Way to Go, Paris!!
Le Musée du Moyen Age de l’abbaye Cluny (the Museum of the Middle Ages in the Cluny Abbey) in the St. Michel area (5th arrondissement) will offer free admission from January 2, 2008 to June 30, 2008. This was a very nice surprise for us when we visited last weekend.
The Cluny, plus 5 other museums in Paris and Ile de France area, is part of an experiment by the French government to have culture available to all for free. A budget has been set aside and if this period is a success they hope to add other museums in the future.
The other 5 are: Le musée des Arts et Metiers (3rd); le musée des Arts asiatique-Guimet (16th); le musée de la Renaissance d’Ecouen (95); le musée d’Archéologie de Saint-Germain-en-Laye (78); and le musée de l’Air et de l’Espace du Bourget (93).
In addition, 4 famous museums will offer a free evening to those 18-25 years old.Le musée national d’Art moderne du Centre Pompidou (Wednesday); le musée d’Orsay (Thursday); le Louvre (Friday); le musée du quai Branly (Saturday).
The ‘National’ museums are free in UK … the guide, although not foolproof, is if its web address ends in ‘.ac.uk’ then it’s a ‘National’ museum.