It is no secret that, aside from the high number of deaths or the economic crisis that it generated, Covid-19 also had a negative impact on culture. Every cultural industry (art, music, cinema…) was deeply affected by the pandemic, from concerts being cancelled to bookshops being on the verge of bankruptcy. What about the museums? Well, in almost every country, including France, the museums have been closed all year long.
As Paris is the capital of culture, the city offered virtual visits to remedy the situation. No need to travel, you can now explore Parisian art exhibitions from your home! Being Parisian myself, I visited almost every Parisian museum before the pandemic. There are so many wonderful pieces of art to discover there. That is why you definitely should explore the Parisian museums – even if online.
More reasons to try Parisian museum’s virtual tours
– It is not full of people as in real life, so it is more silent
– You can take your time to observe the pieces you like
– It is available anytime even during the night
– The experience is completely free
Here you will find a list of 5 among the best Parisian museums to visit online:
1- The Louvre
If you know a little bit about French cultural monuments, you already know the Louvre. It is the most famous French museum, recognisable among all the other museums by its pyramid. It is a vast museum, and having visited it I can confirm that more than one visit is necessary to explore everything.
On the Louvre virtual tour many different collections are available (Egypt, Ancient Greece, Renaissance, etc.) to discover with some of the most famous pieces of art in the world (The winged victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, the Great Sphinx of Tanis, Liberty leading the people, the Raft of the Medusa, etc.). So, if you want to visit a Parisian museum online but you don’t know where to start, try the Louvre online visit first!
2- Orsay Museum
Visiting Orsay museum in real life is a really enjoyable experience. It is calm and on the top floor there is an amazing view of the capital. The museum is smaller than the Louvre but I would recommend to go there twice if you like to take your time. I tried to visit it online as well and it was my favourite Parisian museum to visit virtually. It is very easy to move across the rooms.
On the virtual tour you will discover French painters as Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet and many others. On top of that, there are some of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings (Starry Night, Self Portrait, etc.).
3- L’Orangerie
Now that you have virtually visited the Louvre and Orsay museum, I suggest l’Orangerie, which is a smaller but charming museum. I would say that you can visit it within 2 hours. Online it is even easier and faster to explore the museum. If you admire Claude Monet’s impressionism, this virtual tour is made for you!
There, you will see Monet’s Water Lilies which is his largest painting (17 meters large and 2 meters long). There are also French paintings of Marie Laurencin or Paul Cezanne for example, and paintings from other countries’ artists among them Amadeo Modigliani or Pablo Picasso.
4- Rodin museum
Rodin Museum is both an interior and exterior museum, dedicated to the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. Indeed, you can visit the small museum but also the gardens where the biggest sculptures are exposed. I visited it during spring and it is a very peaceful place. As it is closed because of the pandemic, you still can visit both the inside and the outside online.
Then, on the virtual tour you will see the very famous Thinker, but also the Gates of Hell, with Adam and Eve statues on both sides of the gate, which is a very impressive piece of art. So, if you like sculptures, you will spend a good time exploring the Rodin museum’s virtual tour.
5- Le petit Palais
Le Petit Palais (or the Small Palace) is a museum but also a beautiful monument. Its architecture is very typical of Paris. With the virtual tour you will be able to explore the art collections and the garden as well. It is a very lovely place to visit, even virtually.
The virtual tour will allow you to see pieces of art from Gustave Courbet, Paul Cezanne, Auguste Rodin or Jacque Louis David. But above all, this museum contains my favourite painting from Claude Monet: Sunset on the Seine at Lavacourt, Winter effect. Unfortunately, the website is in French only, but in case you need it we can offer you certified translations made by our experts.
There are a lot of other museums to explore online, whether in France (Fine Arts Museum in Lyon for example) or in other countries (British Museum, MoMA, Sofia Reina). Now it’s your turn to try the Parisian museums virtual tours. Don’t hesitate to tell me in the comments what pieces of art you discovered and which online museums are your favourites!