Paris visitor guide
The historic Beaubourg building is closed for renovation, but Centre Pompidou is still active through Constellation: exhibitions, talks, performances, film, youth programming, and guided tours at partner venues in Paris and beyond.
Photo by 王永年（Chris Wang）
The story behind the place
Centre Pompidou opened in 1977 with a radical idea: a major cultural institution could be open, legible, and part of the city rather than hidden behind formal facades. The building’s inside-out design by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers made its services, circulation, and structure part of the architecture itself, turning the museum into a kind of urban machine in the heart of Paris. Official material frames the current renovation as more than maintenance: it is a reset intended to reconnect the institution with that original utopian ambition, while improving safety, energy performance, visitor flow, and accessibility. During the closure, the Centre is trying to keep that public mission alive through Constellation, spreading exhibitions, talks, performances, and educational activity across partner venues in Paris, France, and abroad. In practical terms, that means the “Centre Pompidou visit” has shifted from one iconic building to a distributed network of events and places, with Maison Pompidou acting as a Paris base for information, history, and programming while the main building is off-limits.
[3][2][1][5]Know before you go
The historic Beaubourg building is closed for renovation, but Centre Pompidou is still active through Constellation: exhibitions, talks, performances, film, youth programming, and guided tours at partner venues in Paris and beyond.
[1][2][4]Official sources say accessibility is a core part of the renovation plan, including improved access for people with reduced mobility and support for physical, sensory, learning, psychic, and cognitive disabilities through adapted tours/workshops.
[2][7][4][6]Visit Constellation events at partner venues across France and abroad
[1][2]Maison Pompidou entry is free; some activities require reservation
[5]Renovation project includes improved accessibility for reduced mobility
[2][7]Maison Pompidou, 50 rue Rambuteau, 75003 Paris
[5]The museum is housed in the Hôtel Salé in the Marais and holds the largest Picasso collection in the world, making it the core Paris stop for visitors focused on Picasso’s work.
Louis IX built Sainte-Chapelle to house the Crown of Thorns and other major Passion relics; the site is also known for its exceptional stained glass, with 15 tall windows telling biblical history in 1,113 scenes.
Notre-Dame is a major Catholic cathedral and a restored Paris landmark that is open for prayer and free visits, with interior chapels, signage, and visitor mediation tools. The official site frames it as both a place of worship and a historic cultural monument.
Last updated September 16, 2026
