In a nutshell
- The Atelier des Lumières is a truly unique digital art museum in Paris: rotating immersive exhibitions where light, imagery, and music completely surround you.
- We’d recommend the Atelier des Lumières if you’ve already seen the top Paris highlights and want something different. For first-time visitors, the classic sights probably come first.
- Book your Atelier des Lumières tickets online in advance — for example through GetYourGuide. The price is the same, but you skip the wait at the box office — and on weekends, online booking is the only option.
What Is the Atelier des Lumières in Paris?
The Atelier des Lumières in Paris is housed in a former iron foundry and is an immersive digital art experience. In short: a light show.
Creative, inspiring themes from art, history, and entertainment are projected onto the walls and accompanied by music.
Past exhibition themes have included Van Gogh, Dalí, Gaudí, Hundertwasser, the world’s oceans, and the cosmos.
What Can You See at the Atelier des Lumières Paris?
The light shows at the Atelier des Lumières change at irregular intervals. But no matter what theme is on display, the approach is always the same:
The exhibition is projected onto walls up to 33 feet high and accompanied by fitting music.
You can stroll slowly through the rooms or take a seat on one of the benches and watch the show from there.
This isn’t a museum where you walk from painting to painting — it’s an experience where the images glide over you, move, and blend with the music. Incredibly captivating!
Atelier des Lumières Tickets & Prices
The Atelier des Lumières features rotating immersive light shows. During a single visit, several programs typically run one after another — usually one major main exhibition and one or two shorter additional shows.
To visit, you purchase a ticket for a specific time slot, which gives you access to all the projections shown during that time.
Exhibition themes change at irregular intervals, so the same shows aren’t on every month. You can check what’s currently playing in the Atelier des Lumières calendar.
How Much Do Atelier des Lumières Paris Tickets Cost?
Admission to the light shows costs around €18 for adults. Teens pay €16, and children ages 3 to 11 pay €11. Children under 3 get in free.
Particularly elaborate shows may be priced higher.
There’s also a family ticket for €49, valid for two adults and two children between the ages of 3 and 25.
Where Do You Buy Atelier des Lumières Tickets?
You can buy your ticket online or on-site on weekdays. On weekends, on-site purchases aren’t available — so if you’re planning a Saturday or Sunday visit, you’ll need to book online in advance.
We recommend buying your tickets online. If you buy on-site, you’ll have to wait an extra 5 to 20 minutes for the tickets to be activated — which is oddly inconvenient.
Tickets are available online from these providers:
Is the Atelier des Lumières Available as a Combo Ticket?
The Atelier des Lumières is a relatively under-the-radar Paris museum. Unfortunately, admission is not yet available as part of a combo ticket.
Is the Atelier des Lumières Included in a Paris Pass?
No, the Atelier des Lumières isn’t included in any Paris Pass. If you’d still like to compare your options, you can find our pass comparison here:
Visiting the Atelier des Lumières Paris: Tips & Info
Here’s everything you need to know before you go:
Where Is the Atelier des Lumières Located in Paris?
Atelier des Lumières on Google Maps
The Atelier des Lumières sits outside the city center at 38 rue Saint-Maur, near the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery.
It’s easy to combine a visit with a stroll through the cemetery, where celebrities like Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison are buried.
A guided tour of the cemetery is actually one of our favorite Paris tours.
Nearby, you’ll also find some seriously cool Paris hidden gems: the Viaduct des Arts, the lovely greenway Coulée verte René-Dumont, the cultural hub Ground Control with great street food stalls, and the famous colorful Rue Crémieux.
Your visit to the Atelier des Lumières can easily turn into an exploratory tour of alternative Paris.
How Do You Get to the Atelier des Lumières?
The Paris Métro is your best bet. The Rue Saint-Maur stop on Metro line 3 is about a 10-minute walk from the Atelier.
Alternatively, take line 9 to Voltaire or Saint-Ambroise, or line 2 to Père Lachaise — all around a 10-minute walk away.
Atelier des Lumières Paris Hours
- Monday through Wednesday from 10 AM to 6 PM
- Thursday from 10 AM to 5 PM
- Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 9 PM
- Sunday from 10 AM to 7 PM
Best Time to Visit the Atelier des Lumières
The best time to visit is on weekdays, either early in the morning or in the evening — that’s when crowds are smallest.
Is There a Coat Check at the Atelier des Lumières Paris?
Yes, there’s a luggage storage area. For the lockers, you’ll need a €1 coin or a shopping cart token.
How Much Time Should You Plan for the Atelier des Lumières?
Plan for about half an hour — that’s how long we spent. Of course, you can always stay longer.
How much time you’ll want also depends on the current exhibition. With kids, for example, you’ll probably linger longer at a dinosaur show than a Van Gogh one.
Is There an Audio Guide for the Atelier des Lumières?
No, and honestly it wouldn’t make much sense here — music plays throughout the whole experience. That’s part of what makes it so immersive: you just let the light and sound wash over you.
Are There Guided Tours of the Atelier des Lumières?
No, there are no guided tours of the Atelier des Lumières.
Does the Atelier des Lumières Have a Restaurant?
There’s no restaurant inside, but right next door you’ll find the Café de l’Atelier des Lumières for drinks and pastries.
If you’re really hungry, there are several good spots nearby:
Le Grand Balls: meatball restaurant
Jolia: Mediterranean restaurant
CHANCEUX St Maur: bistro with a wide selection
Our Experience at the Atelier des Lumières Paris
From the outside, the Atelier des Lumières is very unassuming. Not just because the building itself is understated, but also because there’s no line out front — which is genuinely rare for Paris attractions.
Even so, we still recommend buying your tickets online. If you buy on-site — which isn’t even possible on weekends — you’ll have to wait 5 to 20 minutes for the tickets to be activated. Oddly inconvenient.
At €18, the Atelier des Lumières is one of the pricier museums in Paris. That gave us a moment’s pause, but when you consider the effort that goes into creating an immersive digital art exhibition, it makes sense. The price is justified.
And in our opinion: it’s totally worth a visit! You wander from room to room and let the light and music wash over you. It’s something completely different from anything else in the city.
That said, the Atelier des Lumières is not among Paris’s must-sees for us. We’d recommend it most if you’ve already ticked off the top highlights and want to go off the beaten path and discover a more alternative side of Paris.
