Visiting the Petit Palais in Paris, France
Located in the luxurious 8th Arrondissement, just a short walk from the Champs Elysées and L’Arc de Triomphe, the Petit Palais is a beautiful art museum that is worth checking out. And it’s free!
Only in Paris could a place so grand and ornate be called “petite”, but compared to some other museums in the city, I guess it is!
While taking on the Louvre or Musée d'Orsay can require a full day on your calendar, Petit Palais can be appreciated in just an hour or so. So you can get an art museum experience without a big commitment, in a neighborhood you are likely to be visiting anyway, if you are exploring the area along the River Seine. So, it’s a win-win!
About the Petit Palais
The Petit Palais is not actually a palace but it does have a very interesting history. It was originally constructed for the Exposition Universelle (World Fair) of 1900. This was a highly anticipated event at the time and was visited by some 50 million people. I have a historic interest in World’s Fairs so this intrigued me.
The Grand Palais, located across the street, was also constructed as a venue for the Exposition Universelle, as well as the nearby Pont Alexandre III, the most decorative of the bridges transversing the Seine, famous for connecting the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. So it’s a historic World’s Fair trifecta in the middle of the prettiest part of town. Another win, win!
La cerise sur le gâteau (the cherry on top) - it’s free!!!
As part of a network of municipal art museums, admission to the permanent exhibition is free to all. However, there are usually temporary exhibitions which do require paid tickets.
Both the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais have become important venues for modern art.
Check the schedule and book those tickets in advance, as they can get crowded for special exhibitions.
Although free, they do accept donations - the rainbow colored bills of every kind in the collection bin struck me as appropriate in this colorful location. :)
Petit Palais is also potentially a good spot to grab a coffee in the courtyard cafe located near the center garden. I say “potentially” because the cafe area was a bit crowded when we visited, so although we had planned to have a snack there, we opted not to. But the atmosphere was very nice and the refreshments others were enjoying looked good! Perhaps you might have better luck with finding a seat there than we did.
There are also bathrooms available - something hard to come by for free in Paris.
The entrance to the Grand Palais.
What to see at the Petit Palais
Our best advice for visiting the Petit Palais is just go wander through - you really don’t need a “mission”. The building itself is a work of art. In fact, the Petit Palais is considered an architectural masterpiece. Plus, it was designed with the flow of visitors in mind (since it was built for the Exposition), so it is easy to explore.
Created in the beaux-arts style by famous architect Charles Girault, it is based on a trapezoid shape and is made up of four wings around a semi-circular garden bordered by a richly decorated peristyle.
It’s such such an airy, open space with lots of daylight. It does feel very French with its richness of intricate details: what my father would have called the “cheesecake” decorative carved plaster along the painted ceilings, the pretty pastel marble on the walls, the beautiful mosaic walkways, the magnificent ironwork staircase, the picturesque courtyard and terrace café.
The permanent collection of the Petit Palais encompasses works of art from a wide range of periods, spanning from ancient Greece through World War I. Different period styles and perspectives are often juxtaposed with one another. Impressionists like Claude Monet are sometimes displayed next to more classical Renaissance masters. Medieval statues and religious items pop up unexpectedly. Because it was designed to educate, the arrangement of the permanent collection is a condensed lesson in art history, tracing from antiquity to the early twentieth century (about 1914).
Notable works include paintings by Rembrandt, Delacroix, Rodin, Fragonard, Courbet, Monet, Cézanne and Modigliani. The museum also houses a rich collection of French decorative art, including furniture, fine metalworks, and ceramics.
After Exposition Universelle closed, Petit Palais became the Museum of Fine Arts of the City of Paris in 1902.
While most of the famous art museums in Paris are repurposed from other structures, the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais were specifically designed to display art. The details as such are thoughtful and exquisite. Though often overshadowed by its grander sister, there is plenty to see at Petit Palais. And it tends to be less crowded.
You can just walk the collections on your own or use the free app for a self-guided audio tour for a deeper appreciation.
The entrance to Petit Palais
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The Entrance Gate and the Galleries of Statues
Though never an actual palace, it’s designed to feel like one.
The main entrance gate, designed by Girault himself, is built to impress; it is well known for its elegance and craftsmanship - a reputation it truly deserves! Girault also personally created the banisters for the staircases in rotundas and the garlands and swags of wrought iron decorating the peristyle and balconies.
Tip: Although the grand entrance is, well, grand, and most everyone goes up the stairs and enters that way, there is another entrance to the right on the ground floor where there is usually no line. A friendly staff member directed us to it.
This entrance is downstairs, and you have to pass through a quick metal detector and bag check, but there was absolutely no line and the staff was very friendly.
There are nice clean bathrooms and a visitors desk on this floor, so it's a good spot to stop if you need a restroom or just a minute to catch your breath (we were walking quite a lot when we went here!) and to pick up a map and get some info.
Just a little personal note, I was rather delighted to see a statue of Sir Winston Churchill on the grounds of the Petit Palais! While that seems incongruous, the city of Paris seems quite fond of dear old Winston and a surprising number of things are named for him. In fact, the Petit Palais is located on Avenue Winston-Churchill.
It’s quite a large statue too! Though, not the best likeness, IMHO.
Inside the gallery, the structure is intended to be lit by natural light only. There are huge windows that reach up to the high ceilings and transparent domes that pour light into the space.
Two large galleries of statues grace both sides of the entrance. This is a nod to the 19th century noble class custom of putting up statues in both public and private spaces.
Tapestries and furniture on display at Petit Palais.
Antique Furniture & Decorative Items
Among traditional art items like paintings and sculptures, there are also several priceless antiques and tapestries on display.
An interesting bit of history: During the French Revolution in 1789, many private residences of the nobility were ransacked, and their valuables plundered. Many of these items ended up in private hands, and eventually were donated to museum collections to reduce estate taxes.
At the Petit Palais, Queen Marie-Antoinette’s armchairs are exhibited along with elaborate cabinets, exquisite vases, jewelry and other priceless items resulting from these random donations, adding to the eclectic nature of the collection.
Ceilings & Walkways of the Petit Palais
Look up to appreciate the paintings glorifying the history of Paris and the Republic on the ceilings of the Petit Palais. These paintings were created in the early 20th century and are lovingly preserved.
I did particularly notice “modern” clothing on some of the painted subjects, obviously depicting the early 1900s time period for which the Palais was built. The traditional with the modern are neatly blended at the Petit Palais.
The two decorative murals in the museum’s entrance lobby symbolize Matter, Thought, Formal Beauty and Mysticism.
Another stunning feature of the Petit Palais is the magnificent mosaic pavement that extends from its large galleries to its peristyle of columns. These exquisite multicolored designs are works of art under your feet and are quite mesmerizing!
The Courtyard
The column-lined courtyard is impressive in its own right. It surrounds a very lush, green garden that is unexpectedly full and picturesque. At the back of the courtyard is a Parisian café with both indoor and outdoor seating. A pretty, idyllic spot for a refreshment, offering coffee and other beverages, plus light snacks in a relaxing setting.
The cafe is a popular stop, and seating is limited. As mentioned above, we were not able to try it out..
The courtyard of the Petit Palais.
Hours & admission info for Petit Palais
Petit Palais is located at:
Avenue Winston-Churchill 75008 Paris
Tel./Phone: 33 +1 53 43 40 00
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am. to 6 pm
Late night Friday and Saturday until 8 pm (only for temporary exhibitions)
Admission to the museum is free; however, the temporary exhibitions require a paid ticket, which usually costs about 15€.
Petit Palais is busiest in summer and in December (well, all of Paris is busy in December!) But at other times of year, the crowd is quite manageable and you shouldn’t have to wait to enter.
You can also use the Paris Museum Pass for no queuing and unlimited entry to all Paris Museums’ exhibitions.
Photos are allowed at Petit Palais so have fun clicking away! :)
This post was researched and written by Debbie of the Empty Nest Explorers. You can learn more about the Empty Nest Explorers here
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Note - This blog post contains affiliate links. This means that if we are recommending a product, activity, or hotel, we might be receiving a small commission if you buy or book from these links. This is done at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products we have personally used or have thoroughly researched.
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