The Musée national Picasso-Paris holds the largest public collection of Picasso’s work in the world. After the artist’s death in 1973 his heirs settled the inheritance tax by giving works to the French state, and the museum opened in 1985 with thousands of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, drawings, prints and photographs — including many pieces Picasso kept for himself.
The setting is part of the pleasure. The Hôtel Salé was built in the 1650s for Pierre Aubert de Fontenay, who made his fortune collecting the gabelle, the salt tax — hence the nickname “salted mansion”. Its monumental staircase and sculpted ceilings make a dramatic backdrop for 20th-century art.
Top things to do at Musée Picasso
Follow Picasso through every period
The collection covers the Blue and Rose periods, Cubism, the neoclassical years, Surrealism, the war and the late works of the South of France. The hang changes regularly and is often organised around temporary themes, so repeat visitors always find something new.
Picasso’s own collection
Part of the museum shows works by other artists that Picasso owned — among them Cézanne, Matisse, Renoir and Douanier Rousseau — a rare insight into his tastes.
The rooftop café and garden
The museum café has a terrace looking over the Marais roofs, and the Jardin Léonor-Fini next door is a quiet place to sit afterwards.
How to get to Musée Picasso
- Entrance at 5 Rue de Thorigny, in the Haut-Marais, about 10 minutes’ walk north of the Place des Vosges.
- Métro: Saint-Sébastien–Froissart (line 8), Chemin Vert (line 8) or Saint-Paul (line 1).
Insider tips
- Book a timed ticket online, especially for weekends and school holidays; it is included in the Paris Museum Pass.
- The museum is closed on Mondays; check the official website for current hours and prices.
- Visitors under 18 (and EU residents under 26) usually enter free — bring ID.
- Combine it with the Marché des Enfants Rouges, five minutes away, for lunch.
Best tours & tickets for Musée Picasso
These top-rated experiences pair well with a visit to Musée Picasso:
Entry ticket from €7 Paris: Picasso Museum Entry Ticket
Entry to the Musée national Picasso-Paris in the Hôtel Salé, with thousands of works from every period of the artist’s career. Booking ahead secures your time and avoids the ticket queue — the obvious cultural add-on to a morning at the Place des Vosges.
- The world’s largest public Picasso collection
- The baroque Hôtel Salé
- Ten minutes’ walk from the Place des Vosges
Sightseeing pass from €110 Paris Museum Pass: 2, 4 or 6 Days
One pass for more than 50 museums and monuments in and around Paris, including the Musée Picasso in the Marais, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle, the Arc de Triomphe and Versailles. It pays off if you visit three or four paid sights a day; note that many museums still require a free time-slot booking.
- The Louvre, Orsay, Musée Picasso, Sainte-Chapelle and more
- Versailles and the Arc de Triomphe included
- Still book time slots where required
