Musée Fabre Museum

Website: https://museefabre.montpellier3m.fr

Musée Fabre is the principal art museum in Montpellier, southern France, founded in 1825 by the painter François-Xavier Fabre. The museum houses a comprehensive collection of European paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts spanning several centuries.

Collections emphasize French and European schools from the Renaissance through the 19th century, with notable works that illustrate regional and national artistic developments. Temporary exhibitions and loans supplement the permanent holdings.

The museum has undergone restorations and expansions to improve gallery space and interpretation for visitors. It is located in central Montpellier, within walking distance of the city’s historic center.

Musée Fabre serves both local audiences and visitors to the Languedoc region, and it is accessible from Montpellier’s transport links.

• Founding: Founded in 1825 by painter François-Xavier Fabre, the museum forms Montpellier’s principal fine art collection for European painting and sculpture.

Musée Fabre sits in central Montpellier near Place de la Comédie. Take Montpellier’s tram Line 1 to the Comédie stop and walk about 5-10 minutes to the museum. From Montpellier Saint‑Roch train station it is roughly a 10-15 minute walk or a short taxi/tram ride into the city centre.

• Musée Fabre is Montpellier's principal fine‑arts museum located in the city centre-visit on weekday mornings to avoid tourist groups that cluster in the afternoons near the historic centre.
• Check the museum's website for temporary exhibitions and any special‑access galleries before you go; the temporary shows often occupy compact rooms and can be missed if you rush the main collection.
• Give yourself time for the museum's reconfigured galleries: many visitors concentrate on the big-name paintings and miss smaller period rooms and decorative‑arts displays tucked into side wings.