Musée Rodin

Tickets, The Thinker & Visitor Guide to the Sculpture Garden

⏱ 1.5-2 hours👤 All ages$$

The Musée Rodin occupies the Hôtel Biron, a graceful 18th-century mansion where Auguste Rodin lived and worked in his later years, in the 7th arrondissement near Les Invalides. Rodin donated his works and collection to the French state on condition that they be displayed here, and the result is a museum that feels intimate and personal — and one of the loveliest in the city, thanks to its setting.

Inside, the elegant rooms display Rodin's sculptures in marble, plaster, and bronze, his drawings, and works from his own collection (including pieces by Van Gogh and Monet, and sculptures by Camille Claudel, his pupil and collaborator). But the highlight for many is the garden: a beautiful, formal three-hectare expanse of lawns, rose beds, and gravel paths, dotted with Rodin's monumental bronzes positioned in the open air. Here you'll find The Thinker brooding on his pedestal, the towering Gates of Hell, The Burghers of Calais, and more — sculpture and nature in dialogue.

It's a calm, human-scaled museum, a welcome contrast to the grand crowds of the Louvre, and the garden makes it especially pleasant in good weather (a garden-only ticket is even available). Allow an hour or two. Its 7th-arrondissement location places it near Les Invalides and the Musée d'Orsay, and not far from the Eiffel Tower. Book ahead in peak season; it's closed Mondays.