OPENING TIMES
The centre is Paris' leading cultural institution in terms of opening times to cater for its wide variety of visitors. Closed only on Tuesdays and 1 May, the museum and temporary exhibitions are open from 11 am to 9 pm, with late night opening until 11 pm for exhibitions on level 6. The Public Reference Library (Bpi), which has a special entrance on Rue Beaubourg, is open from midday to 10 pm (except at weekends when its opening hours are the same as the museum's). Cinema screenings & performances can go on after 10 pm.

THE MUSEUM & EXHIBITIONS TICKET
The Museum & exhibitions ticket allows you to visit all current exhibitions, the Musée national d'art moderne, the Museum gallery, the Graphic art gallery, the Espace 315, the Children's gallery and the panoramic view of Paris (level 6) on the same day.

Photograph: Silvia Alonso

The Centre national d'art et de culture Georges Pompidou was the brainchild of President Georges Pompidou who wanted to create an original cultural institution in the heart of Paris completely focused on modern and contemporary creation, where the visual arts would rub shoulders with theatre, music, cinema, literature and the spoken word. Housed in the centre of Paris in a building designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, whose architecture symbolises the spirit of the 20th century, the Centre Pompidou first opened its doors to the public in 1977. After renovation work from 1997 to December 1999, it opened to the public again on 1 January 2000, with expanded museum space and enhanced reception areas. Since then it has once again become one of the most visited attractions in France. Some 6 million people pass through the Centre Pompidou's doors each year, a total of over 190 million visitors in its 30 years of existence.