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A favourite of Parisians and visitors alike. The beautifully restored Hôtel Salé (see Hôtel Aubert de Fontenay) in the Marais is a splendid setting for this extensive collection of paintings, sculptures, drawings and other works by Pablo Picasso (1881–1973), including works from his Cubist period. Large sculptures also adorn the garden and courtyard. Some of the artist’s personal art collection of works by his contemporaries is also on display.

On a sunny day, head straight for the gardens of the Musée Rodin, in the Hôtel des Invalides complex, where you can enjoy some of the French sculptor’s most famous works, including The Thinker and The Burghers of Calais , while strolling among the shady trees and rose bushes. Then pay a visit inside the beautiful 18th-century mansion, the Hôtel Biron, where Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) lived and worked for nine years, until his death. An extensive collection of his works from throughout his career is on display.

The revolutionary Pompidou Centre is the perfect home for the city’s outstanding Modern Art Museum. It features some 1,400 works on two levels, one focusing on the artists and movements of the first half of the 20th century, the other featuring art from the 1960s to the present day. Temporary exhibitions are held throughout the year (see Centre Georges Pompidou).

This gallery is one of the finest exhibition spaces in the city, being set within a 19th-century real tennis court (jeu de paume ). It is a showcase for outstanding photography, film and video.

The prime exhibits here are eight of Monet’s huge waterlily canvases (see Blue Waterlilies) and the gallery, located in a corner of the Tuileries, has recently been renovated to provide an improved setting for their display. The Walter-Guillaume collection covers works by Renoir, Picasso, Modigliani and other modern masters from 1870–1930.

This underground museum with its black walls, lighting effects and soundtrack features some of Dalí’s lesser-known works, including bronzes, lithographs and book illustrations.

The Impressionist paintings of Claude Monet are the star attraction at this museum, featuring some 165 works donated by his son and perhaps the finest collection of his works in the world. They include a series of his late waterlily paintings. Other Impressionist and Realist painters are also represented, and there is a fine collection of illuminated medieval manuscripts.

Works of the French artist Aristide Maillol, including his drawings, engravings, paintings and plastercasts, are the focal point of this museum which was created by his model, Dina Vierny. Works by Rodin and Picasso are also on display.

If you’re a photography fan, don’t miss this splendid gallery in the Marais. Its exhibitions range from portraits to documentary work, retrospectives to contemporary photographers.