Deconfinement does not (yet) rhyme with culture. Despite the authorization to reopen certain museums announced by the french government for May 11, in fact cultural establishments are still few in number to welcome the public again and one wonders when will museums and monuments in Paris reopen?
The reopening is being done gradually to control the flow of visitors, to maintain a social distance and to put in place barrier measures (wearing masks, provision of hydroalcoholic gel) that will help to curb the spread of COVID-19.
In Île-de-France, the reopening of cultural establishments is taking place gradually, but fortunately, more and more museums are announcing a reopening in the coming weeks. So when will we be able to return to the museums? And under what conditions? Here’s an update on the schedule for the reopening of museums and monuments in Paris and the Paris region.
This list will be updated regularly (last update on July 2). Feel free to add a comment to inform me of a new opening.
Summary
Museums open in May
- Museum of Illusions: from May 11th – online booking recommended
- Espace Lafayette Drouot: from May 12 – online booking recommended
- French Playing Card Museum (Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine): from May 13 – mask required
- Toy museum (Poissy, Yvelines): from May 13 – by reservation only, mask required
- Musée de la Batellerie et des voies navigables (Conflans Sainte Honorine – Yvelines): from May 13 – mask required, 30 visitors maximum
- Giacometti Foundation: from May 15 – online ticketing only, maximum 10 simultaneous visitors, mask required
- Breteuil Castel (Choisel, Yvelines): from May 15 – mask obligatory in the castle, free entrance for the nursing staff
- MUS Musée d’Histoire Urbaine et Sociale de Suresnes (Hauts-de-Seine): from May 20th
- Chantilly Castel (Oise) : from May 21st – except the park and the stables, mask obligatory
- Vaux-le-Vicomte Castel (Seine-et-Marne): from May 21st – garden and park only (closed castle), online booking required
- Chaalis Abbey (Oise): from May 21st – mask obligatory
- Lafayette Anticipations Foundation: from May 25 – 6 simultaneous visitors maximum, mask required
- Toile de Jouy museum (Yvelines): from May 26 – mask obligatory, 10 simultaneous visitors maximum
- Atelier des Lumières: from May 26 – online booking required, mask required, temperature control at the entrance, closed cloakrooms
- Jacquemart André Museum: from May 26 – temporary exhibition only, the permanent route is closed – online booking obligatory, mask obligatory, temperature control at the entrance, cloakrooms closed, maximum 60 simultaneous visitors
- Maison Populaire de Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis): from May 27 – online booking required, free admission
- Rosa Bonheur Castel (Seine-et-Marne): from May 27 – online booking required, mask required
- Bossuet museum (Meaux, Seine-et-Marne): from May 27
- Photography museum (Bièvres, Essonne) : from May 30 – mask required
- Maison-atelier Foujita (Villiers-le-Bâcle, Essonne) : from May 30 – port du masque obligatoiremask requiredMuseum of Illusions: from May 11th – online booking recommended
- Espace Lafayette Drouot: from May 12 – online booking recommended
- French Playing Card Museum (Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine): from May 13 – mask required
- Toy museum (Poissy, Yvelines): from May 13 – by reservation only, mask required
- Musée de la Batellerie et des voies navigables (Conflans Sainte Honorine – Yvelines): from May 13 – mask required, 30 visitors maximum
- Giacometti Foundation: from May 15 – online ticketing only, maximum 10 simultaneous visitors, mask required
- Breteuil Castel (Choisel, Yvelines): from May 15 – mask obligatory in the castle, free entrance for the nursing staff
- MUS Musée d’Histoire Urbaine et Sociale de Suresnes (Hauts-de-Seine): from May 20th
- Chantilly Castel (Oise) : from May 21st – except the park and the stables, mask obligatory
- Vaux-le-Vicomte Castel (Seine-et-Marne): from May 21st – garden and park only (closed castle), online booking required
- Chaalis Abbey (Oise): from May 21st – mask obligatory
- Lafayette Anticipations Foundation: from May 25 – 6 simultaneous visitors maximum, mask required
- Toile de Jouy museum (Yvelines): from May 26 – mask obligatory, 10 simultaneous visitors maximum
- Atelier des Lumières: from May 26 – online booking required, mask required, temperature control at the entrance, closed cloakrooms
- Jacquemart André Museum: from May 26 – temporary exhibition only, the permanent route is closed – online booking obligatory, mask obligatory, temperature control at the entrance, cloakrooms closed, maximum 60 simultaneous visitors
- Maison Populaire de Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis): from May 27 – online booking required, free admission
- Rosa Bonheur Castel (Seine-et-Marne): from May 27 – online booking required, mask required
- Bossuet museum (Meaux, Seine-et-Marne): from May 27
- Photography museum (Bièvres, Essonne) : from May 30 – mask required
- Maison-atelier Foujita (Villiers-le-Bâcle, Essonne) : from May 30 – mask required
Museums reopening in June
- Marmottan-Monet Museum: from June 2nd
- 11 Conti museum (Monnaie de Paris): from June 2nd – free all June, 10 visitors maximum, reservation required, mask must be worn
- Fontainebleau Castle: from June 2nd – gardens only
- National Gendarmerie Museum (Melun, Seine-et-Marne): from June 3 – reduced fare for all until August 31
- Exploradôme (Vitry-sur-Seine, Val-de-Marne): from June 3 – online booking required
- Thoiry Zoo (Yvelines): from June 3
- Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation: from June 3
- 104: from June 5
- Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de l’Hôpital Sainte-Anne: from June 5
- Versailles Castel (Yvelines): from June 6
- Museum of art and history of judaism: from June 6
- Quai Branly musem: from June 7
- Halle Saint Pierre: from June 8
- Parc Zoologique de Paris: from June 8
- Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes: from June 8
- The Cube (Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine): from June 9
- Art and History Louis-Senlecq museum (L’Isle-Adam, Val d’Oise): from June 10
- Champs-sur-Marne Castle (Seine-et-Marne): from June 10
- Maillol museum: from June 10
- Musée en Herbe : from June 13 – Wearing a mask is required for adults
- Maisons-Laffitte Castle (Yvelinnes): from June 13
- Rambouillet Castle (Yvelinnes): from June 14
- Holocaust memorial: from June 14
- Palais de Tokyo: from June 15
- Arc de Triomphe : from June 15
- Conciergerie : from June 15
- Panthéon : from June 15
- Vincennes Castle (Val-de-Marne) : from June 15
- Bourdelle Museum: from June 16th
- Libération de Paris Museum: from June 16th
- Balzac House : from June 16th
- Petit Palais: from June 16th
- Cernuschi museum: from June 16th
- Catacombs: from June 16th
- Porte Dorée Palace : from June 16
- Institute of the Cultures of Islam: from June 16
- Romantic Life museum: from June 16
- Le BAL: from June 17
- Architecture and Heritage City: from June 17
- Gustave Moreau museum: from June 17
- Frac Île-de-France (The Plateau): from June 17
- Nissim de Camondo museum: from June 17 – online booking required
- Chapelle expiatoire : from June 17
- Air and Space Museum (Le Bourget, Seine-Saint-Denis): from June 19
- Saint-Denis Basilica (Seine-Saint-Denis): from June 21
- Orangerie museum : from June 22
- Delacroix museum: from June 22 – the reservation of a visit slot is recommended
- Great War museum (Meaux, Seine-et-Marne): from June 22
- Orsay museum : from June 23
- Decorative Arts Museum: from June 23 – temporary exhibitions only, online booking required
- Palais de la Découverte: from June 23
- Sainte Chapelle: from June 23
- Grande Galerie de l’Évolution: from June 24
- Galerie de Paléontologie: from June 24
- Galerie de Minéralogie: from June 24
- Musée de l’Homme: from June 24
- Invalides – Army museum: from June 27
- Relief-map museum: from June 27
- National Museum of Ceramics of Sèvres (Hauts-de-Seine): from June 29
Museums reopening in July
- Grand Palais: from July 1st
- Pompidou Center: from July 1st
- City of the economy: from July 1st
- National Renaissance museum (Ecouen, Val-d’Oise): from July 1st
- Fontainebleau Castle: from July 1st
- Cluny museum: from July 1st
- La Poste museum: from July 1st
- Louvre museum: from July 6 – the reservation of a visit slot is recommended
- Decorative Arts Museum (entire museum): from July 7, booking required
- Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris: from July 7
- Cognacq-Jay Museum: from July 7
- Custodia Foundation: from July 7
- Rodin museum: from Decorative Arts Museum (entire museum): from July 7, booking required
- Guimet museum: from July 8
- Cinémathèque Française : from July 15
Museums reopening in September
- Gaîté Lyrique: from September 2
- EDF Foundation: from September 16
- National Museum of Natural History: from September 16
- Frac Île-de-France (Rentilly castle, Bussy-Saint-Martin, Seine-et-Marne) : from September 18
- Louis Vuitton Foundation: from September 23
Later on
Most of the Parisian museums under construction have had their reopening date postponed. With the confinement, the building sites have indeed fallen behind schedule.
Thus, the reopening of the Palais Galliera (fashion museum), the Carnavalet museum, the Hôtel de la Marine, the Zadkine museum, Victor Hugo’s house and the Bourse de Commerce (Pinault collection) have been postponed.
Elsewhere in France?
The site of the French Ministry of Culture offers a map of cultural places open in France. Although it does not appear to be exhaustive, it does however give an overview of the places that welcome the public throughout the country.
What about exhibitions?
With the closure of the museums, several exhibitions have been postponed, extended or cancelled. The exhibition calendar for 2020 has therefore been completely turned upside down and the reopenings are also being done gradually.
You will find below the calendar of exhibitions announced for the next few weeks (dates confirmed).
| Museum | Exhibition | Beginning date | Closing date | Free ? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bourdelle museum | The Strange Tales of N.H. Jacobsen | 16/06/2020 | 26/07/2020 | |
| Museum of Romantic Life | Hearts of Romanticism in Contemporary Art | 16/06/2020 | 13/09/2020 | |
| Museum of the Liberation of Paris | 1940: Parisians in the exodus | 16/06/2020 | 13/12/2020 | |
| Balzac house | The Human Comedy, Balzac by Eduardo Arroyo | 16/06/2020 | 16/08/2020 | |
| Petit Palais, fine art museum | The Power of Drawing - Masterpieces from the Prat Collection | 16/06/2020 | 04/10/2020 | |
| National Museum of Natural History | Precious stones | 16/09/2020 | 14/06/2021 | |
| Luxembourg museum | Man Ray et fashion | 23/09/2020 | 17/01/2021 | |
| Marmottan-Monet museum | Cézanne and the Masters, a dream of Italy | 02/06/2020 | 03/01/2021 | |
| Marmottan-Monet museum | Martine Martine, tribute to Martine and Léon Cligman | 02/06/2020 | 11/10/2020 | |
| Centre Pompidou | Matisse, like a novel | 21/10/2020 | 22/02/2021 | |
| Giacometti Foundation | Searching for missing works | 15/05/2020 | 21/06/2020 | |
| Guimet museum | Fuji, land of snow | 15/07/2020 | 28/09/2020 | |
| L'enseigne des Oudins | The Verame Phenomenon | 26/05/2020 | 03/10/2020 | Yes |
| Army museum | Like in the '40s... | 17/09/2020 | 10/01/2021 | |
| Ordre de la Libération museum | 1940 ! Paroles de rebelles | 17/09/2020 | 03/01/2021 | |
| Musée de la Carte à Jouer | Cartomancie entre mystère et imaginaire | 11/05/2020 | 07/06/2020 | |
| Atelier des Lumières | Monet, Renoir... Chagall. Voyages en Méditerranée | 26/05/2020 | 03/01/2021 | |
| Atelier des Lumières | Yves Klein, l’infini bleu | 26/05/2020 | 03/01/2021 | |
| Lafayette Anticipations foundation | Rachel Rose | 25/05/2020 | 13/09/2020 | Yes |
| Jacquemart André musem | Turner, peintures et aquarelles | 26/05/2020 | 11/01/2021 | |
| Espace Lafayette Drouot | The World of Banksy : The Immersive Experience | 12/05/2020 | 31/12/2020 | |
| Paris la Défense & Seine Musicale | 3rd edition of the Extatics | 26/06/2020 | 04/10/2020 | Yes |
| Maison Populaire de Montreuil | I'm from nowhere good | 27/05/2020 | 11/07/2020 | Yes |
| Musée en Herbe | Spider, Fireflies and Butterflies | 13/06/2020 | 28/02/2021 | |
| Petit Palais | The Golden Age of Danish Painting (1801-1864) | 22/09/2020 | 03/01/2021 | |
| Nissim de Camondo musem | 61 rue de Monceau, the other Hotel Camondo | 17/06/2020 | 13/09/2020 | |
| Decorative Arts Museum | Harper’s Bazaar. First fashion magazine | 23/06/2020 | 04/01/2021 | |
| Decorative Arts Museum | The drawing without restraints. Collections of the Decorative Arts museum | 23/06/2020 | 04/01/2021 | |
| Quai Branly museum | A toi appartient le regard et (...) la liaison infinie entre les choses | 30/06/2020 | 01/11/2020 | |
| Quai Branly museum | Les curiosités du monde de Françoise Huguier | 30/06/2020 | 11/10/2020 | |
| Palais de la Porte Dorée | Christian Louboutin : L'Exhibition[niste] | 16/06/2020 | 04/01/2021 | |
| Orsay museum | James Tissot, l'ambigu moderne (1836-1902) | 23/06/2020 | 13/09/2020 | |
| Orsay museum | Au pays des monstres. Léopold Chauveau (1870-1940) | 23/06/2020 | 13/09/2020 | |
| Palais de la Découverte | Love | 23/06/2020 | 30/08/2020 | |
| Cité des Sciences | Spies | 27/06/2020 | 01/08/2020 | |
| Grand Palais | Pompéi | 01/07/2020 | 27/09/2020 | |
| Centre Pompidou | Christo and Jeanne-Claude – Paris! | 01/07/2020 | 19/10/2020 | |
| Centre Pompidou | Jeremy Shaw | 01/07/2020 | 27/07/2020 | |
| Centre Pompidou | Global(e) résistance | 01/07/2020 | January 2021 | |
| Louvre museum | Figure d’Artiste (Petite Galerie) | 06/07/2020 | June 2021 | |
| Guimet museum | Fuji, snowy land | 08/07/2020 | 12/10/2020 | |
| Guimet museum | Carte blanche to Ru Xiao Fan | 08/07/2020 | 21/09/2020 | |
| Picasso museum | Picasso and comic books | End of July 2020 | 03/01/2021 | |
| Picasso museum | Picasso poet | End of July 2020 | 03/01/2021 | |
| Musée de Cluny | Insights into everyday life | 01/07/2020 | 27/09/2020 | |
| Halle Saint Pierre | The world according to Roger Ballen | 08/07/2020 | 31/07/2020 | |
| Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation | Marie Bovo - Nocturnes | 03/06/2020 | 23/08/2020 | |
| Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation | Martine Franck - Face à face | 03/06/2020 | 23/08/2020 | |
| Versailles castle | Versailles in the comic books | 19/09/2020 | December 2020 | |
| Versailles castle | Hyacinthe Rigaud ou le portrait soleil | 17/11/2020 | 14/03/2021 | |
| Quai Branly museum | Les Olmèques et les cultures du golfe du Mexique | 13/10/2020 | Autumn 2021 | |
| Musée de l'Homme | I eat so I am | 24/06/2020 | 31/08/2020 | |
| Musée de l'Homme | Être beau | 24/06/2020 | 05/01/2021 | |
| Institute of the Cultures of Islam | Beliefs: making and undoing the Invisible | 16/06/2020 | 27/12/2020 | Yes |
| 104 | Circulation(s) Festival | 05/06/2020 | 26/07/2020 | |
| Guimet museum | Carte blanche to Daniel Arsham | 21/10/2020 | 18/01/2021 | |
| Guimet museum | Marc Riboud, possible stories | 02/11/2020 | 01/03/2021 | |
| Holocaust Memorial | The voice of the witnesses | 14/06/2020 | 03/01/2021 | Yes |
| National Museum of Natural History | Gemstones | 16/09/2020 | 14/06/2021 | |
| EDF Foundation | Courants vers | 16/09/2020 | 31/01/2021 | Yes |
| Le BAL | The Beast, a modern tale | 17/06/2020 | 23/08/2020 | |
| Musée de l'Homme | Last meal in Pompeii | 08/07/2020 | 04/01/2021 | |
| Frac Île-de-France (le Plateau) | Ben Russell, The Invisible Mountain | 17/06/2020 | 12/07/2020 | Yes |
| Frac Île-de-France (Rentilly castle) | The cabaret of nothingness | 18/09/2020 | 16/12/2020 | Yes |
| Frac Île-de-France (le Plateau) | David Douard, O' Ti' Lulaby | 23/09/2020 | 13/12/2020 | Yes |
| Museum of Art and History of Judaism | Jews of Morocco, 1934-1937 Photographs by Jean Besancenot | 30/06/2020 | 02/05/2021 | Yes |
| Palais de Tokyo | Ulla von Brandenburg, The middle is blue | 15/06/2020 | 13/09/2020 | |
| Palais de Tokyo | Our world is burning | 15/06/2020 | 13/09/2020 | |
| Palais de Tokyo | Kevin Rouillard - The Great Wall | 15/06/2020 | 13/09/2020 | |
| Palais de Tokyo | Nicolas Daubanes - Oil and Water | 15/06/2020 | 13/09/2020 | |
| Palais de Tokyo | Futura 2000 - "Violent treasure". | 15/06/2020 | 13/09/2020 | |
| Palais de Tokyo | Carte Blanche to Anne Imhof | 21/10/2020 | 03/01/2021 | |
| Italian Cultural Institute | Paolo Pellegrin | 22/06/2020 | 30/09/2020 | Yes |
| BnF I François-Mitterrand | Josef Koudelka. Ruins | 15/09/2020 | 16/12/2020 | |
| BnF I François-Mitterrand | Showtime! | 22/09/2020 | 21/02/2021 | |
| BnF I François-Mitterrand | Pascal Quignard, fragments of a handwriting | 30/09/2020 | 30/11/2020 | |
| BnF I Arsenal | For the love of books: the Society of French Bibliophiles 1820 - 2020 | 06/10/2020 | 06/12/2020 | |
| BnF I François-Mitterrand | The invention of surrealism: from Magnetic Fields to Nadja | 17/11/2020 | 07/02/2021 | |
| Orsay museum | Girault de Prangey, photographer | 03/09/2020 | 07/02/2021 | |
| Grand Palais | Black & White: an aesthetics of photography | 12/11/2020 | 04/01/2021 | |
| Musée d’Art et d’Histoire de l’Hôpital Sainte-Anne | Unica Zürn | 05/06/2020 | 26/07/2020 | |
| Louis Vuitton Foundation | Cindy Sherman | 23/09/2020 | 03/01/2021 | |
| Louis Vuitton Foundation | Icons of modern art. The Morozov Collection | 24/02/2021 | 25/07/2021 | |
| Henri Cartier Bresson Foundation | Grégory Halpern, Soleil cou coupé | 08/09/2020 | 18/10/2020 | |
| Henri Cartier Bresson Foundation | Sergion Larrain, London | 08/09/2020 | 18/10/2020 | |
| Custodia Foundation | Anna Metz, eaux fortes | 07/07/2020 | 06/09/2020 | |
| Custodia Foundation | Siemen Dijkstra | 07/07/2020 | 06/09/2020 | |
| Custodia Foundation | Studi & Schizzi, Draw the figure in Italy 1450 - 1700 | 07/07/2020 | 06/09/2020 | |
| La Poste museum | Dream the universe | 02/09/2020 | 10/01/2021 | |
| Museum of 11 Conti (Monnaie de Paris) | Akan, exchange values | 08/09/2020 | 28/02/2021 |
So, what to visit in Paris?
What to do in Paris while waiting for our museums and monuments to reopen? Don’t hesitate to turn to the art galleries, many of which have opened their doors in recent days, and to the churches to (re)discover a magnificent architectural heritage – we’ll talk about it again soon!
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