The Thinker, the Gates of Hell and a seven-acre garden on the rue de Varenne. Ninety minutes, half of it outside.
The short version
- Tickets are €14 at musee-rodin.fr or at the door, free under 18 and for EU/EEA residents aged 18 to 25. The Paris Museum Pass is accepted.
- Closed Mondays. Open 10:00 to 18:30, with last entry at 17:45 and the ticket office shut an hour before closing.
- The entrance is at 77 rue de Varenne. Varenne metro on line 13 is the closest stop; Invalides on lines 8, 13 and RER C is five minutes further.
- The Thinker, the Gates of Hell, the Burghers of Calais and Balzac are all in the garden. The Kiss and the marbles are inside the Hôtel Biron.
- The €25 ticket with the Musée d’Orsay is valid for three months, one entry at each, no time slot needed.
- Suitcases and large bags are not allowed in. Small backpacks are fine, and the cloakroom is free.
Getting in
Book online or pay at the desk; there are no timed slots for individuals, so the online ticket saves the queue, nothing more. One ticket covers the Hôtel Biron, the garden and whatever exhibition is on. There is no garden-only ticket.
Free entry needs proof: ID for under-18s and for 18-to-25-year-olds living in the EU or EEA, a card for jobseekers, teachers and disabled visitors with one companion. The first Sunday of the month is free for everyone from October 1 to March 31, with no booking required.
Combined tickets: €25 with the Orsay, €23 with the Quai Branly, €26 with the Musée de l’Armée next door. The Orsay pairing is the one to take; the two museums are a 20-minute walk apart.
Or make it one stop on a longer morning: our half-day Paris walking tour is a private guide for about three hours, routed around what you want to see, with start times from 9:00 to 18:00.
The visit
Start outside. The Thinker sits on his pillar among the box trees with the gold dome of Les Invalides behind him, and the Gates of Hell stand across the lawn facing him. Ugolino is in the pond, Balzac against the Invalides, the Burghers of Calais by the rue de Varenne wall. Forty-five minutes.
Then the Hôtel Biron. Rodin rented four ground-floor rooms here in 1908, took the whole house from 1911, and gave his work to the French state in 1916 on condition that it became his museum. It opened in 1919. Eighteen rooms, from his early career to The Walking Man among the antiquities he collected, with The Kiss in white marble halfway through and a room for Camille Claudel.
No temporary exhibition is on this autumn. Photography is allowed in the garden and the house without flash or tripod. The audio guide is €6.50 and runs over two hours, more than you need. The house is not air-conditioned; the chapel across the courtyard is.
When to go
Weekday mornings at 10:00, or any afternoon after 15:30. The garden is the point, so pick a dry day; it closes at nightfall in winter, which cuts the visit short from November to February.
First Sundays from October to March are free and crowded. The house is not air-conditioned, so a July afternoon is the one to avoid.
Closed January 1, May 1 and December 25, and every Monday. Open July 14, Easter Sunday, May 8, November 1 and November 11 unless they fall on a Monday. The ticket office closes at 17:30 and the galleries empty from 18:15.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a timed ticket for the Musée Rodin?
No. Individual tickets have no time slot, online or at the door. Buying online skips the ticket line, which is short on weekdays and longer on weekends. Groups of more than ten must book.
How long does the Musée Rodin take?
Ninety minutes: 45 in the garden, 45 in the house. Two hours with a coffee at L’Augustine, the café in the garden. One entry only.
Is the Musée Rodin free?
For under-18s, for EU and EEA residents aged 18 to 25, for Paris Museum Pass holders, and for everyone on the first Sunday of the month from October to March. Otherwise €14, with no reduced rate for adults.
Can I see The Thinker without a ticket?
No. The Thinker, the Gates of Hell and the rest of the garden sculptures are inside the ticketed grounds. The shop at 79 rue de Varenne is open without a ticket, Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00.
Is there a tour that includes the Rodin?
Yes, as part of a day. Our private Paris walking tour is custom: eight hours with an English-speaking guide, Louvre priority tickets included, start and end point set around where you are staying. Put the Rodin on the list when you book.
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