First off, this is my first post on these forums so I appreciate all of the help given to the new guy. I am a college student that recently took the Introductory level, Art History classes with the goal of better understanding and appreciating art for my trip to Paris. I'm looking forward to seeing the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, l'Orangerie, and any others I can get to during my stay. I'm also very much interested in seeing one of the good Asian art museums in Paris.

I'm not really well versed or knowledgeable about Asian art or desire to see the art from a particular country, but I would enjoy seeing any terra cotta or woodblock prints that are on display. Can anybody share their opinions and/or experiences on either or both art museums. That would be a really great help for me to decide which one, or possibly even both, would be worth seeing.

I missed the Guimet and because I wanted to also visit the Parc Monceau , the Cernuschi was right there so two in one for me. The Buddhas are magnificent. There's a little bit of everything else but after I left Paris, They had show of erotic prints.

I thought Guimet was fantastic. We went specifically to see the exhibit of art rescued from Afganistan, which was amazing. (That exhibit finished in April.) The rest of the museum was incredible and I wished we had more time to spend there. Not only is the collection of art fantastic, the museum itself is well-designed, with impressive gallery space, good lighting, etc. I managed to thoroughly annoy my son and his girlfriend by spending so much time in Guimet that we didn't have TIME TO EAT, apparently a cardinal sin. I'm not familiar with Cernuschi, so cannot comment on it.

I think, lanterjd, that since you love Asian Art, the Guimet is for you as they have the largest collection outside of Asia, I think. We have a large collection here in Boston, I chose Cerusmuschi because years ago I saw the film, Gigi and the parc Monceau was featured in one scene. One day I wanted to see this beautiful parc but it was after many visits before I did visit and was happy I could also visit the Cernuschi. Colette is one of my favorite French writers, so it was a nice surprise to see her friend, Rene Vivian's Budda in the collection at the museum. After reading about it in her books made that visit special.

The Guimet is quite large--three floors. So budget your time accordingly if you go there. I went there for the first time last month (after several trips to Paris, I hadn't made it there before), and thought it was beautiful. One thing I liked is that the audioguide was free, so you can learn more without paying 5 euro extra. Asian art's not my field, so I appreciated that.

I haven't been to the Cernuschi. Another point to keep in mind is what's close to what. The Guimet is fairly central. You walk out the Iena metro stop, and it's right there next door.

Thank you for your responses! To be quite honest, finding information either way on these two museums has been difficult and your opinions have been very helpful. Up until this morning, I was unable to access Guimet's website for some reason and so I took a look at what they had available on their website. I was definitely impressed by what I saw and the free audio guide that DejaVu mentioned sounds like it would be useful and informative not only to me, but to the two other members of my family, who are not well versed in the arts.

After hearing more about the two museums, I'm very tempted to try and spend time in both on my trip. My hotel will be close to the Paris Opera and so Cernuschi will be very close. You can't beat the free price and it sounds like it would be the type of museum that you could see everything in an hour or two at a relaxed pace. I do think that if I attempt to see both of them, I better come up with a plan of attack for Guimet, so I can budget my time there and see the best art possible. Does anybody have opinions or suggestions on which sections or particular pieces of art are the "must sees" at Guimet. I think right now I'm leaning towards visiting the Japanese and Chinese sections first and then trying to visit whatever else time permits me.

I'd love to hear any other opinions about the museums in general or whether you think trying to see both of them is pushing it. As stated before, any guidance on what sections to focus in on at Guimet would also be a great help too.

Hmmm, the Guimet being so big it's hard to choose! I really enjoyed the Cambodian collection, the Indian material, and the Tibetan material in particular. The Chinese material is on the third floor (their second) as I recall, and by then I was looking at my watch because the museum was bigger than I expected. Which is a shame because they had quite a lot of Chinese material. I rushed through it.

Your art history professor would be happy to know you're putting your courses to good use. You should try to see the Musee Marmatton in addition to the others you listed in your post, and the Musee Rodin.

Another vote for the Guimet. One of the things I like about it is the good Korean collection, many Asian collections don't have that much from Korea. I love the Korean painting of Buddha judging who's going to go to heaven and how isn't. He has this great cynical expression on his face. (Plus he looks just like our friend Danny, who often wears that same expression.)

The Guimet is one of the few places in the world where you can see 9th century Buddhist scrolls, in perfect condition, from the Dunhuang caves on the Silk Road. It's a bit tricky to find them. You head up one flight of stairs on your left, when you enter, and then wander in the galleries and to the right. You're looking for "Ancient China" I believe they call it. You might have to ask a few staff if you can't find them, but they are definitely worth looking for. There are also some wonderful Japanese woodcuts in a gallery that's like a library, also difficult to find but do inqure. The whole place is a marvel.

I loved the Guimet - went there twice in 5 days, as a matter of fact. The Cambodian / Southeast collection is stellar, especially some of the bigger sculptures and temple pieces on the first floor. The Chinese collection impressed me with its goodly amount of objects from the pre-dynastic Warring States period (think the exact opposite of a Ming teacup, and you'll get the idea).

How I envy those of you who were able to see the Afghan Treasures exhibit. I just wasn't able to get over to Paris before the end of its run. Anyone know where this collection is slated for exhibition next?

Responding to what DejaVu said: I definitely owe my Art History teacher some thanks. I came in knowing nothing about Art and left the classes much more informed and interested in them. I am definitely aiming to visit Musee Rodin and Pompidou. I forgot to mention those two on the list of places I'm looking forward to visiting.

I appreciate the tips from DejaVu, BTilke, nancy1652, and dovima. It sounds like I can do no wrong in which sections I try to visit. I will definitely make an effort to see some of the highlights that are off the beaten track as well. I feel like I've gotten a much better feel for the two museums and I want to thank all of you for your assistance! I really didn't expect to even get this much information so you guys have really impressed me and I will definitely return if I have any more questions! With that said, I still welcome any more opinions, comments, and suggestions that anybody else would like to offer on these subjects. I just wanted to be sure and thank everyone early on before the post runs its course.