Spring, synonymous with walks, is the perfect excuse to go and see the major exhibitions and retrospectives of the major museums and galleries of the capital. A tour of the star exhibitions of the moment.

Fans of courtly romanticism embodied by Héloïse and Abélard and the Lady with the Unicorn can't wait: the Cluny museum has had a makeover and is reopening its doors with its share of amazing surprises.

Often poorly known to Parisians, the Cluny museum , aka the museum of the Middle Ages , is full of nuggets and is one of the most beautiful historic buildings in Paris with the 2000-year-old Gallo-Roman baths and its hotel particular from the 15th century.

The treasures to (re)discover: jewels of goldsmithery such as Byzantium-style crowns worthy of a Dolce & Gabbana fashion show , capitals sculpted as if it were raining, jewels of queens, paintings where the most beautiful toilets parade of the 15th century and even secret rooms with vaulted ceilings where the ladies met to spread their court gossip…

The added plus: the new Café des Amis , our new sunny spot for the summer in the Renaissance courtyard, like at the Château de Blois.

Cluny Museum , open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. Ticket €12, reduced price €10. 28 rue Sommerard, Paris 5th.

Immersion in the Barcelona of the last century with Gaudí who arrives with great fanfare at the Musée d'Orsay with his most beautiful masterpieces straight from Catalonia.

Architect, decorator, draftsman, designer, Gaudí embodies the Spanish splendor of the Belle Époque like no one else. The route reveals his most beautiful Art Nouveau commissions for a wealthy clientele of the 1900s: cabinet-making furniture, kitsch mahogany living rooms reconstructed on site, sculptures of women in medieval fashion or even sumptuous drawings of his most beautiful projects. planning from Park Guell to the Sagrada Familia .

The added plus: another Catalan star not to be missed, Maillol and the sculptures of his most beautiful muses will amaze the public at the Musée d'Orsay.

Gaudí , open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., until 9:45 p.m. on Thursdays. Tickets €16, reduced rate €13. Musée d'Orsay , esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Paris 7th.

The promise: this is the most glamorous exhibition of the spring. Forty years after her death, the Cinémathèque de Paris is devoting a river retrospective to Romy Schneider .

On the program: real reconstructions of cult films like Sissi , from the costumes to the sets, official photos in a Chanel suit or more intimate backstage where we discover a fragile, moving diva but above all a workaholic and a freedom-loving actress.

And after ? Take the opportunity to go for a drink and eat a pizza at La Felicità , just on the other side of the Seine.

Open Monday to Friday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed on Tuesdays.

Ticket on reservation required. Romy Schneider exhibition at the Cinémathèque de Paris until July 31, 2022.

© Robert Lebeck

The promise: the sculptor who is on the rise in the world of contemporary art invites himself to the Pinault Foundation and the Pompidou Museum for a spectacular exhibition where we find his flagship works such as Horse and Riders . Charles Ray explores the ancient world and the human figure with humour, brilliantly uses illusion and mimesis on everyday scenes. The artist questions time, space and reality but also develops a reflection on existence that shakes up consciences .

And after ? We go to taste good meals at friendly prices in an extraordinary Belle Époque decor at the Petit Bouillon Pharamond .

Charles Ray until June 6 at the Bourse de Commerce , 2 rue de Viarmes, Paris 1er. Open daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. €14.

Until June 20 at the Center Pompidou , Open every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. €14.

© Charles Ray, Parvis de la Bourse de Commerce - Pinault Collection, Paris, 2021, Courtesy Pinault Collection, Photo Aurélien Mole

The promise: the master of Provence invests L'Atelier des Lumières in a guinguette atmosphere on a background of Django Reinhardt for an immersive exhibition colorful to lose balance, where bouquets, meadows and forests parade in a whirlwind 360° before to join the mythical villages of Provence . Don't miss: Kandinsky as a guest-star.

And after ? Go for brunch at Les Niçois close by.

Cézanne and Kandinsky at L'Atelier des Lumières , 38 rue Saint-Maur, Paris 11th. Open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., evening until 10 p.m. on weekends. Admission €16, €11 for under 25s.

© Culturespaces Eric Spiller

The promise: to return to childhood. The exhibition marks the reunion with the novelist of The Little Prince , his love for his mother, for the young Louise de Vilmorin but above all for aviation and drawing, which turns out to be at the center of the retrospective. The opportunity to discover dozens of sketches of the Little Prince on his planet, letters confirming Saint-Exupéry 's passion for travel and adventure, not to mention the original manuscript of the book.

And after ? Sit on the terrace for a good pasta at Loulou , the most social spot in the capital for lunch.

Meet the Little Prince , at the Museum of Decorative Arts, 107, rue de Rivoli, Paris 1er. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., 8 p.m. on weekends and late-night Thursdays. Admission €14, free for children under 26.

The promise: relive as if you were there the tribute show to Alber Elbaz from the last fashion week in Paris . The 40 biggest names in couture were invited to recreate an outfit dedicated to the couturier with bow ties, hearts and large dresses that we can finally see in person. The Palais Galliera completely recreated the decor of the show: lights, music, catwalks, decorations, confetti thrown, order of the models' silhouettes... Everything is there!

And after ? Enjoy the palace afternoon tea at Shangri-La, the new must-have for the weekend.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursdays until 9 p.m. Ticket on reservation : €12 entry. Free for children under 18. Guided tour of 1h30 on reservation .

The promise: a one-way trip to Mexico City with typical charms, amulets and figurines, iconic black and white prints of silhouettes as if posed in the setting of the Mexican desert that made Graciela Iturbide so successful . The photographer dazzles Paris with captivating subjects and inaugurates color shots that have never been revealed for the Fondation Cartier .

And after ? Gourmet break at Les Merveilleux de Fred , rue Daguerre, 5 minutes on foot.

Graciela Iturbide at the Cartier Foundation, 261 boulevard Raspail, Paris 14th. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., open late Tuesday until 10 p.m. Admission €12, reduced price €8.

© Graciela Iturbide

The promise: a trip to the Paris of the Roaring Twenties , capital of modernity, art and sexual freedom. On the program, boys like Joséphine Baker or Colette , avant-gardists of the genre like Suzy Molidor , Marie de Laurencin and Nicole Groult, olé-olé works produced by women at the beginning of the century, but also fashion with Coco Chanel .

And after ? And why not end in style with a fabulous cocktail? See you at

Solera close to the Pantheon .

Pioneers , open every day from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., open late on Mondays until 10 p.m. Admission €13, reduced price €9. Online booking .

© Tamara de Lempicka Estate, LLC / Adagp, Paris, 2022 / photo François Fernandez

The promise: the most beautiful pieces by Yves Saint Laurent exhibited in six emblematic museums in the capital that have inspired him since childhood. Head to the old hall of the Gare d' Orsay , in the Salon de l'Horloge where festive outfits for the grand balls and sketches by Yves Saint Laurent are displayed . In a Proustian atmosphere, we dive back into the world of the writer whom the couturier so adored with tuxedos galore and satiny dresses with leg sleeves worn by Jane Birkin in 1971.

And after ? Perfect the big night atmosphere in the museum café in front of the small clock at the museum café or go for brunch at the cuppa café just a stone's throw away.

Yves Saint Laurent at the Musée d'Orsay , Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Paris 7th. Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., late opening on Thursday, admission €16, free for those under 25.

© Nicolas Matheus

For who ? Followers of Impressionism.

The promise: flowers galore from every angle, impressionist classics and floral still lifes by Monet and Caillebotte . This highly immersive exhibition takes us inside the most beautiful Parisian bouquets, strongly influenced by the Japanese style in force in the 19th century. A poetic journey to escape a few hours out of time and discover the outline of the Water Lilies .

And after ? We land on the idyllic terrace signed Rose Bakery in front of the Jeu de Paume , also in the Tuileries, next to the Orangerie.

The impressionist decor, at the sources of the Water Lilies at the Musée de l'Orangerie, Jardin des Tuileries, place de la Concorde, Paris 1er. Open Wednesday to Monday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Ticket €12, reduced price €10.

© Sophie Crepy

The promise: we embark in Finland with the painter Gallen-Kallela for a trip to the hinterland. Rural settings, authentic characters and mythological subjects are found in a symbolist aesthetic that he will develop in the middle of his career. The artist sublimates the natural landscapes including his poetic clouds and his sunsets as we only see in the Far North.

And after ? The museum's tea room installed in the sumptuous decor of the private mansion remains a must for tasting pastries or downright the dish of the moment on the Far North theme of the expo in a Second Empire decor.

Gallen-Kallela at the Jacquemart-André museum, 158 boulevard Haussmann, Paris 8th. Open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., open late Monday until 8:30 p.m. Admission €15, reduced price €12. Until July 25, 2022.

© Jouko Vatanen et © The Gallen-Kallela Museum / Jukka Paavola

The promise: we find the bubbling style of Giovanni Boldini , the painter of the international elite in 1900 who sketched the capitals of Modernity and an era of great splendor. It gives amazing portraits of countesses, demi-mondaines, actresses or dandies but also the picture of an atmosphere specific to the Belle Époque: drunken evenings, two BFFs having a coffee on the terrace, mothers of good families or women free and emancipated.

And after ? A stylish afternoon tea with a view of the Grand Palais in a dream setting in the garden of the Petit Palais .

Boldini at the Petit Palais, avenue Winston-Churchill, Paris 8th. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday night until 9 p.m. Tickets €14, reduced price €12. 01 53 43 40 00.

© RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski and © Private collection

The promise: the completely crazy world of Sophie Calle , the flagship artist of the Perrotin gallery , who literally squatted the Musée d' Orsay in 1978, then abandoned for work to become the institution we know today. On the program: ready-mades, stunning photographs of the Hôtel d'Orsay but also objects belonging to strangers for which she developed an obsessive infatuation worthy of a true stalker.

And after ? The exquisite café-restaurant in the heart of the museum, to enjoy dishes by chef Yann Landureau who draws inspiration from the exhibitions for his amazing culinary creations.

Sophie Calle , at the Musée d'Orsay, Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Paris 7th. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., late opening on Thursday until 9:45 p.m. Admission €16, reduced price €13.

© Richard Baltauss, © ADAGP, Paris 2022

The promise: A girl power exhibition that revisits female myths against a backdrop of tragedy from Cleopatra to George Sand by the romantic artists of the 19th century. The result is masterpieces of odalisques lounging on large divans, sleeping figures at the water's edge and young damsels in distress being rescued by a prince charming. The route devotes the greatest painters like Eugène Delacroix or Théodore Chassériau with super polished paintings where women are sublimated as heroines of their time or of the past.

And after ? The ultra-hot refreshment café Rose bakery under a 19th century glass roof in secret garden mode in the courtyard of the museum with its mini vegetable garden and large flower bushes.

Romantic heroines , at the Museum of Romantic Life, 16 rue Chaptal, Paris 9th. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission €9, reduced price €7.

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