Musée Rodin

About Musée Rodin

Musee Rodin sits in the Hotel Biron, an 18th-century mansion in the 7th arrondissement where Auguste Rodin worked and lived during his final years. He gave his entire collection to the French state on the condition that his studio become a museum, and the result opened here in 1919, two years after his death. The setting matters as much as the art. You get both the elegant rooms of the house and a large formal garden, which is unusual for a central Paris museum and part of what makes a visit here feel less rushed than the bigger institutions.

Inside and out you will find the sculptures Rodin is best known for, including The Thinker, The Kiss, The Gates of Hell, and the group known as The Burghers of Calais. Many of the bronzes are displayed in the garden itself, set among clipped hedges and gravel paths, so the collection is split between the interior galleries and the grounds. The museum also holds works by Camille Claudel, Rodin's student and collaborator, along with pieces from his own collection, including paintings by artists he admired.

The location is easy to fold into a day around the Left Bank. Les Invalides is right next door and the Eiffel Tower is a reasonable walk away. Entry is paid, and lines can build in high season, so booking ahead helps. Some tickets cover the house and garden together, while a garden-only option exists at certain times, so it is worth checking exactly what your ticket includes before you go. Plan on one to two hours depending on how much time you want in the garden.