Musée de l'Orangerie & Musée Rodin
Musée de l'Orangerie — Monet's Water Lilies
The Musée de l'Orangerie in the Jardin des Tuileries offers one of the most intimate and overwhelming art experiences in the world: Claude Monet's Nymphéas (Water Lilies) — eight huge paintings in two oval rooms, presented exactly as Monet wished. Natural light from above, no distractions, no frames — just you and the water lilies. The paintings surround you like a panorama: water, light, reflections, nature. It is impossible to enter this room and not be moved.
In the basement: the Walter-Guillaume collection — an excellent cross-section of early 20th-century art: Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, Rousseau.
Entry: 12.50€, free for EU citizens under 26. Opening hours: Wed–Mon 9 AM–6 PM, closed on Tuesdays. Much less visited than the Louvre and Orsay — rarely more than a 15-minute wait.
Musée Rodin — Sculptures in the Garden
The Musée Rodin is one of the most charming museums in Paris: The works of sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) are displayed in the Hôtel Biron (an elegant 18th-century mansion) and its accompanying garden. The Thinker, the Kiss, and the Gates of Hell stand in the garden among rose bushes — art and nature merge into a harmonious whole.
- The Garden: The visit is worth it for the garden alone — rose garden, sculptures in the open air, a café with a view of the Invalides Dome. Garden visit: 4€, Museum + Garden: 13€.
- In the Museum: Rodin's works in chronological order, along with paintings by Renoir, Van Gogh, and Monet from Rodin's personal collection.
Metro: Varenne (Line 13) or Invalides (Line 8, 13). Opening hours: Tue–Sun 10 AM–6:30 PM.
