Lovely little museum of Monet's art. We stopped by after visiting Monet's house & gardens. We…read moreenjoyed reading about his life and works and seeing his paintings. We spent around 30min-45min.

Free entry to the museum was all we needed to hear! After a wonderful few hours at Monet's…read moregardens, we saw the sign welcoming visitors so we went inside 3 rooms of widely spaced artworks & this exhibition was covering comparisons of Monet and Rothko. Never would have thought to compare the two but it worked! Lots of benches to sit & gaze at the masters & contemplate their works We were fans!

Going to Monet's garden at Giverny had been a "bucket list" item for me, and I was able to make the…read moretrip recently while visiting Paris! It was such a beautiful place and did not disappoint. The flowers in mid-April were beautiful to see, with huge peonies, lots of tulips, crocuses, wisteria on the Japanese bridge, and other spring blooms. This also seemed to be a good time to visit as it gets more packed during the summer. Tip: Rather than doing a bus tour, it was fairly easy to simply take the SCNF train to Vernon. From Vernon, there are regular shuttle buses directly to Monet's garden for 5 Euros each way (10 Euros round trip), so it is very straightforward. The train from Paris to Vernon leaves from Gare St. Lazare. Also, if you do go via train to Vernon to get to Giverny, there was an adorable cat cafe there for lunch: Cookie's Cat Cafe!

A great time! You don't need to be an expert in Claude Monet to enjoy it…read more We took a half day tour from Paris that included a guided walk around the gardens. On the way there on the bus, the guide introduced us to Monet and his life, career, and family. So, by the time we arrived at the gardens, we had a good understanding of what he was trying to accomplish. The gardens are lovely. Filled with a huge variety of flowers, all in different stages of blooming. The pond and the pathway around the pond is also filled with a variety of flowers. We were there in April, too soon for the water lilies to bloom. It's crowded, even for this time of year. Likely not as crowded as when the lilies bloom. The pink house is also interesting. A few bedrooms, the dining room, and the kitchen hen are among the rooms you will see. The gift shop was Monet's studio. It impressive in size and with the glass roof you can picture all the light he would have painted to. Definitely worth the trip out of Paris.

One of those surprising things you weren't expecting! A steampunk like museum dedicated to turn if…read morethe century motors and engines. The friendly owner often has one fired up for visitors to see. All the engines are in one big room. Placards explain their history in French and English. It won't take long to just take a look since the building is halfway between Monet's gardens and the church where he is buried. Tip jar for donations.

From the owner: Tous au musée Le musée est situé à quelques mètres de la Seine et du centre ville. Il programme…read moreplusieurs expositions par an sur des thèmes différents. Il est très appréciable de pouvoir profiter de la gratuité pour tous le mercredi ainsi que tous les jours pour les enfants et scolaires. Tout le monde a la possibilité de s'instruire.

We arrived at Musée d'Orsay without a pre bought ticket…read more The line wasn't that long so we decided to stay. We were inching along, and then suddenly the line moved really fast, they were letting people enter faster. We spent over 10 minutes and we were in. This museum is smaller than the Louvre, and has many floors and seems harder to navigate, so I just let my son take the lead and I followed. We took our time admiring the paintings: Monet, Lautrec, Van Gogh, Degas....some people are going with the flow, but some took too much time posing with the paintings, maybe thinking it's their personal studio .... We really like this museum. The time we went, there is a special exhibit dedicated to Renoir.

Stunning. One of the most beautiful museums I've been to in the world. It is an absolutely must see…read moreif you're in Paris. The space itself pulls you in, and it's easy to spend hours here without realizing it. I got lost in the beauty of the paintings here many times. Although the Louvre Museum is #1 and the most iconic, Musée d'Orsay is absolutely worth seeing and holds its own. It's in my opinion the #2 must see museum in Paris. Le Restaurant du Musée d'Orsay inside is also worth a stop on it's own, beautiful setting with high quality desserts and coffee.

I was very impressed walking through this building. The display is in the information told me…read morethings that I never knew about something that I thought I knew quite a bit of bad. The presentation was well conceived and comfortable. There were plenty of places to stop and listen with the language interpretation headsets that were presented before going on the tour. It's self guided and at your own pace. It worked out wonderfully period it is attached to the Basilica which are able to wander around on the inside which is an amazing structure that was rebuilt after World War II you can imagine the massive size of this name out of work that went into restoring it to its former glory. Be sure to see this little storyboard showing the rebuild.

While I would say that it can be a little difficult to find, being located in a small alleyway…read morebeside the Rouen Cathedral, it is about Jeanne d'arc, and anything about Jeanne is pretty clearly advertised in and around Rouen (in fact they clearly mark all of the significant Jeanne related spots in the city). This isn't actually your ordinary museum, and it definitely isn't her house (you are going to have to go out into the French countryside to actually find her birthplace), but it is a museum that is dedicated to her (I believe that it is the former Archbishop's residence). The museum is more like a guided documentary that follows the second trial of Jeanne, the one that acquitted here (after she had been burnt at the stake mind you) and goes through all aspects of her life, her time in the military, the Battle of Orleans, and of course here capture, trial, and eventual execution. As it is set up as a video where you move from room to room for a different part, they only let people in every fifteen minutes, and the entire tour takes around an hour and a half (depending on how long you spend in the final rooms that look at her legacy). Certainly a different way to set up a museum, and definitely a place to visit if you happen to be in Rouen.

Wow, what a museum. There's is so much to see. I would love to return one day because I didn't have…read moreall the time to take everything in. I was there for a good 3+hours. There are sections where the painting takes up the entire wall. Not a mural, but a full painting with an entire scene and details for days. Look up, and you'll see more art. Some art pieces are so large, you can only properly view it from afar. The ceilings are also beautiful. It's all so impressive. I opted for a timed ticket entry booking for 9am and didn't wait in line for very long. I'd say about 30minutes before it got moving. I was in the earlier crowd, close to the pyramid and can see the security area. Security was swift, but I packed lightly. Of course after using the bathroom and grabbing my audio guide I bee-lined right for the Mona Lisa, knowing it was the most popular painting there. I was able to get right up to the barrier pretty peacefully within 5 minutes of waiting. I heard someone say "well this is quite pleasant" lol. I was surprised too! So definitely get there early because when I returned to this spot later, closer to noon, boy was it packed with tourists groups and people rushing in to try for a good view. I definitely noticed that keeping calm also keeps everyone else around you calm, so don't go running because that might trigger everyone else to run and that's how chaos ensues. Don't push. You've got time, just wait your turn. My friends opted to go on a third party tour and I don't think they were able to get up to the barrier, but they prioritized the in-person guided experience more than anything, so just keep this in mind if you're deciding whether to opt to go on your own or with a group. Everything had English captions which was helpful. Underground, where the exit is, there are tons of shops. The museum's souvenir shop is quite nice, with cute collaborations. We passed by tons of other cute shops like Pop Mart and Le Petit Souk where I grabbed some cute postcards, and my friend grabbed some flats from VIVAIA. It's a whole mall down there called Carrousel du Louvre. Keep this in mind if you somehow still have energy for it after walking a million steps at the museum lol.

Ok. I am going to be a little negative here. I know The Louvre is the most popular museum in the…read moreworld. So why am I giving a 3? I visited it last week and purchased my advance reservation ticket weeks before for last Thursday at 9 am. Taking the Metro there was easy and I arrived in the center by the glass pyramid at about 8:40 am. By then there were several hundred people already standing in the 9 am line. By 9 am there were several hundred more people behind me. I estimated about 1500 people were in my 9 am line. As we started to move towards security there were people already in the 9:30 am line and even some in the 10 am line. The crowds here are for real. It was almost 9:30 am by the time I got past security and inside ready to start, First problem. There are just too many people admitted every day. I found it distracting to look and admire all of the works of art in there. It's like going to a college football game. The Louvre reminded me of the second most popular museum which is The Vatican Museums in Rome. I've been there too. Second problem. Even some if the docents agreed with me that their map is confusing, I know that because I got lost a few times and asked them for directions, One of them told me that it's better to ask a docent for directions than try to figure where you are using the map! By the way you get your map in your language right after you pass security. This place is big. It's very easy to miss things you might want to see if you aren't careful. Now, I have a tip for improvement. When I visited The Vatican Museums a couple of years ago, I took a guided tour which made the visit pleasurable and less stressful, I failed to do that here. My mistake. If I had I might have a better perspective of this place. The guides don't get lost and also point out things that I might have missed. This is a great museum with high quality art and history inside. It's silly that hundreds of people will jostle to get Mona Lisa's picture but you will too like I did. Ditto on the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory. Don't forget afterward to visit the exterior of the Louvre including the nearby Gardens.

Orangerie Museum, Paris, France -- April 12…read more Our family of four with kids ages 9 and 10 visited after a morning at the Louvre, looking for a more relaxed museum experience. It ended up being one of the most enjoyable stops of the trip. Arrival and First Impressions The museum is smaller and much calmer than the Louvre, which made it an easy transition after a busy morning. The space is bright with beautiful natural light and a peaceful atmosphere. We arrived without reservations, and it took about 45 minutes to enter the museum. The Highlights Monet's water lilies are the centerpiece and absolutely worth the visit. The scale, color, and immersive layout of the rooms make it a unique experience. We also enjoyed seeing works by artists like Matisse and Renoir. The park outside was a great bonus and gave the kids space to run around afterward. The Challenges We waited about 45 minutes to get in without reservations, which could have been avoided with advance tickets. Final Thoughts This museum was my personal favorite and a place we would absolutely visit again. It is a great option for families or anyone looking for a more manageable and peaceful museum experience. It is definitely worth it, especially if you plan ahead

I'm honestly surprised I did not go to this museum when visiting Paris in the past, as it has a…read morebeautiful installation of Claude Monet's Water Lillies. Book tickets directly from the museum website, otherwise you may pay more. Times entries are available. Get there early to avoid the crowds as the galleries are small. The two oval rooms of Monet paintings are the highlight here. Designed by the painter himself, they are meant to be observed in silence, but that is not what we experienced while there. Eat before you visit. The cafe food and drink was unfortunately some of the worst I've experienced in a museum.This museum is in the Tuileries Garden with a large wall around the area. Nice views of the Eiffel Tour and seating overlooking the river is available nearby.

It was so cool to visit the little town of Auvers-sur-Oise where Vincent Van Gogh spent the final,…read moreyet very productive, 70 days of his life before his suicide death at age 37. We stood at the very spots where he painted some wheat fields, where he painted the town city hall, and where he painted the local church. We saw the inn where he rented a room for those final days. Visiting here definitely gives you a sense of connection with one of the world's greatest painters. He painted what he felt from the scene in front of him and the style of his 2100 paintings was ahead of his time as he never achieved any fame until well after his death. It's well worth a visit!

So I realize that some of the things I do only appeal to a certain demo…read more..... Some people are going to appreciate this more than other and some are going to ask why I would drive an hour plus through Paris traffic to get to Auvers-sur-Oise? The answer is that I'm a damn Van Gogh nerd..... The Van Gogh traveling experience is great but nothing.....nothing compares to standing in front of the real thing. I didn't think it could get much better than being at Orsay and admiring Starry Night over the Rhône. Or being at MOM and seeing The Starry Night (Arles) Yea, I was wrong. Being at Auvers-sur-Oise and walking in his footsteps is an experience all it's own. Visiting the house he rented the room he would eventually die in is a somber experience. The true highlight though is the Van Gogh walk..... Walk the same roads and fields, stop and look at the inspiration from some of his last and most recognizable paintings. The city has done a great job of marking the trail and setting up informational stations along the route. I cannot recommend this trip enough. I'll be back one day.....

Two fortunate things happened when I came here. Firstly the computers were down so we got in for…read morefree, and secondly they had an exhibition on a group of impressionists. In fact a lot of paintings that I didn't see in the Mussee d'Orsay weren't there because they happened to be here. While the exhibition (or exposition as they say it in French) was impressive, the rest of the museum was doubly so. In fact the museum is not only quite large, but also has a pretty decent collection of paintings, and other works of art, as well. In fact it can be easy to get lost. Unfortunately, not all of the halls were open, which was a bit of a shame, but we did get to see quite a lot.

I enjoyed visiting this museum, and it's impressive temporary impressionist art exhibit that was…read morepart of the Normany Impressionist Festival in August of 2013. (And as we walked through the exhibit, my husband whispered "Monet, Monet, Monet, Monet - Mo-ne!" to the tune of the song "Money".) There are 2 floors to the museum, and my husband & I explored the beautiful permanent art exhibits as well. It takes an hour or so to get through everything.