To the delight of art lovers (and perhaps night owls who have a penchant for strolling through museums after hours), Paris hosts a Museum Night one night a year in May. Most of the city’s major museums open their doors to the public late into the night for this annual occasion. Best of all? It is almost completely free.
Paris Museum Night, or La Nuit des Musées , generally falls on the third Saturday in May, the perfect time to wander the beautiful streets of the French capital. Be sure to take advantage of this fun, affordable, and culturally enriching event.
The details: When is museum night in 2019?
In 2019, the Night of the Museums falls on the night of Saturday, May 18. Most participating museums open around dusk and close around midnight, but be sure to check the hours of the museum you are interested in.
This popular event will feature nearly all of the city’s more than 150 museums open to the public for free. The full program has yet to be announced, but is scheduled to include guided tours of museums, performances and facilities, concerts, lectures, film screenings, and even workshops for young participants. All of these events will also be free!
To see the full program for May 2019, see this page on the official website.
What museums will participate this year?
Most of the major museums in the city constantly participate in this event, year after year. High-value institutions in the capital that have been part of Museum Night in the past include some of the following:
- Louvre museum
- Museo de Orsay
- Center Georges Pompidou (Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno)
- Big palace
- Small palace
- Arab World Institute (Instituto del Mundo Árabe)
- Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris (Museo de Arte Moderno de la ciudad de París)
- Museum of Arts and Crafts
Tips for the museum night
To make the most of this exceptional night of free arts and culture, we recommend that you adapt one of two strategies:
The “academic approach”: focus on one or two museums. Immerse yourself in its wonderful collections and spend time enjoying the free events on offer, from film screenings to presentations to guided tours of the permanent exhibits. This will allow you to get a deeper idea of particular collections and institutions, and enjoy some great masterpieces without overextending yourself.
The «Impressionist Approach»: Leap Through the Night Museum. Enjoy art pieces and events from several of the capital’s cultural hotspots. This may seem a bit more superficial, but if you want to get an idea of what Museum Night in Paris feels like, you will be given some royal treats. It will also allow you to appreciate many different periods and themes, from the ancient and baroque collections of the Louvre to the cutting-edge contemporary creations displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in the City of Paris, to the strange world of science and industry. and modern inventions at the Musee des Arts et Metiers.
Pro tip: timing is everything
Whichever of the two recommended strategies you choose at night, we highly recommend making your move earlier in the evening or towards the end of the night to beat the crowds. Museums are likely to be the busiest during the mid-hours of this evening event (as are subway cars). Going early could be a good strategy, especially for the collections and events you want to see the most (assuming the events don’t happen later). Then if you want to stay outside late into the night, you can more casually visit other museums and events.
