Admission: €8

The Musee d’Orsay covers the chronological gap between the Louvre and the National Museum of Modern Art, by housing a collection of works from 1848 to 1914. The museum, which occupies a former railway station in the Saint-Germain des Pres neighbourhood, has a permanent collection which spans from neoclassicism to expressionism. The collection includes works by Ingres, Delacroix, Monet, Degas, Gauguin and Van Gogh.

Opera de Paris Garnier

Admission: varies depending on the show.

The setting for the Phantom of the Opera, the Opera de Paris Garnier is one of the largest theatres in the world (172m by 125m) even though it only seats 2200. Since the construction of the Opera de Paris Bastille in 1989, the theatre is used largely for ballets, but it is definitely worth visiting for its old-school grandeur. The facade is decorated with rose marble columns and large gilded statues. Inside, a grand marble staircase dominates the 54-metre foyer which has an ornate mosaic-covered ceiling. The auditorium has a massive six-ton chandelier and a ceiling mural which was painted by Marc Chagall in 1964.

Grand Palais

The Grand Palais is best known for its massive glass roof and is currently the largest ironwork and glass structure in the world, with 15 000 square metres of glass and 9400 tons of steel framework. It was closed for over a decade after one of the glass panels fell from the roof in 1993 and was only fully reopened in 2007. It functions as a public exhibition hall which attracts everything from fashion to car shows.

Paris Pass

Paris is pricey, but there is also quite a lot that you can do for free. If you take the cheapest options for all of the above you can probably get away with €60 (R700) for admission fees, but if you plan on attending any shows or visiting more museums, the price will rise dramatically.

If this is the case, it might be worth investing in a Paris Pass. The pass gives you free entry to over 60 of the best tourist attractions in Paris, free metro and public transport within the city and queue jumping rights (this alone might be worth the extra cash!)

Prices for the pass vary depending on how many days you wish to use it for. A two-day pass will set you back €85 (R1000), but if you can afford it, you get better value for money from the six-day option at €155 (R1830).