Behind a high wall on rue de Varenne in the 7th arrondissement, the Musée Rodin offers something rare in Paris: a world-class museum where the garden is as compelling as the galleries. This 18th-century mansion and its three-hectare garden give you a close encounter with Auguste Rodin’s most celebrated works.
The museum occupies the Hôtel Biron, built in 1732. Rodin found it almost abandoned in 1908, rented four ground-floor rooms, and took over the whole building from 1911. His donation to the French State in 1916 made the museum possible, and it opened in 1919. The story is on the Musée Rodin’s own page about the Hôtel Biron.
The Mansion Galleries
Start inside the Hôtel Biron, where the visit runs through eighteen rooms, from a monumental staircase onward. The first three rooms cover Rodin’s early career, tracing his path to the artist who changed modern sculpture.
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The Age of Bronze stands in a rotunda with 18th-century wood panelling, and The Kiss, in white marble, comes right after it. The marble seems to soften where the lovers’ bodies meet. Look out too for The Cathedral, two right hands reaching toward each other, a fragment that conveys more emotion than many complete figures. One room is given over to the work of Camille Claudel.
Rodin was also a collector. Paintings he owned, including Van Gogh’s Père Tanguy, are part of the museum’s collection; what is on show changes, so check the museum’s collections pages before you go. From the first-floor windows you look down onto the bronzes in the garden.
The Garden and Major Bronzes
The real revelation is the garden. At three hectares, it’s large enough to feel like a park, with rose gardens on either side of the main courtyard, an ornamental pool, lawns and lime trees that scent the air in summer. The bronzes placed throughout take on a different character from their indoor counterparts: weathered by rain, shadowed by trees, monumental against the sky.
The Thinker sits on a tall pillar among clipped box trees, facing The Gates of Hell on the far side of the garden. Rodin began the Gates, inspired by Dante’s Inferno, in 1880 and kept working on them for the rest of his life. Stand close and you’ll spot the Thinker again, as a smaller figure at the top: he began there in 1880 as “The Poet”, Dante looking down on the circles of Hell, and the large version was made in 1904. You’ll also find the Monument to the Burghers of Calais, Ugolino and His Sons in the middle of the pool, and Balzac against the backdrop of the Invalides. The museum’s sculpture garden page maps them all.
The garden has a café, L’Augustine, a good place for a coffee between the galleries and the bronzes.
Visiting Details and Insider Tips
The museum is on rue de Varenne, a short walk from the métro: Varenne (line 13) is right by it, and Invalides (lines 8 and 13) is close too. Opening days and times, ticket types and prices change, so check the official Musée Rodin website before you go and buy your ticket online.
We find a weekday morning or late afternoon the quietest time for a visit.
The garden is worth visiting in any season. The roses bloom in May, and in September the leaves turn golden across the paths. Even winter has its appeal, with the bronzes dark against bare branches.
Combining Your Visit
The Musée Rodin makes a natural pairing with other 7th arrondissement sights. The Hôtel des Invalides, with Napoleon’s tomb under its golden dome, is right next door: you can see the dome from the museum garden. The Eiffel Tower is within walking distance to the west.
If you’re interested in more sculpture, the Musée Maillol is on rue de Grenelle, a walk of about fifteen minutes to the north-east. For another garden, the Jardin Catherine-Labouré on rue de Babylone is a public garden laid out on part of an old convent’s kitchen garden.
The sculpture garden is at its best in the late afternoon, when the light softens over the bronzes.
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Updated October 2026: corrected the history of the Hôtel Biron, the layout of the galleries and garden and the walking directions, removed the address, opening times and prices (see the official website), and added links and photos for each section. Checked October 2026 against the Musée Rodin website (Hôtel Biron, sculpture garden and The Thinker collection pages), the City of Paris (Jardin Catherine-Labouré) and the Musée Maillol website.
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