I always return to Rodin and d'Orsay when I visit Paris.

Been to all three and can say they are very different. So it depends on what you want to see. For the Louvre, you must go with a plan - it is so huge that you could wander for hours and not see what you came for. Leave time to hang out around the pyramid and Arc du Carrousel.

The d'Orsay has a great deal of inventory, so the paintings on tour won't detract as much as you might think. We have not been there during the renovations, though, so I'll defer to others on the disruption. It is a beautiful space.

Agree with a previous poster that you should visit the Rodin in good weather. The gardens are marvelous, both for the greenery and the sculptures scattered among them.

I'd add the Pompidou for some really interesting and different work. The upper floors have the notable modern art you've seen in catalogs.

We typically spend no more than a couple of hours at a time in any one museum. The Museum Pass makes it easy to return another day. At the Louvre, enter through the underground mall to avoid lines at the pyramid.

i will be going in late may.

Well you don;t have to spend the whole day at ay of the museums - I don;t know how you could at either the Rodin (you can see a lot in an hour) or the Orsay (2 hours would let you see a lot).

What type of art do you like? What would you do instead of the museums that you prefer?

Why not mix the museums with other sights in each area?

<<i will be going in late may.>>

What the heck does that have to do with anything? Museums are open year-round. Have you not read the myriad, detailed responses you've gotten here?

I am going to the Louvre for sure.. but do I really need to see Orsay/Rodin musuems, or will my trip at the Louvre out weight those two?
__________________________
Questions like this drive me insane (I know it is a short drive.) It shows that that you have not done your homework, you are asking strangers to make a decsion for you without knwoing your experiences or tastes, you do not explain what you expect from a visit to any of them, and the word "need" sounds like it is obligation rather than a joy.

Also, there's a verb, outweigh. "out weight" makes no sense. I'm with Adu, questions like this make me nuts. Do your research and figure out WTF you want to see based on your interests. If you can find your way here, you can find your way to the museum websites.

I asked when she was going, b/c the Picasso is closed and the Musee d'Orsay is under renovations. So, yes, in this case, it does make a difference.

The Louvre is incredibly overwhelming. I would take a tour if you could... we were very happy with Paris Muse and would recommend them.

Also, what about the Marmottan ? Don't they have a great Monet collection ?

People, people, people - this IS part of the research; forming questions, considering the responses, and then assessing it through your own personal filters. It's all part of the process in developing travel knowledge and self-knowledge. It's easy to beat someone up if you've already been there and you can easily measure the experiences against one another, but it is quite another to be sitting half way around the world, with your precious travel dollars, trying to make a good decision about what to do with your time, money and energy. If this is your only trip to Paris, of course you are going to sweat the little details...

Rodin - love, love, love it. Sculptures + gardens + plus viewing the golden dome of Invalides above the hedges + the stunning white hydrangeas in bloom in early July was a magical experience for me. (Rodin had his own collection of impressive art pieces and one of the most captivating Van Gogh's is here...worth a look see.)

Orsay - love, love, love it. Particularily enjoyable was seeing some of the masterworks and learning more about them from the doscent. The museum offers guided art talks (very minimal charge) that are an hour or two long and provide you with a different perspective on the art and artists. I found it to be a great learning experience. Loved the interior views of the building and it is quite amazing to think this structure once housed trains instead of impressionists!

Louvre - a bowling ball could careen quite easily down the massive corridors of this museum...of course it's a must see, but is not the intimate affair of the other two (or the Picasso or Orangerie). The Louvre could very well consume 5 full days as the depth and breadth of its collection is mind -boggling. Don't try and consume it all, just enjoy what you do see. Bring energy and comfortable walking shoes when you go - tour the galleries that capture your imagination.

I love museums and could easily spend many hours a day in them, but the most exciting thing is just wandering around the city, people watching, and drinking in the architecture of this wonderful place.

I agree with other posters' focus on the fact that cali88 has posted such a question at all. Moreover, she phrased it in such a way that it seems clear she has little knowledge or interest relative to art. IOW, if you have to ask and you view it as a chore ("do I really need to"), then the answer is clearly, "No."

I don't think this has anything to do with travel knowledge and whether someone has already visited Paris. Art lovers the world over - and even those who are mildly appreciative - know at least something about the d'Orsay and Rodin already and would certainly check the sites as soon as they planned to visit Paris.

Basically, if you like art and museums, you wouldn't even ask such a question to begin with (and you wouldn't misspell "museum" twice, which indicates it's not simply a typo).

Perhaps this particular visitor might really enjoy shopping or other activities more instead.

Cali88, you have our permission to skip these places if it's simply not your thing. They are not obligatory and if more people realized that, then perhaps the museums wouldn't be so crowded for those of us who really do enjoy art.

To me, this is like someone being given a glass of Dom Perignon and asking, "Do I have to drink this?"

Some people might try to encourage her with, "Try it. You'll like it," as she takes a tentative sip.

My response would be, "By all means no. Absolutey not. Let me take that off your hands!" as I rescue the glass.

Honestly, the Marmottan's Monets are probably less impressive than the ones I've seen in NY. And the OP doesn't seem the type to trek to the Marmottan bc she's fixated on going to the Louvre.

And yeah, I know saying the Louvre has Renaissance art is a vast overgeneralization, but it makes the point in describing what the pre-eminent holdings are. Of course, it also has too many flippin' tourists wandering around looking for a painting of some odd noblewoman with a peculiar smile. Personally, I liked seeing this da Vinci [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_with_an_Ermine] in person better than jumping over the heads of tourists to view the glass-shrouded Mona Lisa.

Surfmom (apologies to all for hijacking this thread)--I didn't know about the Orsay renovations!

Thanks to your alert, I checked out the Musee d'Orsay website, and I'm intrigued.

I admit to feeling rather stupid the first few times I visited the museum trying to find "my" paintings, so because the intent of this renovation is to create a more logical arrangement, I can't wait to see the completed project.

I liked the original white wall background, though. I hope I'll like the sage green (or whatever color that is as shown on their website).

Anyway, thanks surfmom, for the heads up.

I love the way people categorize museums
louvre-=Renaissance (Egyptian, etc
Rodin=sculpture. How about Camille Claudet drawings/art
Orsay=Impressionist--how about art deco furniture and the grandeur of the building itself.

Go to a museum for a couple of hours and then come back to another museum

Five yo thread (topped by a spammer)

Oh, pooooohhhhh.

Don't you hate it . . . :)