Free Museums in France for 6 Months

The Minister of Culture in France, Christine Albanel, just announced that a number of museums in France will open their doors to the public for free for a period of six months starting at the beginning of the coming new year. The reason for this effort is to determine if a greater permanent audience for these museums can be created and subsequently sustained after the free six month period. In addition, the museums concerned are interested in increasing the number of young adults between 18-25 years of age who visit museums in France.

The largest and most well-known museums in the country will not participate but will offer one free night a week to 18-25 year olds. These museums include the Pompidou museum on Wednesdays, the Musee d’Orsay on Thursdays, the Quai Branly on Saturdays, and the Louvre on Friday nights. This is not a new policy for the Louvre as it already had such a free program in place for young adults. These museums are not necessarily looking to increase their general audience, as they are normally full all the time.

The museums that will participate in the free program for the six month period include several museums in the Paris area including Guimet, Cluny, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Ecouen, and the museum in Bourget. Outside of Paris the institutions participating include the marine museum in Toulon, the museum Adrien Dubouche in Limoges, the Magnin museum in Dijon, the palais de Tau in Reims, the palais Jacques Coeur in Bourges, the chateau d’Oiron, the national museum of the chateau de Pau, and the chateau de Pierrefonds.

The permanent collections of these institutions will be open free to the public for six months. The French government is covering the 2.2 million euros cost of the program so the participating museums will not lose money. A subcontractor will be hired to track results and determine the success of the program. If you are in Paris from January through June, look up one or more of these institutions and treat yourself to a free visit.

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