Free Museums in Paris: 11 All Year + First Sundays

Free museums in Paris: 11 of the 14 City of Paris museums, such as the Petit Palais and the Carnavalet, have free admission to their permanent collections for everyone, whatever your age or nationality (Nov 2026). The big names, such as the Orsay and the Louvre, are free only on set dates, and the free entry for under-26s applies only to citizens and residents of the EU/EEA (European Economic Area).

Checked on Nov 8, 2026 against official sources. Rules and opening hours from the museums’ official websites and the City of Paris.

Which Paris museums are free all year?

There are 11, all part of the Paris Musées network. According to the City of Paris, access to the permanent collections is entirely free, at any age, in all municipal museums except the Catacombs, the Archaeological Crypt of the Île de la Cité and the Palais Galliera (paris.fr, Nov 2026). The table lists all 11 with the nearest metro station.

Full opening hours are on each museum’s website; the Petit Palais is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm (last entry 5:15 pm), and closed on Mondays and on Jan 1, May 1, Jul 14, Nov 11 and Dec 25 (petitpalais.paris.fr, Nov 2026). The Carnavalet is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm, and closed on Jan 1, May 1 and Dec 25 (museum website, Nov 2026). The others usually follow the Tuesday-to-Sunday pattern, but check the website before crossing the city.

Which free museums are worth a morning?

The Petit Palais, the Carnavalet and the MAM each deserve a full morning; the smaller ones, such as Cognacq-Jay and Victor Hugo, take about an hour, and together with the Carnavalet they make a walking route through the Marais. The Petit Palais is the best choice if you want a proper museum without paying: the 1900 building has an inner garden and an Art Nouveau staircase, and you can enter the permanent collections without a reservation (Nov 2026).

To fit them into your trip, group them by area: in the morning, the Carnavalet, Cognacq-Jay and Victor Hugo, a few minutes’ walk from each other in the Marais (Saint-Paul and Bastille); in the afternoon, the Petit Palais, near the Champs-Élysées. If you are staying near the Eiffel Tower, the MAM, in the 16th, and the Maison de Balzac are close by without changing neighborhood. For the rest of the day, see the viewpoints in Paris, free and paid and the 3-day Paris itinerary.

Which museums are free on the first Sunday of the month?

On the first Sunday of the month, the national museums that take part open free to all nationalities, but each one chooses its months. As of Nov 2026, the Orsay, the Orangerie and the Picasso are free every month; the Sainte-Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe and the Panthéon, from November to March; the Rodin, from October to March; and Versailles, in the low season (see the guide to Paris ticket prices).

The Picasso Museum confirms on its official website that it is free on the first Sunday, with entry without a reservation, and that the free ticket cannot be reserved (museepicassoparis.fr, Nov 2026). The next dates are Sunday, Dec 6, 2026, Jan 3, 2027, Feb 7, 2027 and Mar 7, 2027. The Louvre is not on this list: it is currently free on the first Friday evening instead, and the Centre Pompidou is closed for renovation from 2025 to 2030.

According to torreeiffel.com.br’s Nov 2026 survey, the first Sunday of December (Dec 6, 2026) opens the Orsay (€16), the Orangerie (€12.50 online) and the Picasso (€16) for free: €44.50 in tickets you do not pay. The trade-off is the crowds, so arrive at opening time and pick one or two museums, not all three.

Is the Louvre free for visitors from outside the EU?

Yes, on two occasions: on the first Friday of each month after 6 pm (except in July and August), and on July 14, for all visitors, according to the official website (louvre.fr, Nov 2026). Outside those dates, an adult from outside the European Economic Area pays €32, the rate for people who live outside the EEA; EU/EEA residents pay €22.

The next first Friday is Dec 4, 2026, and the January 2027 one falls on Jan 1, when the Louvre is closed; check the website for an alternative date before you plan. A time-slot reservation is recommended at the Louvre, even with free entry, and the museum stays open until 9 pm on Fridays, so the free evening slot gives you about three hours inside.

If the date does not match your trip, compare your options in the guide to skip-the-line Louvre tickets. Civitatis sells a timed-entry Louvre ticket if you would rather not depend on the free evening.

Are under-18s and under-26s free?

Under-18s get into national museums free, whatever their nationality, but free entry up to age 25 applies only to citizens and residents of the European Economic Area (EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). The Louvre confirms it: under-18s, and EU/EEA residents under 26, get in free with ID (louvre.fr, Nov 2026). A 20-year-old from outside the EU/EEA pays the full €32 at the Louvre.

At the 11 municipal museums this does not matter, because everyone gets in free, at any age. Details for each attraction, such as the Panthéon (under-16s) and the Opéra Garnier (ages 13 to 25 pay €20 outside the EEA, Nov 2026), are in the guide to Paris ticket prices. If you hold a European passport or ID card, bring it: the rate is checked at the door.

Is Museums Night free for tourists?

Yes: during the Nuit européenne des musées (European Museums Night), from dusk until midnight, the permanent collections and activities of the participating Paris museums are free, subject to capacity (paris.fr, 2026). The City of Paris page makes no distinction by nationality. The 2026 edition was on Saturday, May 23, 2026, the 22nd, and the Catacombs and the Archaeological Crypt were closed.

The 2027 date had not been announced as of Nov 2026, so do not plan your trip around it; the night usually falls on a Saturday in May.

What can visitors from outside the EU see for free?

An adult from outside the EU/EEA gets into the 11 municipal museums, Notre-Dame cathedral, the national museums on the first Sunday, the Louvre on the first Friday evening and Museums Night for free; the free entry for under-26s does not apply. The table shows what applies if you are not from the EEA.

If your itinerary has only one or two paid museums, single tickets work out cheaper; the Paris Museum Pass pays off when it covers at least four paid attractions. Free museums do not count in that math, so use the pass only for the big ones. To add it all up in your budget, see how much a trip to Paris costs.

To choose a neighborhood, see where to stay in Paris.

What nobody tells you about free museums in Paris

Five things catch tourists off guard. The first is that free applies only to the permanent collection: temporary exhibitions are paid at all municipal museums, and the Petit Palais opens in the evening, on Fridays and Saturdays, only for them (Nov 2026). The second is that the Catacombs, the Archaeological Crypt and the Palais Galliera are municipal but charge admission.

The third is the first-Sunday crowd, which makes queues move slowly at the most famous museums; the fourth is booking, which is mandatory at the Orangerie and Versailles even when entry is free (Nov 2026). The fifth is closing days: the Petit Palais and the Carnavalet close on Mondays (petitpalais.paris.fr), and the Louvre closes on Tuesdays. If a website charges for entry to the permanent collection of a municipal museum, be suspicious: it is a reseller, not an official ticket. Civitatis offers a free tour of Paris, paid by tip, if you want a guided route without a fixed price.

Frequently asked questions

Which Paris museums are completely free?

Eleven City of Paris museums have free admission to their permanent collections, for everyone, at any age (Nov 2026): Petit Palais, Carnavalet, Museum of Modern Art, Cognacq-Jay, Victor Hugo, Cernuschi, Zadkine, Bourdelle, Romantic Life, Liberation and Balzac. The Catacombs, the Archaeological Crypt and the Palais Galliera charge admission.

Do foreign visitors pay to enter the Petit Palais and the Carnavalet?

No. The Petit Palais and the Carnavalet are free for all visitors in their permanent collections, regardless of nationality, and the Petit Palais needs no reservation (Nov 2026). Only temporary exhibitions are paid, at both museums.

Does the free first Sunday apply to foreigners?

Yes. The first Sunday of the month applies to all nationalities at the museums that take part, such as the Orsay, the Orangerie and the Picasso (Nov 2026). Each museum chooses its months; the Sainte-Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe and the Panthéon, for example, are free only in Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov and Dec. The Orangerie requires a booking.

Do I need to book a time slot at the free museums?

It depends on the museum. The Petit Palais and the Carnavalet need no reservation for the permanent collections, and the Picasso Museum does not take reservations for free tickets on the first Sunday; the Orangerie and Versailles, however, require a booking even when entry is free, and the Louvre recommends a time slot (Nov 2026).

Is there a free museum in Paris at night?

Yes, on two occasions. The Louvre is free on the first Friday of the month after 6 pm, except in July and August, and Museums Night opens Paris museums for free from dusk until midnight, on one night in May; in 2026 it was May 23 (louvre.fr and paris.fr, Nov 2026).

Conclusion

Reserve your mornings for the Petit Palais and the Carnavalet, which are always free and have no date to respect, and spend the first-Sunday rule on the Orsay, the Orangerie and the Picasso if your trip falls on that date. For the Louvre, choose between the free first-Friday evening and the paid daytime ticket at €32 (Nov 2026). Once your itinerary is set, confirm the day and booking on each museum’s website and see the complete price guide for everything that is not free.