Paris Latin Quarter And St-Germain

Sights, sights, sights, and more sights. There's more to see in the fifth and sixth than there is time to do it in. With that being said, there are a few things that you can't miss. The Museums of the Middle Ages (Musée de Cluny) and the National Delacroix Museum are two of the finest selections in Paris. The Jardin de Luxembourg is magnificent, and, alongside the Tuileries, one of the finest chill spots Paris has to offer. If you're the artsy type, you can't miss the slew of galleries in the Odéon/Mabillon area.

Panthéon, Place du Panthéon (☎01 44 32 18 04; pantheon.monuments-nationaux.fr), Among Paris's most majestic and grandiose structures, the multi-faceted Panthéon is the former stomping ground and final resting place of many great Frenchmen and women of days past. In the 1760s, Louis XV recovered from a serious illness, and, having vowed to transform the basilica of Ste--Geneviève to something bigger if he survived, followed up on his promise. Originally designed to be the enlarged version of the Abbey of Ste--Geneviève, it was decided during the early stages of the French Revolution to guard the massive structure as a secular mausoleum. Some of France's greatest citizens are buried in the Panthéon's crypt, including Marie and Pierre Curie, politician Jean Jaurès, Braille inventor Louis Braille, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Émile Zola, and Victor Hugo. Now that's a list. There's something here for everybody; if you ever took a high school French class, you'll enjoy paying homage to Antoine de St-Exupéry, writer of “Le Petit Prince.” Alexandre Dumas became the cr Dome visits Apr.-Oct. Dutch-, English-, French-, German-, Russian-, and Spanish-language. €7.50, ages 18-25 €4.80, under 18 and 1st Su of the month Oct.-Mar. free. Open daily Apr.-Sept. 10am-6:30pm, Oct.-Mar. 10am-6pm. Last entry 45min. before close. Takes credit cards.
Le Jardin du Luxembourg, Main entrance on bld. St-Michel Today, Latin Quarter Parisians flock to Le Jardin de Luxembourg to sunbathe, stroll, flirt, drink, inhale cigarettes, and read by the rose gardens and central pool. The acres patchworked by lawns of Wimbledon-esque precision, symmetrical pathways, and sculptures; taking in the garden can be a daunting task. Visitors saunter through the park's sandy paths, passing sculptures of France's queens, poets, and heroes. Nerds and chess phenoms challenge the local band of aged chessmasters to a game under shady chestnut trees. If you have kids, they can sail toy boats in the fountain, ride ponies, and see the grand guignol, or puppet show. Tennis courts in the garden generally fill up pretty quickly; you'll have a long wait to stretch out your muscles before showing off the skill set to passing French hotties. Undoubtedly the best, and most sought-after, spot in the garden is the Fontaine des Médicis, just east of the Palais, a vine-covered grotto complete with a Guided tours in French Apr-Oct 1st W of each month 9:30am. Tours start at pl. André Honorat behind the observatory. Open daily.
Église St-Sulpice, 50 rue Vaugirard (☎01 42 34 59 60; www.paroisse-saint-sulpice-paris.org), The Neoclassical facade of Église St-Sulpice dominates the large square bearring its name, where children and street vendors gather around the meditative fountain. The church was designed by Servadoni in 1733, and, in classic French fashion, its Neoclassical facade was never finished. Today, it is in the middle of large-scale exterior renovations (or completions, maybe?). Despite its many practical complications, the church boasts a few unique attractions. A set of badly faded Delacroix frescoes,”Jacob Wrestling” with the “Angel and Heliodorus Driven from the Temple, in the first chapel on the right are deeply moving. Jean-Baptiste Pigalle's similarly faded “Virgin and Child” is in a chapel in the rear of the building. A fantastically monumental organ (five keyboards!) is used in frequent concerts; check the bulletin at the front of the church for more information. Unfortunately, the poorly lit interior of the church provides an unbecoming setting for the church's artistic stronger poi Open daily 7:30am-7:30pm Wheelchair access.
Le Jardin de Luxembourg, Main entrance on bd. St-Michel Today, Latin Quarter Parisians flock to Le Jardin de Luxembourg to sunbathe, stroll, flirt, drink, inhale cigarettes, and read by the rose gardens and central pool. The acres are patchworked by lawns of Wimbledon-esque precision, symmetrical pathways, and sculptures; taking in the garden can be a daunting task. Visitors saunter through the park's sandy paths, passing sculptures of France's queens, poets, and heroes. Nerds and chess phenoms challenge the local band of aged chess masters to a game under shady chestnut trees. If you have kids, they can sail toy boats in the fountain, ride ponies, and see the grand guignol, or puppet show. Tennis courts in the garden generally fill up pretty quickly; you'll have a long wait to stretch out your muscles before showing off the skill set to passing French hotties. Undoubtedly the best, and most sought-after, spot in the garden is the Fontaine des Médicis, just east of the Palais, a vine-covered grotto complete wi
Musée National du Moyen Age, 6 pl. Paul Painlevé 01 53 73 78 00 (www.musee-moyenage.fr), The grounds are divided into several sections, including the Forest of the Unicorn, which contains uncultivated wild plants, Le Jardin Céleste (The Heavenly Garden) dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Le Jardin d'Amour (The Garden of Love) which features plants used for medicinal and aromatic purposes, and Le Tapis de Mille Fleurs (Carpet of a Thousand Flowers) inspired by the mille fleurs tapestries. The museum also sponsors chamber music concerts during the summer.
Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore, 37 rue de la Bûcherie 01 43 25 40 93 (www.shakespeareco.org), Sylvia Beach's original Shakespeare and Co., at 8 rue Dupuytren (later at 12 rue de l'Odéon) is legendary among Parisian Anglophones and American literature nerds alike. The alcoholic expat crew of writers gathered here in the 20s; Hemingway described the bookstore in A Moveable Feast. The shop is most famous for publishing James Joyce's Ulysses in 1922, which was initially deemed too obscene to print in England and America. According to (hardly believable) local legend, the location at Odéon closed when one of the clerks refused to sell a German officer the last copy of Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. George Whitman—unrelated to Walt—opened the current rag-tag bookstore located on the shores of the Seine in 1951. Shakespeare hosts poetry readings, free Sunday afternoon tea parties (4pm), a semiannual literary festival, and other funky events throughout the year; check the website for more info. Some of the “tumbleweeds” Takes credit cards.
Église St-Germain-des-Prés, 3 pl. St-Germain-des-Prés 01 55 42 81 33 (www.eglise-sgp.org), The Église St-Germain-des-Prés is the oldest church in Paris, and it shows. The church is the last remnant of what was once the Abbey of St-Germain-des-Prés, a formidable center of Catholic intellectual life until it was disbanded during the Revolution. In the sixth century, King Childebert I commissioned a church on this site to hold relics he had looted from the Holy Land in Jerusalem. The rest of the church's history reads like an architectural Book of Job. Sacked by the Normans and rebuilt three times, the present-day church dates from the reconstructions performed in the 11th century under the rule of Robert the Pious. On June 30, 1789, revolutionaries seized the church two weeks before the storming of the Bastille. In 1794, the 15 tons of gunpowder that had been stored in the abbey exploded. The ensuing fire devastated the church's artwork and monastic library. Haussmann tore down the remains of the abbey when he extended rue de Rennes to the front of the church and created pl. S
Pont Des Arts, Across from the Institut de France Located in between l'Institut de France and the Court of the Palais du Louvre, the Pont des Arts is one of the most beautiful bridges in Paris, with delicate ironwork and unparalleled views of the Seine. The masterpiece was originally built as a toll bridge in 1803 and was the first bridge to be made of iron. On the day it opened, 65,000 Parisians paid to walk across it. In the 1970s, it showed signs of extreme weakness and was rebuilt in the early 1980s; twenty years out, it's safe to bet on the sturdiness of this bridge. Today, the bridge is free, still crowded, and a perfect place for a picnic dinner, a view of the sunset, and a little romance (if you're cool with VPDA, or Very Public Displays of Affection). A fantastic spot that acts as a point of convergence of Paris's usual suspects: students, camera-flicking tourists, and locals going about their daily lives.
Rue Mouffetard, The 5ème's rue Mouffetard hosts one of Paris's oldest and liveliest street markets, in addition to stretches of both cheap and expensive food vendors. The stretch up rue Mouffetard, past Pl. de la Contrescarpe, and onto rue Descartes and rue de la Montagne Ste-Geneviève makes for a pleasant and entertaining Latin Quarter stroll, attracting an entertaining mix of fast-walking, cigarette-inhaling Parisians and lost, sidewalk-blocking travelers. Along Mouffetard, there are a few restaurants (read: there is nothing but restaurants). Hemingway lived off Mouffetard on 74 rue du Cardinal Lemoine.
La Fontaine de St-Sulpice, Pl. St-Sulpice Situated smack dab in the middle of the pl. St-Sulpice adjacent to the church, the Fountain of St-Sulpice is one of the most beautiful and grandiose of its kind. Constructed in 1847, the fountain was originally named “La Fontaine des Quatre Points Cardinaux” by its sculptor Louis Tullius Joachim Visconti, in honor of the then-bishops Bossuet, Fenélon, Massillon, and Fléchier. Humorously, none of the men ever became cardinals, making the monument's name obsolete and leading to its renaming as the Fontaine de St-Sulpice. Anyway, it's big, beautiful, and ironic. What more could you ask for? Wheelchair access.
Musée Delacroix, 6 rue de Furstemberg 01 44 41 86 50 (www.musee-delacroix.fr), The Musée Delacroix combines the personal and scholarly perspectives of 18th-century Romanticist painter Eugène Delacroix, the artistic master behind the famous Liberty Leading the People (1830). The museum is situated in the modest, refurbished, three-room apartment and atelier where Delacroix lived and worked for much of his life. Watercolors, engravings, letters to Théophile Gautier and George Sand, sketches for his work in the Église St-Sulpice, and souvenirs from his journey to Morocco constitute the permanent holdings. Temporary exhibits broadcast new developments in Delacroix scholarship. There is a tranquil enclosed garden near the atelier equipped with Delacroix's original palettes and studies. Takes credit cards.
Place St-Michel, The Latin Quarter meets the Seine at Place St-Michel. The place is heavily frequented by tourists for the food options that pack onto rue St-Séverin and rue de la Huchette. Historically speaking, this is where the 1871 Paris Commune and the 1968 student uprising, two of Paris's most extreme examples of citizen uprising, began. Today, tourists, pigeons, and street performers crowd the place around the Fontaine St-Michel, constructed by Gabriel Davioud with the help of eight other sculptors. The honoree of the sculpture was itself a hotly contested topic; in 1858, a plan to represent Napoleon drew such ire from the supporters of Louis-Napoleon that all parties involved agreed on the more universally satisfying image of St-Michel defeating the devil. Several branches of the Gibert Joseph/Jeune bookstore fan out along bd. St-Michel, while lesser known antiquarian booksellers and university presses surround the place, ready to indulge a range of literary tastes, from the to Wheelchair access.
La Sorbonne, 45-47 rue des Écoles France's most famous place of higher learning was founded in 1257 by theologist Robert de Sorbonne as a dormitory for poor theology students. The smartly located Sorbonne has since diversified its curriculum and earned a place among the world's most celebrated universities. Its sheer age makes American celebrations of its university bicentennials (or, you know, America in general) seem quite insignificant. Soon after its founding, the Sorbonne became the administrative basis for the University of Paris and the site of France's first printing house in 1470. Protest and sedition are peppered throughout the Sorbonne's very long history; back in 1336, the university sided with England during the Hundred Years' War. Today, the French government has solved that problem and officially controls the Sorbonne, having incorporated the university into its extensive, convoluted, and much-disdained public education system. Of the University of Paris's 13 campuses, “the Sorbonne” comprises four: Pari
Collège De France, 11 pl. Marcelin-Berthelot 01 44 27 11 47 (www.college-de-france.fr), Founded by François I in 1530 as a Sorbonne substitute, the Collège de France lies behind its more prestigious and well-known counterpart. The humanist motto Doce Omnia (“Teach Everything”) is emblazoned in mosaics in the interior courtyard; its original mission was to mirror the College of Three Languages, a Belgian college founded earlier in the 16th century by Jérôme de Busleyden, designed to revive the study of the classics through a curriculum centered on Greek, Latin, and Hebrew. Originally, the “Collège Royal” consisted of only six lecturers. Courses at the college have since been given by such luminaries as Claude Lévi-Strauss, Michel Foucault, and Pierre Bourdieu. Lecture schedules are posted around the courtyard.
Église St-Étienne Du Mont, 30 rue Descartes 01 43 54 11 79 The smaller and less frequented Église St-Étienne once vied with the Panthéon for cryptic fame. Ste-Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, is buried in the crypt of the nearby Abbaye-Sainte-Geneviève. As visitors started flocking to pay homage to Geneviève, chapels were built to satisfy the demand until the 16th century, and construction on St-Étienne Du Mont began. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the church was critical of Paris's religious (read: Catholic) community; it was from here that the processions of the hunt of Ste-Geneviève proceeded. The church has the French Revolution to blame for its disintegrated status—during the Revolution, it was closed and turned into a “Temple for Brotherly Piety.” Mathematician Blaise Pascal and dramatist Jean Racine are buried there today. The structure's atypical facade blends Gothic windows, an ancient belfry, and a Renaissance dome and nave. Inside, the church's unique central attraction still inspires awe. Sculpted from stone and
Église Saint-Séverin, 3 rue des Prêtres 01 43 54 49 31 (www.saint-severin.com), An often-slept-on attraction of the fifth arrondissement, this church isn't much in comparison to Paris's overwhelming cathedrals, but it does have a few visit-worthy characteristics. St-Séverin was a hermit who prayed and lived on the modern-day site of the church. Upon his death, a basilica was constructed on the former land of his hermit activities. After this basilica was destroyed by Vikings in the 11th century, construction on the modern-day church began. Surprisingly (sarcasm), it took hundreds of years to build the church, and most of its features turned out to be characteristic of the 15th century. The church boasts seven stained-glass windows around the ambulatory, fashioned by Jean René Bazaine, honoring the seven sacraments of the Catholic religion and a fine collection of gargoyle sculptures on the church's facade. A great spot for meditation or prayer.
École Normale Supérieure, 45 rue d'Ulm 01 44 32 30 00 (www.ens.fr), Nerd alert! France's premier university, the École Normale Supérieure, is situated right near the Sorbonne. As one of the Grands Écoles, a system of elite schools that are the equivalent of an Ivy League university, the École Normale Supérieure is considered more prestigious within France than, say, the Sorbonne. Normale Sup'—as its students, the normaliens, call it—has programs in literature, philosophy, and the natural sciences. During the school year (Oct-May), you can hang out around the school's campus, but not in it, and catch a glimpse of the nation's future (and current) elite. The school's graduates include Michel Foucault, Louis Pasteur, and Jean-Paul Sartre.
Mosquée De Paris, 2bis pl. du puits de l'Ermite 01 43 31 38 20 (www.la-mosquee.com), The Grande Mosquée de Paris was built in 1920 to honor the contributions of North African countries in WWI. While the construction was financed by France, it was carried out by natives of the countries it was to honor. This is probably why its construction avoided decades of delays; it was consecrated in 1926. During WWII, the mosque served as a strong point for the Arab resistance against the Nazi invasion. While tourists are more than welcome at the mosque, understand that you're entering a religious space. While prayer and worship spaces are closed to the public, all visitors are welcome to wonder at the 33m tall minaret, relax in the exquisite hammam's steam baths, or sip mint tea at the soothing cafe. Dress appropriately: bare shoulders and legs are discouraged, especially for women. It's OK to take your clothes off (most of them, at least) in the steam bath. Has air conditioning.
Arènes De Lutèce, At the intersection of rue de Navarre and rue des Arènes Once an outdoor theater, the Arènes de Lutèce now serves as a glorified sandpit used for pickup games of soccer or boules, while its dilapidated arena seating shelters various acts of adolescent delinquency (drinking and smoking peculiarly stinky “cigarettes”). Enter the sandpit at your own risk. The little ones stubbornly refuse to stop playing, ever. Romans built the theater in the first century CE to accommodate 10,000 spectators, but their arena suffered severe damage during the third-century invasions of the barbarian hordes. Similar to the remains of oval amphitheaters in Rome and southern France, the ruins were unearthed in 1869 and restored in 1917; all the seats are modern additions. Has internet.
Musée D'Histoire Naturelle, 57 rue Cuvier 01 40 79 30 00 (www.mnhn.fr), Three science museums constitute the Museum of Natural History, all situated within the Jardin des Plantes. The four-floor Grande Galérie d'Evolution is definitely the best out of the three; while not striking in and of itself, it looks better alongside its positively horrible comrades. The exhibit illustrates evolution with a series of stuffed animals (Curious George not included) and numerous multimedia tools. A section of the permanent exhibit is dedicated to human interaction with the environment, with displays on farming and sustainable development as well as a slightly alarming world population counter estimating future figures. This part of the exhibit smartly connects man's evolution and modifications of the world to his further evolution, all in a very accessible, non-science-test format. Next door, the Musée de Minéralogie displays rubies, sapphires, and other minerals—nothing exciting. The Galeries d'Anatomie Comparée et de Paléon
Café de Flore, 172 bd. St-Germain 01 45 48 55 26 Sartre composed Being and Nothingness, and allegedly the very concept of Existentialism, while taking most of his meals here during World War II; Apollinaire, Camus, Artaud, Picasso, Breton, Trotsky, and Thurber all sipped brew here too. Legend has it that when Sartre dined here, he and his friends (with benefits, if you're talking de Beauvoir) camped out on the opposite side of the cafe as communist Marguerite Duras and company. In the contemporary feud between Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots, Flore reportedly snags more intellectuals by offering an annual well-respected literary prize, Le Prix de Flore. The Art Deco seating upstairs is the coolest (check out Sartre and de Beauvoir's booth on the left). Takes credit cards.
Les Deux Magots, 6 pl. St-Germain-des-Prés 01 45 48 55 25 This cozy cafe behind high hedges has been a home to Parisian and expat writers since 1885, including Mallarmé, Hemingway, and some guy named Picasso. The cafe is now favored mostly by Left Bank residents and tourists who like to be seen; haute couture is the norm, so if you don't know how to mix sailor and'80s styles into sailor-'80s chic, prepare to be shown up. The cafe is named for 2 Chinese porcelain figures (the originals are still inside), not for fly larvae. Has outdoor seating.
Odéon, Odéon is one of the most picturesque and memorable areas in the 6ème. The diametrically opposed boulevard Saint-Germain is just steps away. Buzzing cafes, cinemas, retail boutiques, and chatting locals at the outdoor seating are the norm here. The neighborhood has a touch of historical swagger as well. The Relais Odéon is a fantastic example of architecture and decoration in the Belle Époque style. The Mazarin passageway winds its way to the apartment where a clandestine Revolution-era press published Jean-Paul Marat's L'Ami du Peuple. Just to the south of bd. St-Germain is the Carrefour de l'Odéon, a favorite Parisian hangout filled with sidewalk bistros and cafes that are a bit calmer than their counterparts on the bd. St-Germain, perhaps because their denizens are thinking and scribbling.
Boulevard St-Germain, One of the centerpieces of Haussmann's Parisian Renewal Project in the mid-19th century, bd. St-Germain is best known as a former literati hangout for expat and Parisian Existentialists. Today, the bd. St-Germain is torn between nostalgia for its storied intellectual past and shameless deference to all things fashionable. Each of these aspects is intimately connected to the throngs of tourists that tread its spotless sidewalks every day. The boulevard is home to scores of cafes and designer boutiques where expensive coffee and long lines of Japanese tourists outside Louis Vuitton are de rigeur.
École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, 14 rue Bonaparte 01 47 03 50 00 (www.ensba.fr), Napoleon founded France's most acclaimed art school in 1811 just across the Seine from the Louvre, and it quickly became the coveted cradle of Parisian art. Its current building, the Palais des Études, was finished in 1838 and counts such greats as Gustave Moreau and Claude Monet among its alumni. Unfortunately, the public is not permitted to freely tour the building. The best shot at a glimpse of the lifeblood of the École des Beaux-Arts is the nearby exhibition hall at 13 quai Malaquais; here, you can get a free look at the painting and photography of the new generation of Parisian artists. Does not take credit cards.
Palais de l'Institut de France, pl. de l'Institut The Palais de l'Institut de France broods over the Seine from beneath its famous black-and-gold dome. Designed by royal architect Le Vau, one of Louis XIV's preferred architects, the building has been used as both a school (1688-1793) and a prison (1793-1805). The beautiful building is now most notably home to the Académie Française, devoted to the patronage and protection of the arts, letters, and sciences. The académiciens, modestly self-titled “The Immortals,” wear snazzy green jackets and even carry swords, which come in very handy in their attempts to regulate the French language against its illegitimate offspring (that would be verlan, a form of speech popular among young people in France). The Palais is not open to the public, but peek inside the courtyard to the right to catch a glimpse of Cardinal Mazarin's funeral sculpture and maybe even a green jacket or two. The grounds are frequently open to “historians” for historical semina
Musée Zadkine, 100bis Rue d'Assas 01 55 42 77 20 (www.paris.fr/musees/zadkine), Installed in 1982 in the former house and studio of Russian sculptor Ossip Zadkine (1890-1967), the pleasantly tourist-free Musée Zadkine houses a collection of his work, along with contemporary art exhibits. What makes this museum, willed to the city of Paris by Zadkine's wife, worth going to? While most artists, and certainly sculptors, tend to stick to one style, Zadkine worked in 12 different styles, from Primitivism to Neoclassicism to Cubism, and the museum's collection represents all 12 of his creative periods. Zadkine's tremendous artistic flexibility is the collection's greatest strength; visitors pore over his classical masterpiece L'hommage à Apollinaire, then immerse themselves in his more modern, emotionally raw Maquette du Moment de la Ville Detruite. The tiny, forested garden, realized by landscape painter Gilles Clément, is a welcome retreat from the busier northern part of the 6ème. Takes credit cards.
Musée de la Monnaie, 11 quai de Conti 01 40 46 55 35 (www.monnaiedeparis.fr), Housed in the Hôtel des Monnaies, a mint until 1973, the Musée de la Monnaie (Currency Museum) is not just for coin collectors. Displays in this small museum document the political and economic histories of French coinage, from Roman times to the present, from enormous medieval Gallic coins to the unassuming euro. There is also a large set of old-school machinery that was formerly used in the manufacturing of coins, at the hotel and elsewhere. While the museum does have some appeal, it's generally pretty empty or filled with older folks. Coin collectors, nerds, and proponents of the gold standard should enjoy the display nonetheless. Wheelchair access.
Galerie Loevenbruck, 6 rue Jacques Callot 01 53 10 85 68 (www.loevenbruck.com), An outstanding gallery, specializing in loosely political, Dada- and Pop-inspired, avant-garde, and contemporary sculpture, video, photography, and painting—most of it with a careless sense of humor. Art subjects range from donkeys to clothed pornography.
Galerie Kamel Mennour, 60 rue Mazarine 01 56 24 03 63 (www.kamelmennour.com), A hip gallery with a young and (you guessed it) hip staff. It exhibits prized work by artists you've probably never heard of and some of the best photography, video, and painting that abstract up-and-comers have to offer. All things non-traditional come to the surface here: abstract sculpture, painting, watercolor, and mixed media.
Galerie Seine 51, 51 rue de Seine 01 43 26 91 10 (www.seine51.com), With one of the most far-out collections of contemporary art on the Left Bank, including occasional pink walls and astroturf, Seine 51 is an amusing foray into experimental art. Street and nude photography are the norm; exhibits range from Pop-inspired installations, photography, and furniture to works in standard mediums.
Galerie Loft, 3bis rue des Beaux-Arts 01 46 33 06 87 (www.galerieloeb.com), Featuring extremely avant-garde Chinese art, this is a unique selection amongst the rest of the often monotonous rest of the galleries in the St-Germain/Odéon area.
Claude Bernard, 7-9 rue des Beaux-Arts (☎01 43 26 97 07; www.claude-bernard.com), Founded in 1957, Claude Bernard is perhaps one the most prestigious galleries of rue des Beaux-Arts. Originally designed to hold contemporary sculpture, the gallery now plays home to contemporary photography, painting, sculpture, and mixed media. It has showcased such famous artists as Dubuffet, Balthus, David Levine, and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Musée du Luxembourg, 19 rue Vaugirard The Musée du Luxembourg is housed in the historic Palais du Luxembourg, and offers rotating art exhibitions featuring everything from classical to contemporary artists. The museum has recently exhibited the celebrated oeuvres of Maurice de Vlaminck and Giuseppe Arcimboldo. While the curators are generally on point, this is easily one of the biggest museum rip-offs in Paris. Unless you're really into the exhibition in question, steer clear and check out the Delacroix or Zadkine Museums for a much cheaper, less touristed, and introspective museum experience. Unfortunately, the museum is closed during the entirety of 2010 for renovations. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.