Traveler's Guide to Art in Paris

Paris has a well-earned reputation as the center of the art world. The magnificent museums in Paris house priceless collections of art - paintings, statues, drawings from every age and every corner of the world. As tempting as it would be to travel in France, art lovers visiting the country for the first time should consider confining their vacation the city to experience as much as they can.

You could spend weeks in the Louvre alone. The world's most famous museum began as a medieval fortress in the 12^th century. It later became the palace to French kings and, after the Revolution, a public museum. Here you'll find classics such as the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa - truly an awe-inspiring visit.

Not far away, however, is one of the most unique museums in Paris, if not the world. In a building that once housed the orange trees for the Tuileries palace, impressionist Claude Monet cycle of water lilly paintings - known as the Nympheas - are installed across the height and breadth of two oval galleries, to breathtaking effect. The lower level of Musee de l'Orangerie at the Place de la Concord houses even more impressionist masterpieces.

Also within a comfortable walk of the Louvre and l'Orangerie is the stunning Musee d'Orsay. Across the Seine on the left bank, the former train station displays a remarkable collection of European art, primarily French. Here you'll find the most extensive collection of impressionist paintings in the world. Van Gogh's The Church at Auvers and Starry Night over the Rhone Arles both hang here, as do Cezanne's Apples and Oranges, and transcendent works by Manet, Degas, Monet and more.

Once you've gotten your fill of museums in Paris, but still are inspired by the European art you've experienced, it may be time to turn things around. Become a sightseeing tourist and visit some of the places that depict Paris in art. Tucked away in the 8^th arrondisement between the center of Paris and Montmarte, is the Saint-Lazare train station. Here you can see the real-life subjects of paintings of Paris by some of the world's greatest artists. Monet painted the train station itself 11 times, and once held an exhibition of paintings solely of the station. Nearby, at the intersection of Rue de Turin and Rue de Moscou, you can recreate the famous painting by Gustave Caillebotte, named for the two streets, of a man and a woman walking arm and arm on a rainy day. Bring your umbrella to get the full effect.

Near the top of Montmarte, you can see a place that was the subject of many famous paintings of Paris, the windmill painted by the likes of Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and Picasso. Perhaps the most famous impressionist painting of all, Renoir's Bal de moulin de la Galett - as seen at Musee d''Orsay - is set there.

Travel within Paris is easy. Many of the greatest museums in Paris are located near one another, others are easily accessible via the Metro system. If you are catching a taxi at your hotel, any cab driver will understand your simple request for the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay or Montmarte - regardless of how poorly you speak French or he speaks English.