Paris Museum Strikes Begin to Dwindle

After more than a week of strikes, Paris' top museums are beginning to function again. According to the New York Times, "nearly all of France's main museums and monuments were open to the public on Wednesday, including the Louvre." Read the full story for more details. A handful of museums, including the Pompidou Center, do remain closed at this writing.

If you find yourself looking for museum alternatives next time you're in Paris, take note: a couple of the most noteworthy may not be available.

The immensely popular Picasso Museum, which should be high on your list of things to do in Paris regardless of a strike, is currently closed. It temporarily shut its doors in August 2009 for extensive renovations and is set to reopen in February 2012. The $43 million overhaul will double the museum's display space to 21,500 square feet.

In addition, the popular Musée du Luxembourg, which is currently showing an exhibit about Louis Comfort Tiffany, of Tiffany & Co. fame, will be closed for the duration of 2011, starting in January 2010. It's expected to reopen in early 2011.