Musée Marmottan Monet

What makes it special

Find Impression, Sunrise first: it is Monet’s view of the port at Le Havre, where he grew up. It belongs to the permanent collection but has travelled on loan, so check marmottan.fr that it is on show on your date.

The Salle Monet is a large open room with the paintings set round a curved wall. You can stand close to a canvas, then step back across the room to see it whole. Most of the hundred or so Monets came from his family and closest friends, so the room follows him from his early work to his late.

The rest of the house holds the largest public collection of Berthe Morisot’s work anywhere, with a room of its own. It also keeps the Wildenstein collection of illuminated manuscripts: look among the pages for Saint Michael slaying the dragon.

Visiting

Open to walk-ins: you buy your ticket at the desk, with no booking needed. There is no cloakroom and large backpacks are not allowed, so arrive with a small bag and no heavy coat. Audioguides are available at the museum if you want commentary as you go.

Start in the room given over to Morisot, then go down to the basement for the Salle Monet and give it the longest stop of the visit. The ground floor, the Salle Monet and the temporary exhibition rooms are wheelchair accessible, and wheelchairs can be borrowed at reception.

Tips

Come early on a weekday if you want space to step back from the Monets, since the rooms fill later in the day. In spring and summer the museum’s garden is at its fullest, so step out into it before or after the galleries. You can generally take photographs in the rooms as long as the flash stays off.