These Overlooked Attractions In France Are Way Less Crowded Than The Musée Du Louvre

The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world for a reason — there is nothing quite like it. It's not just the art collection recording 10,000 years of human creation. It is also the magnificence of the palace, a splendid backdrop for over 30,000 works on display in over 750,000 square feet of exhibition space (try to picture 13 football fields side by side). This exceptional museum, however, is buckling under the weight of its own success.

It's no surprise that the Louvre feels overcrowded. The infrastructure designed to receive 4 million visitors each year is now handling more than twice its intended capacity and saw 8.7 million people pass through in 2024. In early 2025, the French government announced an ambitious development plan to rethink the visitor experience, including a completely separate space for the Mona Lisa.

If you want to get a dose of exquisite art, history, and architecture in a more intimate setting, there is no shortage of attractions available in Paris and beyond. According to the Ministry of Culture, if you counted just the museums carrying the "Musée de France" label (awarded to public interest or state-run institutions) you would have more than 1,200 options. Once you've visited the best museums in Paris, escape the throngs and go further afield to underrated attractions like the Louvre-Lens, Musée de Confluences, Musée des Beaux-Arts, and Château de Chantilly.

For the same caliber without the chaos, the innovative Louvre-Lens Museum in the former mining region of northern France offers a more serene way to get close to the collection. The open-plan Gallery of Time presents 32,000 square feet of sleek modern space with over 200 artworks on loan, including works from the Louvre in Paris. The masterpieces, dating from the 4th millennium B.C. to the mid-19th century, are arranged to form a dialogue across the ages. The exhibit is renewed regularly, providing an overview of the history of art. Beyond the treasured works inside, the 50-acre park surrounding the minimalist glass and aluminum architecture is a welcoming contemplative space to gather your impressions of the visit.

The Louvre-Lens opened in 2012 with the mission of making the Louvre's treasures accessible to everyone, and is now the second most-visited museum in France outside of Paris. Its satellite location in Lens is just over an hour from Paris by train followed by a 20-minute stroll. It represents a novel way to engage with the artworks, complemented with expertly curated special exhibitions, and a fascinating workshop that allows visitors to observe restoration in-action and meet with the team. (Reservations are required, and tickets cost about $8.)

Picking up the baton from Lyon's historic Guimet Museum of Natural History collections, the Musée des Confluences breaks from traditional formats with a futuristic glass and metal "cloud" in the meeting point between the Rhône and Saône rivers. The striking structure is home to an extensive collection spanning natural history, anthropology, and cutting-edge science, and incorporates multimedia tools to enhance the visit for the digitally inclined.

Inaugurated in 2014, Confluences became an instant hit, becoming the number one most visited museum in France outside of Paris.  The permanent collection is arranged on a spiraling journey through time, starting from the birth of the universe to the present. From the rare Camarasaurus to a copy of Sputnik 2, the 3.5 million artifacts in the collection offer a unique journey that is very popular with families. The museum is easily accessible by a modern tram that connects to Lyon Part-Dieu train station in 20 minutes.

The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon (The Museum of Fine Art) is one of the oldest in France, featuring art and history dating back to Ancient Egypt. Recent renovations have modernized the visitor experience across 50 rooms displaying over 1,500 works — one of the richest collections in the country. Budget travelers will also be happy to know the museum is entirely free to visit.

It is housed in the former seat of the court of the powerful Dukes of Burgundy, who ruled over a territory that extended into what is now the Netherlands. A highlight of the visit is the Salle des Gardes, featuring the majestic tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy, Philip the Bold, and John the Fearless. The funeral monuments are adorned with dozens of unique alabaster statues known as "les pleurants" (the mourners). No two are alike, representing all segments of medieval society, in haunting displays of grief. The museum is within walking distance of the Dijon-Ville train station, just over an hour and a half by train from Paris.

Just 30 miles outside Paris lies one of the best-kept secrets for art lovers. The Château de Chantilly houses the second largest collection of antique paintings in France, only second to the Louvre. In keeping with the wishes of the designer of the galleries, the Duke of Aumale, the paintings are displayed in the same way as in the 19th century, allowing visitors to get closer to what the museum would have looked like at the time.

The magnificent Renaissance palace, surrounded by moats and sprawling gardens designed by none other than Versailles landscape architect André Le Nôtre, allows the treasures to breathe, allowing for a relaxing visit. Chantilly houses the Musée Condé with a library containing priceless illuminated manuscripts on par with the national library Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), while the art galleries display masterpieces by giants of the caliber of Raphael, Poussin, and Watteau. The estate also features the Living Horse Museum in the former royal stables, and also holds equestrian demonstrations. The location of the museum is a pleasant 30-minute walk from the train station, which connects you to Paris in under an hour.

There is always a lighthearted debate on whether first-time visitors to Paris should skip the Louvre and go to the Musée d'Orsay instead. In truth, you can't really compare the two, as they offer very different experiences. At Orsay you will get your fill of Impressionist-era paintings by Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh. While the museum welcomes a whopping 5 million visitors per year, the more manageable scope of the collection and the airy layout make it feel less crowded. 

For a total immersion into the Middle Ages, the Cluny Museum presents nearly 1,600 masterpieces of medieval art arranged in a chronological display spanning more than 1,000 years of history, including the famous Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. The museum occupies the site of the ancient thermal baths — with a spectacular frigidarium that features 45-foot-high vaults — as well as the majestic Gothic palace of the Abbots of Cluny. 

To appreciate the twists and turns in the history of the City of Light, don't miss the Carnavalet Museum, where a visit to the permanent collections is one of the many incredible free things to do in Paris. Two stunning former mansion in the Marais house 600,000 artifacts, artworks, and memorabilia, slicing through prehistory to the present day.There is so much to see and do that this summary of attractions in the city barely skims the surface, although to enjoy your visit it is a good idea to avoid cramming too many activities on your visit to Paris.