How busy is the Petit Palais?
The Petit Palais is one of the best free museums in Paris, and it's still underrated by visitors. Built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition by Charles Girault, opposite the Grand Palais, it's as much a reason to come as the art: a gilded gateway, a painted entrance gallery and a semicircular garden courtyard with a colonnade and a café.
The permanent collections rarely feel crowded. The pressure comes from two things: popular temporary exhibitions, which can sell out at weekends, and the garden café, which fills from late morning when the weather's good. Security checks at the entrance can slow you down when an exhibition is drawing crowds.
Crowds by time and day
Crowds by day and time
From the typical weekly visitor pattern for Petit Palais, based on Google’s popular-times data.
Quietest time
Friday, 10-11 am
Busiest time
Saturday, 12-6 pm
Tickets: what's free and what isn't
Exhibition prices vary from show to show, so check the specific exhibition page. Under 18s are usually free for Paris Musées exhibitions, but confirm on the booking page.
What's on
The current autumn exhibition is "Visionnaires: Carte blanche à Prune Nourry", running until 24 January. Each autumn the museum invites a contemporary artist to place work among the permanent collections, so parts of the free galleries feature the guest artist too.
How to avoid the queue
For the free collections, there's nothing to skip: you just walk through security. For exhibitions, the queue you want to avoid is the one for people without a time slot.
- Book your exhibition slot online on petitpalais.paris.fr, especially for a weekend. Last exhibition entry is 4:45 pm on a normal day.
- Travel light. Only handbags and small backpacks (A3 size, worn on the front) are allowed in the galleries. Suitcases, big backpacks, scooters and bikes are refused, and lockers depend on availability.
- Come on a weekday at 10 am and you'll have the Rembrandt and the Paris 1900 rooms almost to yourself.
- Use the late openings for exhibitions: on Fridays and Saturdays the shows stay open until 8 pm (last entry 6:45 pm). Note that the free collections close at the usual time.
- Eat early or late. Le 1902 café takes last orders at 5:15 pm; tables in the garden go first around 12:30-1:30 pm.
What to see in the free collections
The collection covers antiquity to 1914: painting, sculpture, furniture and decorative arts. The building flows in a loop around the garden, so you don't need a strict route. Here's what not to miss.
The building itself
Look up in the entrance gallery at the painted ceilings and the spiral wrought-iron staircases, then step out to the garden courtyard with its mosaic floors and colonnade. Many visitors come just for this.
Rembrandt and the Dutch and Flemish painters
A large group of 17th-century Flemish and Dutch paintings hangs around Rembrandt's Self-Portrait with a Dog.
French painting, 18th and 19th centuries
Fragonard, Greuze, David, Géricault, Delacroix, Courbet, and the Impressionists Pissarro, Monet, Sisley and Cézanne, plus Vuillard. It's a good free introduction before (or instead of) the Orsay.
Paris 1900 and the decorative arts
The Art Nouveau rooms are the museum's signature: glass by Gallé, jewellery by Fouquet and Lalique, and the dining room Hector Guimard designed for his own house (Guimard is the architect of the famous metro entrances).
Sculpture and antiquities
Sculpture by Carpeaux, Carriès and Dalou, and an exceptional collection of Greek vases. The graphic arts department holds full series of engravings by Dürer, Rembrandt and Callot, shown in rotation.
Tips by visitor type
Short on time (45 minutes)
Entrance gallery, the Paris 1900 rooms, the Rembrandt, then a coffee in the garden.
Families
Free entry, pushchairs allowed, baby-changing tables in the ground-floor toilets, and an enclosed garden where children can rest and play under supervision. Benches are placed along the route.
Visitors with disabilities
The museum is accessible except for the upper hall (level 1). The step-free entrance is at ground level, to the bottom right of the main staircase. Wheelchairs, folding seats and magnifiers are available at reception, and assistance dogs are welcome.
Rainy day
It's a big, free indoor option near the Champs-Élysées, so it's a natural rainy-day stop. Arrive at opening to stay ahead of anyone with the same idea.
Getting there
The museum is on Avenue Winston-Churchill, 75008, between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, facing the Grand Palais.
FAQs
Is the Petit Palais free?
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Yes. The permanent collections and the garden are free, with no booking needed. Only temporary exhibitions are paid.
How much are Petit Palais exhibition tickets?
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It depends on the show. The current exhibition is €14 full price and €12 reduced, with a recommended visit time booked online.
What are the Petit Palais opening hours?
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Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm. Last entry is 5:15 pm for the collections and 4:45 pm for exhibitions. On Fridays and Saturdays, exhibitions stay open to 8 pm.
Is the Petit Palais open on Mondays?
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No. It's closed on Mondays and on 1 January, 1 May, 14 July and 25 December.
Do you need to book the Petit Palais?
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Not for the free collections. For temporary exhibitions, booking a time slot is recommended, especially at weekends.
Heading to Petit Palais?
See how busy it is right now and the quietest hours for your date, then walk in when the line is short.
Check live crowds →Sources
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 10 November 2026. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
