Paris Closures, When to Avoid Museum and Attractions

Written By: The Planet D

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.

paris accommodation
Best Neighbourhoods in Paris

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

paris closures
  • 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

paris closures
  • 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

Paris on a Budget - enjoy the free sites like Arc du Triomphe
Many amazing free sites to see
  • 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

If you are planning a trip to France, make sure to check out our France Travel Guide!

Many people plan their trips to Paris and include London on their travel itinerary, you may want to read these London Travel Guides.

Travel Planning Resources

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly.

Book Your Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner. We have used them for years and have found that they have the best flight deals.

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers. If you are located in Europe use Booking.com and if you are anywhere else use TripAdvisor.

Find Apartment Rentals: You will find the cheapest prices on apartment rentals with VRBO.ย 

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. Here is what we recommend:

  • Safety Wing - Occasional Travelers.
  • Medjet - Global air medical transport and travel security.

Book Your Activities: Looking for walking tours, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more? Then we recommend Get Your Guide.

Need more help planning your trip? Make sure to check out our Resources Page where we highlight all the great companies that we trust when we are traveling.

About The Planet D

Dave Bouskill and Debra Corbeil are the owners and founders of The Planet D. After traveling to 115 countries, on all 7 continents over the past 13 years they have become one of the foremost experts in travel. Being recognized as top travel bloggers and influencers by the likes of Forbes Magazine, the Society of American Travel Writers and USA Today has allowed them to become leaders in their field.

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8 thoughts on “Paris Closures, When to Avoid Museum and Attractions”

  1. 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?

    Reply
  2. 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 ๐Ÿ™‚

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  3. Great city .. been there done that. Reading you makes me wanna do it again though… !
    Thanks for the nice pics

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  4. 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 ๐Ÿ˜‰ almost 10! ๐Ÿ˜‰
    .-= soultravelers3´s last blog ..Darling Dordogne- Vacation Holiday in France =-.

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    • Amazing! Have a great time. What a wonderful thing to be traveling for so long and coming full circle. Have a wonderful time!

      Reply
  5. 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 ๐Ÿ™‚

    Great post!
    .-= Melanie´s last blog ..Jul 27- Cute Joke Sent to Me =-.

    Reply