The Solo Scale:

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Do you like modern art?

Even if the answer to that is a resounding “I never have before”, there’s still plenty of reasons to visit Centre Pompidou. There are excellent views of Notre Dame in the backdrop from the top floors, and seeing the facade up close is a fascinating look at modern architecture. That said, it is still a modern art museum at heart.

The minute you arrive, Centre Pompidou will either impress or disgust you. It looks like an unfinished building with the scaffolding. On the exterior are tunnel-like escalators. It’s definitely a strange experience to arrive to the large plaza outside. It’s even stranger if you’re visiting and going up the escalators. It feels a little undone, as if they forgot to put the last of the walls up.

However, that’s exactly the point of a modern art museum.

Want to visit?

Get the Paris Museum Pass! Centre Pompidou is one of the more than 50 museums/monuments included for 55 € (2-Day Pass) . If you want to visit just the museum, the ticket is €17 and you can find more information here.

The outside of this museum draws mixed opinions, though so did the Eiffel Tower when it was first erected. When Centre Pompidou was in the process of being unveiled in the 1970’s, Le Figaro commented:

“Paris has its own monster, just like Loch Ness.”

The Observer, Architecture

Inside will be works of art that may be somewhat more controversial. Modern art tends to strike up more conversation than anything else. It’s still a good way to broaden your definition of art, though. It’s also a nice punctuation to all the Impressionists and Renaissance works you’ll see at other museums in Paris.

You can access Centre Pompidou via Rambuteau (line 11), Hôtel de Ville (lines 1 and 11), Châtelet (lines 1, 4, 7, 11 and 14), with Rambuteau being the closest in proximity. With five stories and multiple exhibitions, there’s plenty to see for an hour or two (or more!) and beyond the art, the facade is absolutely worth a visit.

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