Paris is one of the most beautiful cities you can explore in Europe. While most people who visit mainly want to see places such as the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre Museum, there are many other museums and beautiful places full of history and culture for you to explore.
The Centre Pompidou is one of those places which can offer you an incredible experience and help you get a fresh new experience in regards to the Parisian museums.
Things You Should Know Before Visiting The Museum
Before reading about all the great reasons and facts revolving around why you should definitely pay a visit to the museum during your stay in Paris, there are a few things you should keep in mind in regards to your visit. First of all, the museum works every working day of the week from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM. It is a good idea to keep an eye out for any holidays that could potentially change the working hours though.
One of the questions that most visitors have is how much time they will need in order to view the entirety of the building. This information should help you better plan your visit, as you will need roughly around 2-3 hours to explore this massive exhibition. So make sure to visit early so you have enough time to go through all of the artwork.
Another thing you might want to keep in mind is the price of the entry tickets. While the entry to the lobby of the Centre Pompidou is free and allows you access to the gift shop, book store as well as the ground level café and the restaurant, you will have to pay a fee in order to view the exhibition.
The full ticket for adults over 25 years of age is €14, and the reduced version or student prices for visitors between the age of 18 and 25 is only €11. Kids and teenagers under the age of 18 are eligible for a free pass, which you can acquire at the ticket window. There is no time limit on how long you can stay within the building.
Last but not least, something important art lovers should know about is the temporary exhibitions of art pieces which take place on the top floor of the building. These exhibitions usually showcase the work of one particular artist and last for a limited amount of time. Even some of the past exhibitions might be recycled, so you might want to keep that in mind and look at any planning that might have been made for future temporary exhibitions and their creators.
Its a Great Location
Located near the National Picasso Museum, it will give you the chance to not only see the incredibly large gallery of art it offers but it will also allow you to have access to a variety of other museums and historic places you might want to visit during your stay in Paris.
Since moving around Paris is relatively easy thanks to the metro, you will have the chance to walk around and see a majority of places in just a single day. This will benefit you greatly, especially if your stay is limited to just a few days.
The Strangely Designed Exterior
Probably one of the most iconic things about the Pompidou Centre, apart from its large collection of modern art, has to be the strange red tubes that decorate the exterior. Those tubes actually are a large escalator which helps the crowd move their way inside and outside of the building.
The reason why this building looks so unique on the outside is that it was designed so that all of the electric wires, plumbing, pipes, and air circulation elements are on the outside of the building. On top of that, they are also color-coded. The green pipes are the plumbing ones, the yellow wires are the electrical ones, the blue ducts are for climate control and the circulation, health, and safety elements are coded in red.
The interesting architecture of the building perfectly matches the diverse and modern theme of the museum and it helps attract visitors from all over the world on a yearly basis since it first opened in 1977.
The Biggest Collection of Modern & Contemporary Arts in Paris
If you wish to see some of the most famous masterpieces of modern and contemporary artists such as Picasso and Miró, this museum will truly captivate you. With a space of over 5 acres, filled with over 50,000 pieces of art of some of the biggest artists of the late 19th-20th century, you will certainly be able to view and admire your favorite pieces.
The Centre offers its visitors 6 different collections of art which they can explore and they consist of the following:
- The Modern Art Collection
- The Contemporary Art Collection
- The Photography Art Collection
- The Design Collection
- The New Media Collection and the Cinema Collection
All of these collections are not only recommended by Dezeen for all art lovers but they also truly are rich from the works of different artists and have something new and unique to show every single visitor. No matter what your main reason for visiting might be, you should definitely take the time to explore everything and you might just come to love a new style or artist.
Its Marvelous View of Paris
The 6th floor of the Centre Pompidou has a special spot in the heart of many loyal visitors, who come back to not only enjoy the art but to also admire the incredible view of the city that the Centre has to offer.
From the top floor of the building, you can admire the Eiffel Tower, the Sacre-Coeur basilica and other marvelous buildings and monuments throughout the beautiful city of Paris. This floor also offered its visitors a great view of the Notre Dame but sadly, since its destruction by the recent fire, the medieval Cathedral sadly doesn’t offer the breath-taking view it once did.
Explore The Pompidou Shop and Restaurant
The Centre Pompidou is so large that it would have been impossible for it not to offer a chance for a meal or refreshment to its visitors. The Centre currently offers two options, the Mezzanine Café on level 1, which is a more affordable option for those who wish to have a drink and rest their feet.
If you are looking for a great culinary experience, you can make a reservation at the Restaurant Georges, a world-famous restaurant known for its luxurious dinners and unique cocktails. You can also refer to some of the best paper writers from a variety of services in order to put your Pompidou experience in writing and ready for blog publishing.
On the same note, another thing you shouldn’t miss going through is the Centre Pompidou shops which can be found on the ground floor of the building. There, you will be able to find a very large variety of books, notebooks, designer items, and souvenirs which will remind you of your favorite parts of the exhibition.
The Large Public Collection of Books
While many people might not be informed about this, the Centre Pompidou actually offers one of the largest and most diverse public libraries in today’s world. Students and researches from all over the city of Paris like to use public library daily, so you should expect a longer wait if you are visiting during the day.
The Public Information Library of Paris takes up the second and third floor of the Pompidou Centre and is it filled with almost 500.000 documents which are all available and accessible to anyone who wants to read them.
If French isn’t a language you’re familiar with though there are other options for those who still want to view this massive collection. You can first of all watch television channels from all over the world, or you can even explore the large section of audiovisual or music collection that the library has to offer. No matter how to choose to spend your time there, the library will have a lot of content to offer you.
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