When does MAD Paris get busy?
For most of the year MAD is one of the calmer big museums in central Paris. Its permanent collections spread over several floors of the Pavillon de Marsan wing, and visitors thin out fast once they leave the ground floor. The queues come from the fashion exhibitions. MAD's blockbuster shows on couture houses and designers draw a different crowd from the Louvre next door, and on weekends they can sell out.
The museum's own advice is blunt: online booking is strongly recommended for weekends. On weekdays you can usually buy at the desk.
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Ticket prices and who gets in free
How to skip the line at MAD
There's no third-party "skip the line" product that beats the museum's own booking. What saves time is having a timed ticket so you walk past the desk queue, and arriving within your window.
- Book on the official ticket site for any weekend or a popular fashion show. Payment is by CB, Visa or Mastercard only.
- Arrive within 20 minutes of your slot. That's the museum's tolerance either side; outside it you may be refused.
- Pass holders: reserve the free "Paris Museum Pass holders" ticket online, then have the pass scanned at the door.
- 18-25s: the free tickets are capped per slot. If one shows "0 places", try a different time rather than turning up on spec.
- Leave big bags at your hotel. Suitcases and large bags are banned; the cloakrooms on level -1 won't take luggage.
Annual cards for repeat visitors
MAD's annual cards include queue-jump entry and the audioguide: SOLO €50, DUO €70 (you plus a companion) and NEO €25 for 18-25s. If you'd come three times in a year for exhibitions (3 × €18 = €54), SOLO costs less.
What to see: the route through the collections
MAD covers French decorative arts from the Middle Ages to today: furniture, ceramics, glass, wallpaper, graphic design, fashion and jewellery. The museum says it holds over a million objects. Visitors get lost in the floors, so here's what's worth finding.
The nave
The tall central hall you see on entering. It's often used for the big exhibitions, so its layout changes from show to show.
The Salon du Bois (first floor)
Behind the nave on the first floor is Georges Hoentschel's carved-wood salon, made for the Union centrale des arts décoratifs pavilion at the Paris Universal Exhibition that opened the 20th century. Its cases hold Art Nouveau glass, ceramics and goldsmiths' work. Hector Guimard, designer of the Métro entrances, is among the makers on show in the Art Nouveau rooms.
Jeanne Lanvin's apartment
The best-known room in the museum. The fashion designer's bathroom, bedroom and boudoir, designed by Armand-Albert Rateau in the mid-1920s, were taken apart when her house on rue Barbet-de-Jouy was due for demolition and rebuilt here with their furniture: patinated bronze, oak, gilt wood and marble.
The Galerie des Bijoux
Around 1,200 pieces of jewellery from the Middle Ages to now, in a dark, compact gallery. It's small, so it bottlenecks when a group arrives.
Period rooms
A run of reconstructed interiors from the 17th to the 20th century. Do them in date order if you can: the jump from gilded Louis XV panelling to Art Deco is the museum's best trick.
Audioguides
Audioguides are handed out on level 3, not at the entrance desk. If you want one, head up before starting the collections.
Plans by visitor type
Fashion lovers
Book the €18 exhibitions ticket for a weekday or Thursday evening, then add the Lanvin apartment, which is fashion history in its own right.
Design and architecture fans
Collections-only (€15) on a weekday morning, working through the period rooms, the Art Nouveau galleries and the 20th-century design floors. Allow three hours.
Families
Under 18s are free, so a family with older children pays only for the adults. The jewellery gallery and the Lanvin rooms tend to hold children's attention best. Folding stools, a baby-changing table and baby carriers are available on level -1.
Visitors with reduced mobility
Wheelchairs can be requested at the welcome desk on arrival. Only guide and assistance dogs are admitted.
Getting there
MAD is at 107 rue de Rivoli, 75001, in the Louvre palace's western wing, facing the Tuileries side. The entrance is on rue de Rivoli, not inside the Louvre, and a Louvre ticket doesn't cover it. Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7) and Tuileries (line 1) are both about 5 minutes' walk.
FAQs
How much is a ticket to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs?
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€15 for the permanent collections, or €18 for exhibitions plus collections. Under 18s are free, and EEA residents aged 18-25 get the collections free or pay €10 with exhibitions.
Do I need to book MAD Paris in advance?
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Not on most weekdays, as tickets are sold at the desk. The museum strongly recommends booking online for weekends, and popular fashion exhibitions can sell out.
What are the Musée des Arts Décoratifs opening hours?
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Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm, with exhibitions open until 9 pm on Thursdays. Ticket desks close 45 minutes before closing. It's closed on Mondays.
Is the Musée des Arts Décoratifs part of the Louvre?
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It's in the same palace building, in the western wing on rue de Rivoli, but it's a separate museum with its own entrance and tickets.
Does the Paris Museum Pass cover MAD?
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Heading to Musée des Arts Décoratifs?
See how busy it is right now and the quietest hours for your date, then walk in when the line is short.
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How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other, and dated so you know how fresh it is. Last checked 11 November 2026. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
