Seeing all the sights on vacation is a must, But when visiting Paris, you need to know all the Paris closures happening at museums and attractions.
We recently had the opportunity to go to Paris and fell in love with the city of lights.
It takes a lot of planning to see Paris and not break that bank and we wrote a couple of articles on the topic…
Paris Closures – Museums and Attractions
Got Saga wrote and awesome post on other Free Things to do In Paris that we hadn’t even thought of.
It takes our ideas as novice Parisian travelers to the next level. Check it out at 7 Fun Things you Can do in Paris at no Cost.
If you plan properly, you can fit a lot in during your time in Paris and have the trip of a lifetime.
But if you are like many people and only have a limited time in the city, you need to arm yourself with a few more tips regarding its attractions and museums.
Museum Closures
We had a few hiccups in our travels to Paris because we were not organized enough and should have done more research.
Paris has some great deals, great savings and a lot of free things to do, but you can also miss out on your perfect day in Versailles or at the Louvre if you happen to go when they are closed.
Yes, even the largest museums and attractions in Paris are closed one day each week.
Here is a list of opening hours and closings for Museums, attractions and important sites in Paris
The Louvre
- Closed: Tuesdays
- Hours: 09:00-18:00 except Wed and Friday open from 9:00 to 10:00 pm
- Holidays: May 1, August 15, December 25, January 1
- Free: First Sunday of Every Month and July 15th
- Discounted Days: Wednesdays and Fridays 6€ after 6:00 pm
Musée D’Orsay
- Closed: Mondays
- Hours: 09:30 – 18:00 except Thursdays until 21:45
- Holidays: 1 January, 1 May and 25 December
- Discounted Days: Thursdays 5€ after 16:15 pm
- Free: First Sunday of Every month
Pick up a Lonely Planet Travel Guide to help you plan your Paris vacation.
Eiffel Tower
- Hours: 09:oo am to 00:45 am (Last lift Midnight) Summer hours
- Holidays: Open 7 days week 365 days a year
- Discounted Days: None that I know of
- Free: None
You may also like: The Best Paris Hotels with Eiffel Tower Views
Arc du Triomphe
- Open: 7 days a week
- Hours: 10:00 – 23:00
- Holidays: January 1, May 1, May 8 (morning), July 14 (morning), November 11 (morning) and December 25
- Discount Days: None
- Free: European Union Members ages 18 – 25
Pere la Chaise
- Open: 7 Days a Week 365 days a year
7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Mon.-Friday
8:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Saturday
9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Sunday and bank holidays.
Winter hours shortened
- Free: Every Day
See our experience at The Famous People of Pere la Chaise
Versailles
- Closed: Mondays
- Hours: 9:00 – 6:30
- Holidays: December 25, January 1, April 5, May 1, May 24, November 1
- Free: First Sunday of Each Month
- Discounted: – A Member of friends of national museums associations, citizen of European Union under age of 25
Check out: Palace of Versailles, Should I go on a Monday
Les Invalides
- Closed: First Monday of Every Month, Some exhibits are closed every Monday
- Hours: 10:00 – 6:00 Summer hours
- Holidays: January 1st, May 1st, November 1st and December 25th.
- Free: July 14th
- Discounted: Tuesday 7€ after 5:00 pm
Catacombs
The labyrinth of bones under the city of Paris is a fascinating tour. Million of skulls and bones were collected from cemeteries around the city in the 1700s and stored here. Read about our tour of the Catacombs of Paris
- Closed: Mondays
- Hours: 10:00 am- 5:00 pm
- Holidays: none
- Free: Children under 13
- Discounts: non
Read More about the Catacombs of Paris
Sacre Coeur
- Closed: Open 365 days a year
- Hours: 6:00 am to 10:30 Pm
- Free: Every Day
Notre Dame
- Closed: Never
- Hours: 08:00-18:45 Daily (19:15 on Saturdays and Sundays)
- Free: Every Day
- Towers and Crypt Open Every day 10:00 – 23:00 summer hours
- Towers and Crypt Closed January 1, May 1, December 25
Restaurants – Most restaurants do not open for dinner until 7:00 pm
Shopping – Most shopping is closed on Sundays.
Metro Hours
- 05:30 – 01:15
- Friday/Saturday 05:30 – 02:15
Read More to help you plan your travels to Paris
- Where to Stay in Paris, the Complete Guide to Neighbourhoods
- Paris on a Budget
- Free Things to do in Paris
- Three Days in Paris Itinerary
- What to do in Paris at Night
- Visiting the Catacombs of Paris – An Underground Labyrinth of Death
- Famous People Buried in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery of Paris
If you are planning a trip to France, make sure to check out our France Travel Guide!
Paris is my destination for the vacations in 2011 and that the reason I am gathering knowledge..Thanks for sharing the wonderful information..I am looking for the cheap flights for Paris do you have any idea related to it? I want to book it before so that the cheap air tickets can be available so any site or link you prefer me to see?
This would of been really useful when I went to Paris and I decided to visit the Louvre. I was surprised that there was no one around only to find out they are closed on Tuesdays haha. Good thing I was there for a few days so I was able to make arrangements to go the next day 🙂
Great city .. been there done that. Reading you makes me wanna do it again though… !
Thanks for the nice pics
Ah, this is handy, thanks! We’re in the south of France now,slowly making our way up to Paris again for the month of August. My daughter celebrated her 6th birthday here when we started our open ended world tour in 2006, so now we’re going back so she can see it again at a very sophisticated 😉 almost 10! 😉
.-= soultravelers3´s last blog ..Darling Dordogne- Vacation Holiday in France =-.
Amazing! Have a great time. What a wonderful thing to be traveling for so long and coming full circle. Have a wonderful time!
Great info! Heading to Paris in August and this will greatly assist planning. Thanks!
One other note about the Arc de Triomphe – we went up it at dusk and waited for the lights to come on on the Effiel tower and throughout the city – it was beautiful!
Also kids under 18 with 2 paying adults are free! We met a kid in line that was from Canada and they were not going to let him up – so we said we were his uncle and aunt and it ended up being free for him!
He was a nice kid doing an exchange to learn French for the summer – so it felt nice to help him out 🙂
Great post!
.-= Melanie´s last blog ..Jul 27- Cute Joke Sent to Me =-.
That’s a cools story Melanie. Thanks for the tip and for sharing a memorable moment.