The best things to do in Paris when it rains in 2026 are the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay, a tour of the Palais Garnier opera house, the 19th-century covered passages, the Catacombs, the immersive Atelier des Lumières, and the Bourse de Commerce. The department stores on Boulevard Haussmann are a dry afternoon too.
Paris gets rain in every season, but it is rarely a washout: most of the best sights are indoors, and the city's covered arcades were built precisely for wet days. Book timed tickets online for the big museums, because rainy days bring everyone indoors at once. Many museums close on Monday or Tuesday — the Louvre on Tuesdays, Orsay on Mondays — so plan around that. For more ideas, see our best museums in Paris.
The world's largest art museum, enough for any number of rainy days.
The Louvre holds everything from the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo to Egyptian antiquities and French crown jewels. On a rainy day, pick two or three wings rather than trying to see it all.
Enter through the Carrousel du Louvre underground entrance to stay dry.
Good to know: Book a timed ticket; closed on Tuesdays.
Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Impressionist masterpieces in a Beaux-Arts railway station.
The Musée d'Orsay, in a converted Beaux-Arts station, holds the world's great collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh and Cézanne.
The café behind the giant clock is a classic rainy-day stop.
Good to know: Book a timed ticket and go straight to the fifth floor for the Impressionists; closed on Mondays.
1 Rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 75007 Paris
The gilded opera house of 'The Phantom of the Opera'.
The Palais Garnier is the most opulent building in Paris: a grand staircase of marble, a gilded foyer and an auditorium with a ceiling painted by Chagall. Self-guided and guided visits run most days when there is no rehearsal.
It is right next to the department stores of Boulevard Haussmann.
Good to know: Book a guided tour to hear the Phantom stories and see more of the building.
Place de l'Opéra, 75009 Paris
Glass-roofed 19th-century arcades made for wet weather.
Paris's covered passages — Galerie Vivienne, Passage des Panoramas, Passage Jouffroy, Passage Verdeau — are 19th-century arcades with glass roofs and mosaic floors, lined with old bookshops, toy shops, tearooms and restaurants.
You can walk from one to the next with barely a step in the rain.
Good to know: Start at Galerie Vivienne and continue north through Panoramas, Jouffroy and Verdeau.
4 Rue des Petits Champs, 75002 Paris
Underground ossuary tunnels lined with the bones of six million Parisians.
The Catacombs are a network of old quarry tunnels where the remains of around six million Parisians were moved from overflowing cemeteries in the late 18th century. The visit follows about 1.5 km of galleries lined with bones.
It is eerie, fascinating and underground — perfect for a wet day if you book ahead.
Good to know: Book timed tickets online; the exit is some distance from the entrance.
1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris
Immersive art projections in a former foundry.
The Atelier des Lumières projects immersive digital shows of great artists' work, set to music, on the walls and floors of a 19th-century foundry.
It suits families and anyone wanting something different from a traditional museum.
Good to know: Book online and check the current program before you go.
38 Rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris
Contemporary art under a restored dome, redesigned by Tadao Ando.
The Bourse de Commerce, a round 19th-century commodities exchange, was transformed by Tadao Ando into a museum for François Pinault's contemporary art collection, with a concrete cylinder inside the painted rotunda.
The building alone is worth seeing, and the restaurant under the dome is a good lunch spot.
Good to know: Book ahead; closed on Tuesdays.
2 Rue de Viarmes, 75001 Paris
Monet's 'Water Lilies' in two oval rooms built for them.
The Orangerie in the Tuileries holds Monet's huge Water Lilies panels, displayed in two oval rooms as he intended, plus a collection including Renoir, Cézanne and Modigliani.
It is compact enough for an hour or two and is especially calming on a gray day.
Good to know: Book a timed ticket; closed on Tuesdays.
Jardin des Tuileries, 75001 Paris
The world's largest Picasso collection in a Marais mansion.
The Musée Picasso fills the 17th-century Hôtel Salé in the Marais with the largest public collection of Picasso's work, from paintings and sculpture to drawings and ceramics.
Combine with the Marais's shops and cafés afterwards.
Good to know: Closed on Mondays; check the current exhibitions on its site.
5 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris
Frank Gehry's glass 'cloud' with major art exhibitions.
Frank Gehry's Fondation Louis Vuitton looks like a ship of glass sails at the edge of the Bois de Boulogne. It hosts blockbuster exhibitions of modern and contemporary art.
A shuttle runs from Place Charles-de-Gaulle (Étoile).
Good to know: Book ahead for major exhibitions, which often sell out.
8 Avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris
Visit the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay or Musée de l'Orangerie, tour the Palais Garnier, walk the covered passages, go down into the Catacombs, see an immersive show at the Atelier des Lumières, or shop at Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.
The Louvre, the Orangerie and the Bourse de Commerce are among those closed on Tuesdays; the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée Picasso close on Mondays. Always check before going.
Yes — they are underground, but book a timed ticket online, as the queue outside is long and uncovered.
19th-century glass-roofed shopping arcades such as Galerie Vivienne, Passage des Panoramas and Passage Jouffroy, full of bookshops, tearooms and boutiques.
The Cité des Sciences, the Muséum's Grande Galerie de l'Évolution, the Atelier des Lumières or the Catacombs for older children. See our best things to do with kids in Paris.