The strong cultural image of Paris was boosted this year by the opening of two museums:

- the magnificent Musee des Arts Premiers on the River Seine is dedicated to all forms of art from Africa, Oceania, South America, and parts of Europe.

- the Musee des Arts Decoratifs reopened after undergoing four years of renovation. The museum has an exceptional collection of objects spanning 1000 years.

In 2005, the 50 most prominent museums and monuments (M&M) in Paris attracted 59.6mn visitors (up 4.4%). The Notre Dame cathedral remains the city's most-visited M&M, estimated as 13mn visitors. Sacre Coeur was second with 8mn, followed by The Louvre Museum 7.6mn, Eiffel Tower 6.4mn, and the Centre Pompidou 5.4mn .