or the book on Lucile couture. read more