Under the glass roof of the Grand Palais, 211 galleries from 41 countries and territories are installing their booths for the fifth edition of Art Basel Paris. The fair runs October 20 to 25, and around it a cluster of smaller fairs turns the city into one long gallery crawl. That week, known as Paris Art Week, rewards a plan. Here is one for a long weekend, based on the dates and hours the fairs have announced.
Art Basel Paris, the anchor of Paris Art Week
Art Basel Paris returns to the Grand Palais on Avenue Winston Churchill. According to the fair’s June announcement, as summarized in Biennale’s fair guide, the 211 exhibitors fall into three sectors. The main Galeries sector has 183 of them. Emergence, for younger galleries, has 16 on the balconies. Premise, for focused presentations, has 12 in the Salon Seine. This year there is also a new entrance on Square Jean Perrin, Biennale notes.
The schedule
The fair opens in stages. First comes the Avant-Première on Tuesday, October 20, which is by invitation. Preview Days follow on Wednesday, October 21, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 22. Then the Public Vernissage opens to ticket holders on Thursday from 2 to 8 p.m. The public days are Friday, October 23, through Sunday, October 25. On Friday, the fair is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Check weekend hours on the fair’s site before you go.
Art Basel Paris tickets
The fair’s press materials list a day ticket at €47 and an under-26 ticket at €30. A Vernissage ticket costs €120. There is also an evening ticket for €40, valid on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. Book online in advance, since the ticket you need depends on the day.
Getting there
The closest metro stops are Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau, on lines 1 and 13, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, on lines 1 and 9. The RER C stops at Invalides, across the river. The fair also offers guided tours in English or French for groups of up to 12, led by art historians and critics.
The satellite fairs
Much of the fun of Paris Art Week happens away from the Grand Palais. These are the fairs worth building a day around.
Paris Internationale
Now in its 12th edition, Paris Internationale sets up at 187–189 Quai de Valmy, by the Canal Saint-Martin. The nearest metro is Louis Blanc, on line 7. A VIP preview takes place on Monday, October 19. The fair then opens Tuesday, October 20, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. From Wednesday to Friday it runs noon to 7 p.m. On Saturday, October 24, it closes at 6 p.m. Buy tickets online. Also plan for stairs. The building has no elevators and spans three floors, although the ground floor is step-free.
Asia Now
Asia Now, the Paris fair for artists and galleries from Asia, holds its 12th edition at the Monnaie de Paris, 11 Quai de Conti. Alexandra Fain directs it. After its preview on October 19, it opens October 20 to 23 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on October 24 from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A ticket costs €15, or €10 reduced. A three-day pass costs €30, or €20 reduced, and children under 12 go free.
Design Miami.Paris
For collectible design, Design Miami.Paris holds its fourth edition at L’hôtel de Maisons, 51 Rue de l’Université, in the 7th arrondissement. October 20 is for invited guests only. Then show days run October 21 to 24 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and October 25 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Post-Fair and the Marais fairs
Post-Fair Paris takes a different approach on the Paris Art Week map. Founded by the gallerist Chris Sharp, it brings its first international edition to two buildings facing each other at 74 and 79 Rue du Temple in the Marais. It opens October 19, and Biennale lists entry as free with advance registration. Sharp charges exhibitors $6,000 for a solo or two-person stand, The Art Newspaper reported in July, and he explained why to the paper. “The main fair is incredibly competitive and hard to get into, and also really expensive,” he said.
Meanwhile, AKAA, the fair for African contemporary art and design, sets up at the Carreau du Temple, a short walk away, from October 23 to 25. The Outsider Art Fair takes the Bastille Design Center from October 20 to 25. Check each site for hours.
A three-day Paris Art Week plan
This plan assumes you arrive Thursday and leave Sunday, which covers the busiest public stretch of Paris Art Week. It puts the main fair on the days the public can enter, and fills the mornings with the satellites.
Thursday: the Marais and the Vernissage
Start the morning in the Marais at Post-Fair, which is free with registration. From there, head east to the Bastille Design Center for the Outsider Art Fair. After lunch, head west to the Grand Palais for the Public Vernissage, which runs from 2 to 8 p.m. Because the Vernissage ticket costs more, it makes sense only if you want the first public look at the booths.
Friday: the river and the canal
On Friday, start at Asia Now at the Monnaie de Paris, which opens at 11 a.m. Then cross to the 7th for Design Miami.Paris on Rue de l’Université. In the afternoon, take line 7 to Louis Blanc for Paris Internationale, open until 7 p.m. If you skipped the Vernissage, the €40 evening ticket to Art Basel Paris covers 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, which suits a short, focused visit.
Treat the main fair as a full day and the satellites as mornings.
Saturday: a full day at the Grand Palais
Treat the main fair as a full day and the satellites as mornings. So on Saturday, give Art Basel Paris your best hours, starting with the Galeries sector on the main floor. Then climb to the balconies for Emergence, where younger galleries show. Save the Salon Seine and Premise for last. If you still have energy, Paris Internationale stays open until 6 p.m., and AKAA at the Carreau du Temple until 8 p.m. Asia Now, however, closes at 3:30 p.m. that day.
Between the fairs
A long weekend of fairs is tiring, so build in breaks. For example, book lunch near the Grand Palais on your main-fair day, since leaving and coming back costs time. On Friday, the canal around Paris Internationale makes a good place to stop between fairs. And keep dinners late and close to your hotel, because the fair days run until 7 or 8 p.m.
The Paris Art Week calendar is also dense enough that you will not see everything. So pick one priority per day, and treat the rest as a bonus.
Tips for Paris Art Week
First, buy tickets online before you travel, since several fairs sell only in advance. Second, wear comfortable shoes, because the Grand Palais alone covers a lot of floor, and Paris Internationale means stairs. Third, carry a small bag, which makes security lines faster. Finally, plan your metro routes ahead, since lines 1, 7, 9, and 13 cover most of the fairs.
If you are in town for the shows as well as the art, our Paris Fashion Week spring 2027 coverage has the other big week of the month. And for a transatlantic contrast, read our guide to pop art in New York.
Paris Art Week questions, answered
When is Paris Art Week 2026?
The fairs cluster from October 19 to 25. Art Basel Paris runs October 20 to 25, with public days October 23 to 25.
How much is an Art Basel Paris ticket?
Press materials list a day ticket at €47, an under-26 ticket at €30, a Vernissage ticket at €120, and a Friday evening ticket at €40.
Which satellite fairs are worth a visit?
Paris Internationale, Asia Now, Design Miami.Paris, Post-Fair Paris, AKAA, and the Outsider Art Fair each open during the week. Post-Fair is free with registration.
How do I get to the Grand Palais?
Take metro line 1 or 13 to Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau, or line 1 or 9 to Franklin D. Roosevelt. RER C stops at Invalides.
Book the Saturday ticket first, then fit Paris Internationale, Asia Now, and the Marais around it.
Update, October 23, 2026: After this guide was published, Art Basel Paris changed its schedule. On October 22, the fair emailed VIP guests that it “will conclude its 2026 edition at 7pm on Friday, October 23” and “will remain closed on Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25,” The Art Newspaper reported. The fair’s director, Karim Crippa, co-signed the email. The Art Newspaper attributed the closure to planned protests. Artnet reported that the fair said it was closing early “in the interest of safeguarding our visitors, exhibitors, partners, staff, and artworks.” Artnet also reported that Paris Internationale would open an hour earlier on Saturday, at 11 a.m., with reinforced security, and that Post-Fair Paris would open only from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day. The Saturday plan above no longer applies to Art Basel Paris. Check each satellite fair’s site for its current hours.