Important update for travelers in 2026: as part of the “Renaissance 2030” project, the Centre Pompidou building in Paris is now fully closed for major renovations. But don’t worry, the Pompidou Museum is alive and well outside its walls! The modern and contemporary art collections are currently on display at the Grand Palais and, through the “Constellation” program, at hundreds of venues across France and around the world. Keep reading to find out where to see the artwork this year.
In a survey conducted a few years back among residents of Paris, the Centre Pompidou came in second place on the list of buildings Parisians would most like to see torn down (first place goes to the Tour Montparnasse). On the other hand, it’s one of the most successful museums in Paris, and at one point it even surpassed the Louvre Museum in visitor numbers. Parisians have a real love-hate relationship with this building, and the huge lines on weekends and holidays, where you’ll hear almost nothing but French, prove it. Among international visitors, too, there’s a heated debate: is this an ugly building showing dull art, or a brilliant building showing fascinating, groundbreaking art?
When I put together the first version of this guide, I got feedback that it was a bit unfair of me to write about the Centre Pompidou, since I’m one of those people who, for years, saw it as an unfortunate architectural accident (though as you’ll see in this article, my opinion has shifted a bit). And honestly, the more I thought about it, the more I understood how fair that feedback was: it’s hard for someone who doesn’t like modern art and doesn’t like this building to explain its appeal to the millions of visitors who flock to it every year. Luckily for me, my dear friend and fellow Francophile Yoel Thamanlis took up the challenge and added a lot of valuable information to this article, all of it seen through the eyes of a true admirer.
The result, in my view, is the ultimate guide to the Centre Pompidou, because it doesn’t just give you everything you need to know for a visit, it also captures both schools of thought: those who see it as a work of genius, and those who’d be thrilled if it vanished from the face of the earth. So before we set off toward the 4th arrondissement of Paris, where the museum is located, let’s take a look at the video below to get us in the mood.
Important visitor information (2026 update: the renovation period)
Since a lot of you are looking for the practical details, let’s start with the current logistics. Keep in mind that in 2026, visiting the Pompidou Museum looks completely different because the main building is closed.
Where do you buy tickets, and where are the exhibitions shown in 2026?
Since the main building on the Place Beaubourg is closed to the public, you can no longer buy tickets for it as before. That said, the museum’s activities continue in full force at alternative venues, chief among them the Grand Palais. You can find the activities and exhibitions taking place there below:
Beyond the exhibitions at the Grand Palais, it’s worth knowing that the BPI library has temporarily relocated to the Lumière building in the 12th arrondissement, and during 2026 a fascinating new branch of the museum is opening in the suburb of Massy.
For more information on other museums you can currently visit, I highly recommend checking out my guide to museums in Paris for 2026.
How do you get to this historic neighborhood?
Even though the Centre Pompidou in Paris is closed for renovations, its plaza remains a lively hub in the neighborhood. The building’s address is Place Georges-Pompidou, right next to Rue Beaubourg.
The easiest way to reach the area and see the progress of the renovation project is to take line 11 and get off at Rambuteau (about a 3-minute walk). Alternatively, you can take the automated line 1, get off at Hôtel de Ville, and walk about 10 minutes.
The story of the Centre Pompidou: a revolution in the heart of Paris
The Centre Pompidou sits right on the border between the Marais and the Les Halles area. It all started when the wholesale market that once stood there, causing massive traffic jams, was moved to the town of Rungis south of Paris. This freed up a sizable piece of land on the eastern edge of the market, and there the French Minister of Culture André Malraux decided to build a cultural center. Unlike the ugly Les Halles mall, which was built on the ruins of the beautiful iron and glass Baltard pavilions, this museum was set to be built on a site where no architecturally significant buildings stood. So at the very least, the people who built this museum didn’t tear down anything beautiful to do it.
Now Paris has its own monster
Once the decision was made to build the cultural center, a design competition was announced, drawing 681 architects. It was won by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. The designers paid attention to every detail: even the colors of the building’s exterior pipes have meaning. Blue for air conditioning, green for water, red for the escalators, and yellow for the electrical system. Construction began in 1971 and finished in 1977 (the year I was born), and during that time, the French president France‘s Georges Pompidou died. Since the president loved modern architecture and was one of the people who initiated the museum’s creation, it was only natural that the place would be named after him.
As the story goes, when the museum opened, plenty of Parisians were convinced someone had forgotten to remove the scaffolding before the launch, that’s how surprising and unconventional the building’s exposed architecture was. As I mentioned in the introduction, a large share of Parisians despised the place from day one, and the newspaper Le Figaro even ran an article saying: “Now Paris has its own monster too, the Loch Ness Monster isn’t alone anymore.” And this “monster” really did know how to swallow money. Construction cost nearly a billion francs, and the current large-scale renovation underway from 2025 to 2030 (under the national renewal project) is estimated at around 463 million euros, aimed at adapting and modernizing the building for the next 50 years. So is it all worth the money?
How I stopped despising the Centre Pompidou, by Zvi Chazanov
Anyone who knows my taste in art won’t be surprised that I, too, once considered the Centre Pompidou an abomination. A pest crawling across the beautiful hall of the City of Light. I never believed I’d set foot in the place until Noli Omer came along. Noli (of the duo “Debbie and Noli”) isn’t just a talented comedian, she’s also an artist, and as such she’s deeply interested in modern art. And so, kicking and screaming, Noli dragged me one day in 2014 into the belly of the “monster.” And honestly? The experience wasn’t so terrible.
The central space of the Centre Pompidou is spacious and airy and gives a real sense of freedom. But beyond that, the design reminded me of a giant arcade hall (the kind that were so popular in the 1980s), and nothing makes me fall for a place quite like nostalgia. My affection grew as I rode the escalators up toward the museum’s upper floors. Through the transparent tubes you can see the Les Halles area, the Stravinsky Fountain, and the Saint-Merri church. Simply wonderful! And then you reach the roof, and all of Paris opens up before you. It’s without a doubt a stunning panoramic view that no amateur photographer will want to miss. And I haven’t even mentioned “Georges,” the rooftop bar up there, which you can read about in my article on the best bars in Paris.
Why you should know the Pompidou Museum, by Yoel Thamanlis
Inside the highly unusual, ultra-modern structure of the Pompidou Museum, built from a steel skeleton of giant colorful pipes, glass, and exterior escalators, there’s a constant, multifaceted stream of contemporary art and culture. It’s one of the best and most important museums in the world for modern art, holding a collection of over 140,000 works. In fact, the museum is the chronological successor to the Musée d’Orsay.
Modern art at its finest
It holds remarkable collections representing modern art from 1905 onward, drawing on works by French artists and others. Among them you’ll find famous pieces by Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, Léger, and more. One of the most interesting things is that you can find works from nearly every major period of art: Fauvism, Cubism, Surrealism, abstract art, avant-garde, realism, and more. As mentioned, during the renovation (through 2030), the museum’s management has promised that these vast collections won’t just sit hidden away in storage, they’ll be shown across France and the world through the “Constellation” initiative.
Place Stravinsky
Right along the southern side of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, in the Place Igor Stravinsky, between bustling cafés and the striking Gothic Saint-Merri church, stands a charming and unusual colorful fountain, with odd, colorful water sculptures designed by the sculptor Niki de Saint Phalle. Additional elements in the fountain were designed by Jean Tinguely. Over the years, the fountain has become one of the most photographed spots in the city, and you can still enjoy it today even while the museum’s main building is covered in scaffolding.
The building, initially dismissed as repulsive, raised plenty of eyebrows and dropped plenty of jaws, but over time it became widely accepted in the city and a symbol of architectural innovation. Today it’s clear to everyone that it reflects a new cultural policy, pushing Paris toward the coveted title of “art capital of the world.” To really love this place, you have to look at the building itself as a work of modern art.
Is it worth staying near the Centre Pompidou in Paris?
I really love staying in the area around the Centre Pompidou, not because I love the building or the art inside it (as you’ve already learned from this article), but because the location is simply wonderful. To the east is the Marais, and to the west is Les Halles and Rue Montorgueil, with its array of culinary attractions. You can also find great options in my guide to hotels in the 4th arrondissement.
The distance to Rue de Rivoli isn’t far at all either, and from there you can easily hop over to Île de la Cité and the Left Bank. Add to that the fact that there are plenty of wonderful Asian restaurants nearby (Paris’s small Chinatown is just a few minutes’ walk from here), and you’ll find this is simply a great location.
Excellent apartments across from the Pompidou Museum
Did I convince you to look for places to stay near the Pompidou Museum? With that settled, let me recommend a few apartments by Edla, located right nearby. These apartments are on Rue Simon Le Franc, and you’ll be able to see the Centre Pompidou from the window (not sure if that’s a plus or a minus). I’ve stayed there with my parents several times and always enjoyed the quality furnishings, the ideal location, and the great service.
You can find all of these apartments, along with other apartments in equally great locations, on the Edla Paris rental site.
What about hotels?
There are quite a few hotels within a few minutes’ walk of the Pompidou Museum, in the western part of the 3rd arrondissement and also in the 4th arrondissement (the part closer to Rue de Rivoli). Here are two hotels I’ve stayed at and loved:
If you’d like to find more hotels near the Centre Pompidou, you can find them on this map:
Open the map in a separate window
A few words about Yoel Thamanlis
Joel is a Francophile currently living in Modi’in. Besides being a journalist, he’s also a photographer, and if you’d like to enjoy his beautiful photos of Paris, feel free to check out the page Paris Through the Zoom. If you’d like to read the articles he’s published on the site, click here.
