Musée Picasso Re-opens in Paris

  • October 20, 2014
Musée Picasso Re-opens in Paris
These two hotels - the closest hotels to the museum on the Rue de Thorigny in the heart of the Marais - are perfectly place for retracing Picasso's footsteps. Guests can enjoy a specially curated self-guided walking tour of Picasso's Paris and tickets to the Musée Picasso during a deeply comfortable two night stay.

Long awaited and much anticipated, the re-opening of the museum is set to coincide with the 144th anniversary of Picasso's birth; a fitting date to re-reveal the 5,000 strong collection of works, the most spectacular of its kind the world over.

The carefully devised walking tour will reveal the bygone Paris that Pablo Picasso called home. Envisage atmospheric gas-lit Montmartre at the turn of the 20th century. Spot Le Bateau Lavoir, where Picasso paid just fifteen francs in rent from 1904 - 1909, created cubism and painted Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.

Pass his studio on the Boulevard de Clichy in the shadow of the Sacre Coeur. Or head to the Left Bank and the Rue des Grands Augustins to see the Hôtel de Savoie, home to Le Grenier de Picasso (Picasso's attic) in which the artist lived and worked between 1936 and 1955 – and where he created Guernica in 1937. Exploring the city will put the collection at the Musée Picasso into context.

A museum of such calibre is deserving of an equally fine place to stay. Set on the Place des Vosges, Pavillon de la Reine sits south of the museum, less than a ten minute stroll away. Set behind a private courtyard awash with roses, the hotel has the feel of a discreet private home, with 54 individually designed rooms. Outside, the independent galleries, boutiques and restaurants in the colonnades of the Places des Vosges provide more plenty to discover.

Meanwhile, just a few steps north of the Museum sits Hotel du Petit Moulin, set in the building that was originally Paris' first bakery, complete with original 19th century Boulangerie shop frontage. 17 rooms are each designed by Christian Lacroix; wonderfully theatrical and endlessly creative, there is a surprise around every corner. The hotel sits quietly amid the boutiques, bars and bakeries which make Le Marais one of Paris' most compelling quartiers.

A truly artistic Parisian weekend awaits.

‘Picasso's Paris' at Pavillon de la Reine from €900 and at Hotel du Petit Moulin from €600, based on two sharing a two night stay on a B&B basis, two tickets for the Musée Picasso and a self-guided walking tour of the city. City tax is extra. Bookable from 21 October 2014 – 31 January 2014, subject to availability.

Visit website: www.museepicassoparis.fr/en/