What to see in Paris: The Centre Pompidou

This blog post was originally shared summer of 2014:

So it’s obviously a no brainer that you HAVE to visit a couple of museums while in Paris, but of course it can be a bit daunting when they have more than can be counted on your hands and feet. Since the last time I was in Paris I visited the Louvre (it can be visited many times and still not see everything), I decided to skip the Louvre and make my first museum visit somewhere I hadn’t seen before and isn’t similar to any museums offered in New York (okay, yes the MoMA is similar, but not design wise). This my friends is The Centre Pompidou, a massive site in the center of Paris with exposed air-conditioning, pipes, lifts and  escalators on the outside. Creating an inside-out boiler house architectural design created by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. 


I was completely taken back at my first sighting. The size is astonishing! For a small fee, I made my way up the escalators and was of course looking at my phone instagraming on the escalator. Once I was halfway up, I decided to look out the glass window and was in aw of the breathtaking views of Paris from the 5th floor (which also houses a lovely restaurant worth visiting if you have the extra time and $$$). I recommend giving yourself at least 4 hours to properly enjoy the museum as there is a lot to see, and do check in advance what the special exhibit may be, as this can also add time waiting in the line if the exhibit is of your interest. Though luckily this museum does have pretty late hours so you can enjoy an early evening here after running around Paris and then take in the sunset views before headed back out into the second most beautiful part of the city, Paris by night.