Quick Tips

When’s the best time to visit? Anytime! It’s indoors, so it is great to visit year round. I would recommend going on a weekday morning to avoid crowds.

Who should I go with? This is a great place to explore with any small group or by yourself. It’s family friendly, with interactive installations great for kids.

Is it worth multiple visits? YES. They have a great collection, second only to MoMA, so its constantly changing. They also have seasonal exhibitions within the main gallery. Plus, no one can ever get sick of the view! There’s also a library, restaurant, and book store if you just want to visit the center.

Great for: famous modern art, perusing art books, and a damn good view of the city

Don’t miss: the terrace on the 5th floor, Place Stravinsky next to the center (read on for details!)

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In a city littered with museums at every corner, the entire history of art can be found within walking distance of each other at three main museums. Art spanning from the beginning of time up until Impressionism can be found in the expansive Louvre. Impressionist art is proudly celebrated across the Seine at the Musée d’Orsay, a train station-turned art museum. Anything after Impressionism is in the realm of modern art, and the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Centre Pompidou is the largest modern art museum in Europe.

Centre Pompidou is a cultural hub that sits between the Marais and Les Halles in the Beaubourg district, no more than a 15-20 min walk from the Louvre. Aside from the museum, it has a large library (bibliothèque), various bookshops (librairies) that specialize in art books, and a “gift shop” that sells books, stationery and souvenirs. There’s also a mezzanine café on the 1st floor (2nd floor, to us Americans) and a fancy restaurant on the top floor with beautiful views of the city.

Named after the former president who commissioned it, Centre Pompidou was opened in 1977. As you can probably guess from the exterior appearance of the monument among the surrounding architecture, its presence was quite a controversy. The post-modern steel structure is often described as a building turned inside out, with all of its “guts” showing—the functional elements (plumbing, electricity, etc) are color coded.

Personally, I have been obsessed with this place since I first learned about it in my high school Art History class. Although the traditional Haussman aesthetic of Paris is much more up my alley, there was just something so intriguing and exciting about this building that pushed it to the top of my list of places to go in Paris. Given that it isn’t as famous as the Louvre or Musee d’Orsay, it became even more of a favorite because of the much shorter line (re: Louvre crowds) and the chill atmosphere (re: Orsay’s no-photo policy). It is such a fun place to spend a couple hours or half day, especially if you have had enough of the tier 1 attractions.

[big_image caption=”Even before entering the museum, you can already appreciate world famous art. This Calder sculpture, Horizontal, was first installed in 2012. The plaza in front of the building is a popular place for street performers and local artists.” v=”” h=””]

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I went to the center three times during my stay in Paris (granted, it was a 10 minute walk from my apartment), twice for the museum and once just to peruse the bookstore and catch a breath on a hot day. Paris takes its time to wake up, so going in the morning when it opens is very stress free – the line goes by super fast. Once you enter the building, the ticket booth is on the left. They have tickets for the museum, specific galleries and events, and for just going up and seeing the view. I recommend getting admission for the main museum permanent collection, and checking out the view while you’re up there.

Contemporary art was never my favorite, but contemporary art museums are still the best experiences in my opinion. While more traditional art never strays too far from oil on canvas, modern art has no rules, which makes for a really fun and interactive experience. The main collection is spread out between the 4th and 5th levels (5th and 6th floor in America). When I visited, they had several multimedia installations on the 4th floor, which has newer 21st century (think: weirder) art. The 5th floor has the more famous modern artists of the 20th century (think: Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian). I was surprised to find myself more intrigued by the 4th floor works. They were really interactive: some with motion activations, audio, lights and projections, all a lot of fun to photograph. For all you millennials, there’s free wifi throughout the center, so Snap your heart away!

When I visited in July 2014, there was a special exhibition on Man Ray within the main collection museum.

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Of course, the most beautiful art Centre Pompidou has to offer is the city itself. At every level of escalators, you get a glimpse of the expanding view: the picturesque façades facing the museum, and the city beyond. On the 5th floor (2nd level of the museum), make sure to walk outside to the secret fountain balcony. Ok, it’s not secret—but it is very easy to miss, I completely missed it during my first visit, so keep an eye out for a door!

The view from here speaks for itself. Facing south, you can see everything from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame. This place is definitely my favorite photo-op and at the top of my list for best panoramic view of Paris (several bonus points for not being overly crowded).

At the top level, there is a fancy restaurant, which you could check out if you have a pretty penny to spare, but for the rest of us, just walk down the hallway and take in the gorgeous view towards the west and north. You’ll be able to see the Eiffel Tower and the Sacre Coeur up in Montmartre overlooking the city. If you want a postcard-like photo, this is the perfect place to take it—and most people (like the ones crowded at the top of the Arc) will have no idea where you got such a view!

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And because this place just had to be more perfect, check out the area surrounding the center. La Fountaine Stravinsky is between Centre Pompidou and the Church of Saint-Merri and includes 16 sculptures by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle inspired by Igor Stravinsky’s works (there’s one that I’ve heard looks a lot like the Sun God sculpture at UCSD). On the walls surrounding are large murals embellished with graffiti. I loved how all of this super modern and bright colored art juxtaposed with the gothic church on the other side—it really captures the essence of Paris, preserving the old while celebrating the new, and the constant riffs of their coexistence.

Finally, don’t forget to check out the stores nearby. There are many affordable cafés to grab a bite to eat and shop around the art and trinkets stores facing Pompidou. Often, they have discount art books and souvenirs on tables outside that are much cheaper than the store inside the center. Wander through the alleys and you’ll also find many thrift shops. In my experience, each shop is unique in the way they price things. Some of them label items, other ones you have to bug the shop owner, and there’s even one where you weigh your clothes and pay by weight (à la grocery shopping).

PS: If you’re really hungry and on a budget, check out Flunch (right by the station Rambuteau, on the north side of Centre Pompidou), a family-friendly chain restaurant where half of it is à la carte, and the other half is an all-you-can-eat buffet (basically, you pick your protein and get unlimited sides). I like to think of it as France’s version of Hometown Buffet. My roommate and I would sometimes just go to grab ice cream on the go (like most places in France, their ice cream and whipped cream was heavenly. Unlike most places in Paris, their portions are bigger and cheaper).

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Also check out:

Hôtel de Ville

Le Marais

Les Halles

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