Paris Museums – Musée Rodin

From my own knowledge of Paris I would venture to say that most people think of the Louvre and Musée D’Orsay first on their list of museums to visit.  I don’t disagree with tourists wanting to visit these two, but if you are looking for a smaller scale, yet wonderful museum experience, I’d certainly add Musée Rodin to your list.

I recall visiting this museum as a child, but the only reason I remember it was because my parents purchased a souvenir sculpture of The Thinker that sat on our entertainment center for years.  It was nice to go back and appreciate the museum as an adult.  The museum is largely dedicated to the works of French sculptor Auguste Rodin.  When you see the vast number of sculptures he produced during his lifetime you can assume he did not have much idle time!  He’s largely famous for The Thinker, The Kiss, and The Gates of Hell.

The Gates of Hell are located outside the museum in the gardens to the left of the house.  It’s a very intricate sculpture that takes a few minutes (or more) to best be appreciated.  It’s also a bit creepy too, so I found myself wandering taking more photos while our friends studied it longer.

Admission to the museum is extremely reasonable.  It’s approximately 11€ per person.  They do offer a separate ticket for the gardens only as well.  And they also have a dual museum pass that allows you to go to Musée D’Orsay on another day if that is on your itinerary as well.  The entrance building where you buy tickets is air conditioned.  The exhibits rotate out in that area from time to time.  The house however, is not air conditioned.  We were there on a pretty warm day, so be prepared for it to be stuffy if you visit on a hot day.

Once you’ve wrapped up with your tour of the house, the gardens are pretty expansive offering more larger than life sized sculptures.  There’s also an area with food in the back garden if you need to break for lunch or rest your feet.

I still need to visit some of the other smaller museums in Paris, but currently, this one ranks pretty high.  Below is a brief glimpse into some of my favorite parts.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but the sculpture of the hands is called The Cathedral.  This one in particular moved me and was my favorite of the day.  Enjoy!