What to do around the Musée du quai Branly

The museum sits 300 m from the Eiffel Tower on the Left Bank, with the Trocadéro fifteen minutes away across Pont d’Iéna, the Seine cruise piers at Port de Suffren and Port de la Bourdonnais a few minutes along the quay, the Palais de Tokyo across the river, and the Invalides, Rodin garden and Musée d’Orsay strung out to the east.

Eiffel Tower300 m, 5 minutes

Trocadéro terraceAbout 15 minutes across Pont d’Iéna

Cruise piersPort de Suffren, Port de la Bourdonnais

InvalidesAbout 900 m

Musée d’OrsayAbout 2 km along the river

LunchRue Cler market street

A half-day loop I have walked more times than I can count. Start at the Trocadéro terrace for the view of the tower, then cross Pont d’Iéna. If contemporary art is your thing, the Palais de Tokyo and the Musée d’Art Moderne are on the Right Bank just before the bridge. On the Left Bank, walk under the Eiffel Tower and along the Champ de Mars, then follow the quay downstream for five minutes to the museum. Give it two to three hours. Come out through the garden.

From here the river is the thread. The cruise piers at Port de la Bourdonnais (Bateaux Parisiens) and 2 Port de Suffren (the fast-access electric cruise) are a few minutes back towards the tower; the one-hour Seine loop passes the Grand Palais, the Louvre, Orsay, Notre-Dame and the Île Saint-Louis and returns. Stephen, a British reviewer, called it a nice way to see the sights, and Anna from Canada praised the guide. The cruise review weighs it up. Or stay on foot: Rue Cler for lunch, the Invalides about 900 m east, the Musée Rodin garden beyond it, Pont Alexandre III and, roughly 2 km along the river, the Musée d’Orsay.

Two practical notes. The museum is closed on Mondays, so build the loop around a Tuesday to Sunday; the opening hours page has the table. And if you plan to take the cruise as well as the museum, compare the separate fast-access cruise below with the museum-plus-cruise combo on the combo tickets page; the combo reviewers found the boat queue long.

Insider tip

Do the museum in the morning and the cruise in the late afternoon. The plateau is quietest at opening and the river is best in low light.

Pair it with a Seine cruise

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Frequently asked questions

What is near the Musée du quai Branly?

The Eiffel Tower (300 m), the Trocadéro, the Seine cruise piers, the Palais de Tokyo across the river, Rue Cler, the Invalides, the Rodin garden and, about 2 km along the river, the Musée d’Orsay. The how to get there page has walking times.

Can I combine the museum with a Seine cruise?

Easily. The fast-access electric cruise leaves from 2 Port de Suffren, five minutes’ walk away, roughly every 45 minutes. The museum-plus-cruise combo is the alternative; the combo page compares them.

Is the Eiffel Tower to quai Branly walk easy?

Yes: 300 m along the quay with the river on your left, about five minutes, step-free. The green wall marks the museum. Enter through the garden; see the garden page.