Visit the Fabre Museum in Montpellier
In the heart of Montpellier, on the esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle, stands one of the most important fine arts museums in France outside Paris: the Musée Fabre (39 boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, 34000 Montpellier, rated 4.5/5 on Google). Founded in 1828 thanks to a generous donation from Montpellier painter François-Xavier Fabre, this exceptional cultural institution now houses over 700 works spread over 9,200 m², covering seven centuries of European art history, from the 14th to the 21st century.
A visit to the Musée Fabre in Montpellier is like taking a journey through time, from the Italian primitives to the contemporary abstractions of Pierre Soulages, via the great realistic canvases of Gustave Courbet and the luminous works of local artist Frédéric Bazille. It’s also an opportunity to discover the carefully designed rooms, renovated between 2003 and 2007, which give each painting, sculpture or drawing a setting worthy of its importance.
Whether you’re an art lover, just curious or a family member, this article will guide you step by step through your visit to the Musée Fabre: permanent collections, temporary exhibitions, opening times, prices and practical advice. And if you want to extend your day by exploring the narrow streets of Montpellier at your own pace, don’t miss our audio-guided tour designed to help you discover the “gifted” city on your own.
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Why a visit to the Musée Fabre is a must in Montpellier
It’s hard to visit Montpellier without seeing the Musée Fabre. A leading light in the city’s cultural heritage, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. Its permanent collection is one of the richest in France outside the capital, thanks in particular to two exceptional donations that have shaped its identity: that of the painter François-Xavier Fabre since its foundation, and above all that of the collector Alfred Bruyas in the 19th century, which enabled the museum to acquire masterpieces by Delacroix, Courbet, Géricault and Ingres.
As well as the intrinsic quality of its collections, the Musée Fabre is also impressive for its architecture, which combines an 18th-century town house with a light-filled contemporary extension. Its location, just a five-minute walk from the Place de la Comédie, makes it a natural stop-off on any visit to the city. Want to explore Montpellier in depth? The Navaway audioguide tour takes you on a discovery of 19 emblematic sites in the historic centre, some of which are just a stone’s throw from the museum.
A bit of history: from François-Xavier Fabre to the present day
The history of the Musée Fabre began in 1825, when the painter François-Xavier Fabre, born in Montpellier in 1766, decided to bequeath his personal collection to his native town. A pupil of David and friend of the Countess of Albany, Fabre had built up a remarkable collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures over the course of his career, acquired during his stays in Italy and France. His donation, supplemented by the collections of the Société des Beaux-Arts de Montpellier, led to the opening of the museum in 1828, within the walls of the Massilian mansion, an eighteenth-century building listed as a historic monument.
The 19th century marked a decisive turning point for the institution, thanks to the exceptional patronage of Alfred Bruyas (1821-1877). This passionate collector, from a wealthy family of bankers in Montpellier, forged close ties with the most avant-garde artists of his time. His donation in 1868 brought the museum masterpieces by Courbet, Delacroix, Géricault, Ingres and Cabanel, making Montpellier one of Europe’s leading centres for nineteenth-century art. The most famous painting in this collection, Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet, depicting the painter meeting his patron on a Montpellier road, has become one of the emblematic works of French Realism.
After several successive extensions over the course of the 20th century, between 2003 and 2007 the museum embarked on a vast renovation campaign that doubled its exhibition space to 9,200 m². The sober, luminous architecture showcases the collections while harmoniously integrating the different periods of the building. Since its reopening in 2007, the Musée Fabre has established itself as one of the most visited regional museums in France, welcoming several hundred thousand visitors every year.
1. The collection of old paintings (14th to 18th centuries)
The galleries devoted to early paintings are the ideal starting point for a visit to Montpellier’s Musée Fabre. From the 14th to the 18th century, they offer a striking panorama of the evolution of European art through its major schools: Italian, Flemish, Dutch and French. From Italian Primitives with gilded backgrounds, Renaissance mythological scenes and dazzlingly detailed Flemish still lifes to aristocratic portraits from the Grand Siècle, each room tells the story of an era and its aesthetic challenges.
The exhibition features works by Rubens, Veronese, Nicolas Poussin, Sébastien Bourdon and Jean Raoux, an early 18th-century painter from Montpellier, of whom the museum has a representative collection. The scenography, designed to facilitate chronological and thematic reading of the works, invites visitors to take the time to stop in front of each canvas. It’s a good idea to allow at least an hour for this tour alone, if you want to savour its full richness.
2. Nineteenth-century masterpieces and the Bruyas collection
This is undoubtedly the most famous and most visited section of the Musée Fabre. The rooms devoted to the 19th century house the exceptional Bruyas collection, a unique group of works assembled by Alfred Bruyas, a visionary patron of the arts who made Montpellier a major artistic crossroads in Romantic and Realist France. Nearly a hundred major works bear witness to the singular relationship between this collector and the artists of his time, some of whom stayed directly in his city.
Gustave Courbet occupies a prominent place: the Musée Fabre has one of the world’s largest collections of paintings by this artist, including Bonjour, Monsieur Courbet! (1854), La Rencontre and several portraits of the patron. The room dedicated to Courbet, opened in 1868, is in itself a reason to visit. Eugène Delacroix is also well represented, alongside Théodore Géricault, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and Alexandre Cabanel.
The museum also honours Frédéric Bazille, the Montpellier painter and precursor of Impressionism, who died tragically at the age of 28 during the Franco-Prussian War. His Village View (1868) is one of the highlights of the collection, and testifies to his exceptional talent for capturing the light of the Midi. This section of the Musée Fabre in Montpellier is a real gem for lovers of 19th-century French art.
3. Modern and contemporary art, the Pierre Soulages room
The permanent exhibition at the Musée Fabre does not stop at the 19th century: it embraces the 20th and 21st centuries with equal ambition. The modern and contemporary galleries offer a history of abstraction and the French avant-garde, with works by Simon Hantaï, Germaine Richier, Olivier Debré and the Support/Surface group, a movement that originated in Languedoc in the 1970s.
But the centrepiece of this department is undeniably the Pierre Soulages room. In 2005, the Aveyron painter, world-famous for his black canvases – which he himself called “outrenoir” – donated twenty works to the museum, hoping that this part of his legacy would remain rooted in the region where he grew up. His large canvases, with their striated or polished textures that capture and redistribute light in spectacular fashion, impose a respectful silence. A major retrospective of his work was held in 2025, to mark the twentieth anniversary of this exceptional donation.
If you’d like to extend your immersion in Montpellier’s contemporary art scene after your visit to the Musée Fabre, you should know that MO.CO (Montpellier Contemporain), an innovative art centre located in the Écusson district, regularly offers complementary exhibitions for you to discover as you explore the city.
4. The Visitation chapel integrated into the route
Nestling at the heart of the Musée Fabre, the Visitation chapel is one of the most pleasant surprises on your visit. Built in the seventeenth century for the Visitation nuns, it was skilfully integrated into the museum during renovation work in the early 2000s. Its original religious architecture – vaulted nave, large glass windows, unique acoustics – has been preserved, and the space now houses large-scale works in a decidedly unexpected setting.
The Chapel of the Visitation is a place conducive to contemplation and immersion. Its special atmosphere, somewhere between the sacred and the profane, creates a striking contrast with the museum’s classical exhibition rooms. It’s one of those spaces you wouldn’t expect to find in a fine arts museum, and one that leaves a lasting impression. Plan to linger here for a while.
5. The graphic arts cabinet
Less well known than the major painting galleries, the Musée Fabre’s graphic arts department deserves special attention. It houses a remarkable collection of drawings, prints, engravings and watercolours, often unknown to the general public because these works on paper, which are fragile and sensitive to light, cannot be exhibited on a permanent basis. The museum rotates its exhibitions on a regular basis so that rarely-seen works can be presented, giving visitors an opportunity to discover the artists in the intimacy of their creative process.
The Musée Fabre’s graphic collection spans several centuries and many European schools. Works by Italian and French masters of the Renaissance and the 17th century are displayed alongside preparatory works by painters represented in the permanent galleries. It’s a section often reserved for enlightened amateurs, but one that holds some wonderful revelations in store for anyone who takes the time to explore it.
The Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran: the Decorative Arts Department
Just a stone’s throw from the Musée Fabre’s main building, the Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran (6 rue Montpelliéret, 34000 Montpellier, rated 4.2/5 on Google) houses the museum’s decorative arts department. Built between 1873 and 1874 for the Cabrières family, this Belle Époque town house was bequeathed to the museum in 1967 by Mme Frédéric Sabatier d’Espeyran, who had preserved it in its original state with remarkable care. Today, it is one of the few remaining period houses in Montpellier.
As you walk through the doors, you enter a 19th-century bourgeois residence that has remained virtually intact. The reception rooms are overflowing with precious furniture, period hangings, European ceramics from the 16th to 18th centuries, earthenware, porcelain and objets d’art carefully selected by their owners. The ground floor features an impressive collection of earthenware, while the upper floors recreate the atmosphere of private flats. Each piece is a history lesson in the taste and style of Montpellier’s elite.
The Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 6pm (and some extra days during temporary exhibitions). Admission is included in the general ticket for the Musée Fabre. Although often overshadowed by the painting collections in the main building, a visit to the Espeyran is an experience in its own right, revealing a little-known and endearing facet of Montpellier’s heritage.
Temporary exhibitions at the Musée Fabre
In addition to its rich permanent collections, the Musée Fabre offers a dynamic programme of temporary exhibitions throughout the year, making a major contribution to its national and international reputation. A dedicated room of almost 1,000 m² is available to host ambitious projects, some of which include exceptional loans from major European institutions or private collections that are rarely accessible to the public.
The exhibition themes are deliberately varied: monographs on individual artists, dialogues between periods or styles, focus on specific techniques, collaborations with other museums or cultural institutions, etc. These exhibitions regularly enable visitors to rediscover the permanent collections in a new light, by proposing unexpected comparisons between works that are usually distant. Notable recent events include a major Pierre Soulages retrospective in 2025, and an exhibition devoted to the Montpellier School of Fine Arts running until May 2026.
Don’t forget to check the exhibition calendar on the museum’s official website (museefabre.fr) before your visit, so you don’t miss an event that could enrich your stay in Montpellier. And if you’re looking for a full day of culture in the ‘gifted city’, the Navaway audio tour for Montpellier will allow you to combine a visit to the museum with a discovery of the historic sites in the city centre.
Download the audio-guided tour to discover Montpellier on foot and on your own
Before or after your visit to the Musée Fabre, extend your cultural adventure with the Navaway audioguide tour of Montpellier’s most beautiful districts. In a 3.5km, 1h30 stroll, you’ll discover 19 of the city’s most emblematic landmarks – from the Place de la Comédie to Saint-Pierre Cathedral, via the Promenade du Peyrou, theArc de Triomphe and the Jardin des Plantes, France’s oldest botanical garden. All with historical commentary, unusual anecdotes and completely self-guided navigation from your smartphone. The route starts opposite the Arc de Triomphe, just a few minutes’ walk from the Musée Fabre.
Musée Fabre opening times and prices
Opening times
The Musée Fabre is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm (ticket office closes at 5.30pm, rooms are cleared at 5.45pm). It is closed on Mondays and the following public holidays: 1 January, 1 May, 8 May, 11 November and 25 December. The Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 6pm.
Rates
Admission to the Musée Fabre is €9 for adults. A reduced rate of €6 applies to students, 18-25 year olds, people with disabilities and Pass Métropole holders. An audioguide is available at an additional cost of €3. Admission to the permanent collections is free for children under 18, as it is for all visitors on the first Sunday of each month. Tickets for the permanent collections are valid for one year from the date of purchase, with unlimited access during the day of use. Types of payment accepted include cash, cheque, bank card and paper ANCV holiday vouchers.
How to get to the Fabre Museum in Montpellier
The Musée Fabre enjoys an ideal central location, just a five-minute walk from Place de la Comédie, the focal point of the city centre. From the Gare Saint-Roch station, it can be reached in around fifteen minutes on foot or by tram. Here are the main means of transport to get there:
By tram: lines 1 and 2 stop at Comédie station, a five-minute walk from the museum. Line 1 also serves Corum station, which is even closer.
By bus: several TAM lines (Montpellier’s transport network) stop close to the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle.
By car: Montpellier city centre is largely pedestrianised. Park in the Corum or Comédie car parks, just a few minutes’ walk away. There are also a number of park-and-ride facilities on the outskirts of the city, where you can catch the tram to the centre.
By bike: the Vélomagg’ self-service bicycle stations are scattered throughout the town centre. The Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle has several stations close by. If you’d like to explore Montpellier’s surroundings on two wheels, take a look at our guide to the most beautiful cycle routes around Montpellier.
From the airport: take shuttle bus 120 to Place de l’Europe, then tram line 1 to the Comédie stop.
Practical advice to help you prepare for your visit
Visiting the Musée Fabre requires careful planning to get the most out of your visit. Here are a few tips based on our experience to help you make the most of your visit to this not-to-be-missed museum in Montpellier.
Book your tickets in advance. During busy periods (spring, summer, school holidays) or popular temporary exhibitions, queues can be long. You can avoid this inconvenience by buying tickets online from the museum’s website. You should also check whether a temporary exhibition is on at the time of your visit, as this may affect the price and duration of your visit.
Allow plenty of time. For a complete visit to the permanent collections and a temporary exhibition, allow between two and a half and four hours. If you wish to include the Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran, add another hour. Visitors in a hurry can concentrate on the 19th-century galleries and the Soulages room for a tour lasting around an hour and a half.
Prepare your bag. Only small bags are allowed in the exhibition halls. A free cloakroom is available at the entrance for bulky items. Photography without flash is generally permitted in the permanent areas, but ask at reception for information about temporary exhibitions.
Enjoy the museum bistro. The bistro is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 7pm, and serves quality cuisine indoors or on the terrace. A pleasant break between two sections of the tour, or at the end of your visit, before heading off to explore the rest of Montpellier.
Choose the first Sunday of the month. If your schedule allows, come on the first Sunday of every month: access to the permanent collections is completely free. It’s a great opportunity to extend your visit without worrying about the budget, and then spend the afternoon being guided through the streets of Montpellier on our audio-guided tour.
What to do around the Musée Fabre Our ideas for extending the day
The Musée Fabre is ideally placed to provide the starting point for a full cultural and urban day out in Montpellier. Just a five-minute walk away, the Place de la Comédie and its Opera House liven up the heart of the city. Heading north, you can quickly reach the Promenade du Peyrou and its water tower, with its terraced gardens offering panoramic views over the Hérault hinterland and the Cévennes mountains. Heading down towards the south-east, the narrow streets of the Écusson, Montpellier’s historic medieval quarter, invite you to stroll among the town houses and craft shops.
For lovers of green spaces, the Jardin des Plantes, founded in 1593 and the oldest botanical garden in France, is a ten-minute walk from the museum. And if you’d like to discover other unusual or gourmet addresses to round off your stay, check out our selections in our articles on the best things to do in Montpellier and excursions in the surrounding area.
For those who want to explore the region further, there’s no shortage of ideas for weekends around Montpellier: Languedoc vineyards, medieval villages, the Hérault gorges, or the beaches of Palavas-les-Flots just 15 minutes away by car.
In conclusion, a visit to the Musée Fabre in Montpellier is an exceptionally rich cultural experience that will thrill newcomers and experienced art lovers alike. Its collections, which are among the most important in France outside Paris, bear witness to centuries of European artistic history through works of exceptional quality. The depth of the permanent tour, the generosity of the space, the quality of the scenography and the diversity of the exhibits – from Flemish paintings to the outrenoir of Soulages, via the decorative arts of the Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran – make the Musée Fabre a destination in its own right when visiting Montpellier. Once your visit is over, take the Navaway audioguide tour to discover the rest of the city’s treasures at your own pace, as you wander through the streets and squares that tell the story of this exceptional city.
FAQ – Fabre Museum of Montpellier
What are the opening times for the Musée Fabre in Montpellier?
The Musée Fabre is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 6pm. Closed on Mondays, 1 January, 1 May, 8 May, 11 November and 25 December. The Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran (decorative arts department) is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 6pm.
How much does admission to the Musée Fabre cost?
The full price is €9 and the reduced price €6 (students, 18-25 year olds, disabled people, Pass Métropole). An audio guide is available for an additional €3. Admission to the permanent collections is free on the first Sunday of each month. Children under 18 enter free of charge.
How long will it take to visit the Musée Fabre?
Allow between 1? and 2? hours for a tour of the permanent collections, and 3 to 4 hours if you wish to include a temporary exhibition and the Hôtel de Cabrières-Sabatier d’Espeyran. For an express tour focusing on the 19th-century masterpieces and the Soulages room, one hour may be enough.
How do I get to the Musée Fabre from the centre of Montpellier?
The Musée Fabre is located on the Esplanade Charles-de-Gaulle, a five-minute walk from the Place de la Comédie. It is accessible by tram (lines 1 and 2, Comédie or Corum stop) or by bus via the TAM network. By car, park in the Corum car park or the Comédie car park.
Is there an audio guide available at the Musée Fabre?
Yes, the Musée Fabre offers audio guides for hire for €3, available from reception. They cover both the permanent collections and the temporary exhibitions. Guided group tours are also available by prior arrangement, as are educational workshops for children and families.
Can I take photographs at the Musée Fabre in Montpellier?
Photography without flash is generally permitted in the permanent collections for personal use. Restrictions may apply in temporary exhibitions, particularly for works on loan from other institutions. Please ask at reception when you visit.
What is the Bruyas collection at the Musée Fabre?
The Bruyas Collection is an exceptional group of works assembled in the 19th century by Alfred Bruyas, a patron of the arts from Montpellier with a passion for art. It includes almost a hundred major works by Courbet, Delacroix, Géricault, Ingres, Cabanel and other artists from the Romantic and Realist periods. It was thanks to his donation in 1868 that the Musée Fabre became one of the most important museums in France.
Is the Musée Fabre suitable for families with children?
Yes, the Musée Fabre offers educational tours and workshops specially designed for children and families. Admission for children under 18 is free. Educational aids (audio guides for young people, room cards) are available at reception to make the visit accessible and fun for the youngest visitors. A visit to the Musée Fabre is an excellent introduction to art history for the whole family.
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