Petit Palais

City of Paris Fine Art Museum
Avenue Winston Churchill
75008 PARIS
Located in the 8th arrondissemont
Your closest METRO stations are:

Champs-Elysées-Clemenceau
4mins

Franklin-D.-Roosevelt
8 mins

Invalides
12 mins.

Like its Grand neighbour opposite, the Petit Palais was built for the 1900 World's Fair here in Paris. Although it is the smaller of the two it is rich in content with a large part of it held over to the 'Musée des Beaux-Arts' of the city. The museum’s wonderful collections, which date right up to the 20th century, are illuminated by the backdrop of this beautiful naturally lit building, which includes an interior garden that’s a perfect place to relax.
Although the museum's permanent collection is smaller than that of the Louvre or Musee d'Orsay, the pieces are unique. The big difference here is that entry is free for the permanent collection and you will also normally find it is less crowded than the other main museums.

The Champs-Elysées-Clemenceau metro stop brings you out minutes away from both the Grand and Petit Palais

The cafe here is a lovely place for a cup of tea or coffee with a light lunch and some peace plus it also has some nice free washroom/toilet facilities.

Currently there is an exhibition of 20 large canvas paintings by artist Bilal Hamdad including two new ones created for the occasion on show until February 8, 2026. We liked the way his work was placed between the classic canvases of the museum's permanent collections. It is said he draws his inspiration from great masters such as Rubens, Manet and Courbet...we loved his work and if you get the chance you should visit.