In early 2025, French president Emmanuel Macron announced that the cost of the Louvre Museum’s upcoming restoration would be funded by higher admission prices.
But don’t panic – Paris is a city filled with wallet-friendly culture fixes, and we’re seeing this recent development as the perfect excuse to explore its other equally fascinating (and yes, cheaper) museums.
A top tip: many of them waive admission on certain days (often the first Sunday of every month) so always check the websites to see when admission is free.
In the meantime, we’ve rounded up the ones which are admission-free throughout the year, which means more money for those all-important spending sprees in the museum shop. You’re welcome.
Read more: Inside the six Paris neighbourhoods you should know before visiting
La Maison Élysée
You’ll find the Palais de l’Élysée’s small museum in front of the 18th-century mansion built as a home for France’s presidents. Free to enter and open Tuesday to Saturday, it’s stuffed with items that provide fascinating insights into the presidential household, whether it’s the furniture which fills its halls or the gifts bestowed upon French presidents (including a particularly garish vase presented by the Tunisian government in 2024). Immersive experiences bring the palace’s history to life, and there are regular demonstrations by its craftsmen and women, including gold leaf painters, cabinet-makers and silversmiths.
Don’t miss: the medieval carpenters’ axe, brought out of storage to repair the Notre Dame cathedral’s roof after the fire in 2019.
Fragonard Musée du Parfum
Sniff out this beautiful museum in Paris’s Opéra Garnier neighbourhood, and you’ll discover a mind-bogglingly-wide range of olfactory items from the archives of the Fragonard perfume house, along with a workshop where you can create your own cologne. You’ll be able to check out raw materials, displayed in ancient apothecary bottles and antique cabinets, while archive footage and photos show how the perfume-making process has transformed over the…
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