The Arc de Triomphe, on the Champs Elysees in Paris, was open to visitors on Saturday. (Remy de la Mauviniere/Associated Press)

Visitors to Paris seeking official cultural experiences got lucky on Saturday: Some attractions opened during a major museum strike.

The Louvre had 70 per cent of its galleries available to the public Saturday. Louvre managers said employees were not heeding the strike call and pickets were allowing visitors into the museum.

The Palace of Versailles, the Arc de Triomphe and the towers of the iconic Notre Dame cathedral were also open.

However, the Musee d'Orsay, home to many Impressionist masterpieces, as well as the Pompidou Centre of modern art — where the strike began in late November — remained shuttered for a third day straight.

The strike was called by seven unions representing workers with the Culture Ministry as a protest against plans to chop the civil service by only replacing half of all retiring employees.

Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand said he is sticking to his guns.

"If we start to make exceptions, we will never get out of this," Mitterand told a TV program on Thursday in reference to the government's need to trim costs.