When are museums in Paris free?
The first rule applies to national museums, including the Musée Gustave Moreau, the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre. On the first Sunday of the month, admission to permanent collections is free. Be aware that for monuments: some, like the Arc de Triomphe, only offer free entry in the low season. And free does not mean uncrowded: at the Louvre, you will wait. At the Moreau, you arrive, you enter. The page Is the Musée Gustave Moreau free? provides the details.
The second rule concerns age. Under-18s enter free in all national museums, and so do EU citizens aged 18–25. If you are travelling with an EU student, they will pay nothing at the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay or the Moreau. The Paris Museum Pass is therefore unnecessary for them, even if they will sometimes need to book a time slot, as I explain on the page Paris Museum Pass.
The third rule is the most generous: the museums of the City of Paris are free all year round for their permanent collections. Carnavalet, the Petit Palais, and, five minutes from the Musée Gustave Moreau, the Musée de la Vie Romantique, 16 rue Chaptal, closed on Mondays. This is the other artist’s house in the neighbourhood, which I discuss on the page La Nouvelle Athènes. Moreau in the morning, Vie Romantique after lunch, and the day will have cost only a modest ticket.
On the first Sunday of the month, go to the Musée Gustave Moreau at opening time and save the Musée d’Orsay for another day: free admission draws crowds that even a pass cannot avoid.
Frequently asked questions
|Is the Louvre free on the first Sunday of the month?
The rule for national museums applies, but attendance is high on that day. The Musée Gustave Moreau, which is also free on the same day, can be visited without a reservation; see the page museum free admission.
Are Paris museums free for those under 26?
National museums are free for EU nationals aged 18–25 and for all under-18s. The museums of the City of Paris are free for everyone, all year round, for their permanent collections.
Which free museum is near the Musée Gustave Moreau?
The Musée de la Vie Romantique, 16 rue Chaptal, a five-minute walk away, free for its permanent collections and closed on Mondays. The Musée Gustave Moreau ticket also entitles you to a reduced rate there. The walk is described on the page the neighbourhood.