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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 09 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Anna Brooke

Claude Monet (1840-1926) is one of France and the world’s most celebrated and influential painters, and is credited with founding the Impressionist movement. Impressionist painters attempt to paint nature, especially outdoor landscapes, through their perception and senses.

This museum, housed in a grand 19th-century mansion and appropriately one of the loveliest art venues in Paris, holds the world’s largest of Claude Monet’s paintings. They’re displayed along with Empire furniture and other Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works, many collected over two hundred years by the Marmottan family.

The highlight of the collection is Monet’s atmospheric ‘Water Lily’ (Nymphéas) canvases in brilliant blues. They’re part of a series of 250 such oil paintings depicting his flower garden at his home in Giverny, that he dedicated himself to creating during the last 30 years of his life. The rest of the paintings are now held in museums and private collections around the world. Wikipedia has a list of the full series.

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Another standout is the early Impression: Soleil Levant (Impression: Sunrise), first shown by Monet at what would become known as the ‘Exhibition of the Impressionists’ in Paris in April, 1874. The ‘Impressionist movement’ was so-named after this painting.

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Price from: £10
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

Take the metro to La Muette. It’s an 8-minute walk from there. There’s also car parking at Vinci Park Passy (78, rue de Passy).

There are no guided tours or audio guides available from the museum itself. You can however book on private organised tours that will include a guided tour of the museum.

When to do it

The museum is open all year round, Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Monday. Its open late on Thursdays, when crowds are fewer.

Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Hotel Saint James Paris

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Live out your country house fantasies at this delightfully eccentric, handsomely revamped chateau hotel in a smart western suburb of the city.

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Shangri-La Paris

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Experience a truly imperial lifestyle in the former residence of Prince Roland Bonaparte (Napoleon’s great nephew), with unbeatable views of the Eiffel Tower.

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Hotel du Champ de Mars

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Bargain prices and boutique style at this family-run hotel near the Eiffel Tower. One of city’s most popular affordable hotels.

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Hotel Le Royal Monceau Raffles

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Soak up the buzz at design legend Philippe Starck’s gloriously decadent take on a grand palace hotel – in a very convenient location for seeing the sights.

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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Paris

Ile-de-France, France

Crammed with iconic buildings, world-class art and a culinary scene steeped in history, Paris is one of the world’s great capitals, overflowing with style, romance, and art de vivre. 

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Our writer’s recommendations of other bucket list experiences our writer says you must do in this destination, closest first

Eiffel Tower

Paris, Ile-de-France, United Kingdom (UK)

Gustave Eiffel’s eccentric, iron-clad tower built as a temporary exhibit for the World Fair in 1889, has views all over the city and has become iconic symbol of Paris.

Best for ages: 4+ | £23

Rodin Museum

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

This exceptional collection of works by one of the world’s most famous sculptor, is presented in his former home and gardens in Paris.

Best for ages: 13+ | £10

Quai Branly Museum

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Fascinating primal art and indigenous artefacts from all over the globe, theatrically presented in Jean Nouvel’s striking modern building. 

Best for ages: 13+ | £10

Other worthwhile experiences near this experience if you have time or interest..

Moulin Rouge

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

A long-running, extravagant, colourful cabaret featuring dancers and courtesans has been thrilling Parisian audiences since 1889. See the incomparable Can Can – the enigmatic dance that’s its greatest claim to fame.

Best for ages: 10+ | £74 | 2-4 hours

view of undeground cellar with two pillars and a wall of skulls
Experience

Paris Catacombs

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

These eerie bone-lined passages, set in a former quarry 20m underground, contain the remains of several million Parisians. The residents – including many victims of the notorious guillotine – were buried here when existing cemeteries overflowed during the French Revolution.

Best for ages: 13+ | £23

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