The Centre Pompidou - whose full name is actually Centre national d’art et de culture Georges-Pompidou - is a multicultural complex. It houses the Musée National d’Art Moderne (National Museum of Modern Art), the Bibliothèque Publique d’Information (Public Information Library), and the IRCAM (centre for music and acoustic research).

Locals also refer to the Pompidou using the name of its location, Beaubourg. Being the area less than 500 m (0.3 miles) from the Seine, a very popular choice for visitors is to go on a river cruise and then go on to visit the Centre. You can get your combined ticket here .

The Centre Pompidou develops over six floors. The first and sixth floors are dedicated to the many exhibitions organised every season. The second and third floors house the Bibliothèque (often indicated as BPI). The collections of the Musée National d’Art Moderne are found on the fourth (1960s-present day) and fifth floors (1900s-1960s).

With over 120,000 works, the Pompidou’s collection ranges from photography, the visual arts, conceptual art, and new media. Some of the most famous artists found here are Kandinsky, Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, Mondrian, Miró, Duchamp, Dix, and Kahlo.

Aside from the spectacular art within, the building itself makes it worth a visit. The Pompidou is, in fact, one of the most impactful pieces of architecture you’ll see in Paris.

What at first sight might appear as an incredibly colourful and very much unfinished construction site, is actually the building’s structural, mechanical, and circulation systems exposed on the exterior. Tubes, air ducts, lifts, and scaffolding, all contribute to the Pompidou Centre’s characteristic inside-out design.

Centre Pompidou Entry and Seine River Cruise

Save money and skip the queues with a combined ticket.

Book it now

Location

Place Georges-Pompidou, 3rd arrondissement

Tickets and price

The Centre Pompidou advises its visitors to reserve their entrance in advance. You can still buy an entry on the day, but you might have to queue for a long time and - if it’s a busy day - not be able to get in.

You can get a combined ticket for the Pompidou Centre + a river cruise here . If instead, you prefer a private live tour of the entire Centre, you can book it here .

Entry to the Pompidou Centre is also included in the Paris Museum Pass, so if you plan on visiting a decent amount of attractions during your stay in Paris, we highly recommend buying it - you can get yours here . The Museum Pass will give you free access to all the most important sights in the city.

Paris Museum Pass for 2, 4, or 6 days

Save money and skip queues with a Paris Museum Pass.

Book it now

Schedule

*On Thursdays, the exhibition spaces on level 6 remain open until 11:00 pm.

Transport

Nearby sights

Île de la Cité - 750 m (over 0.4 miles) south, 9-minute walk.

Notre Dame Cathedral - 800 m (almost 0.5 miles) south, 10-minute walk.

Sainte-Chapelle - 850 m (just over 0.5 miles) south, 11-minute walk.

Conciergerie - 850 m (just over 0.5 miles) south, 11-minute walk.

Musée Cognacq-Jay - 900 m (over 0.5 miles) east, 12-minute walk.

Musée Picasso - 1 km (0.6 miles) east, 13-minute walk.

Latin Quarter - 1 km (0.6 miles) south, 13-minute walk.

Musée du Louvre - 1.2 km (over 0.7 miles) west, 15-minute walk.

Palais-Royal - 1.6 km (1 mile) west, 21-minute walk.