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The stone façade of the Musée d'Orsay with its clock under a blue sky
Museum · 7th arrondissement, Paris, Île-de-France

Musée d'Orsay

A Beaux-Arts railway station on the Seine turned into the home of the world's leading Impressionist collection

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Ambient sound · similar settingLarge crowd murmuring in a high-ceilinged hall
Photo: Florian Rebmann (@florianxrebmann) / Unsplash

Discover Musée d'Orsay

The museum occupies a railway station built for the 1900 World's Fair, and the building is part of the experience: a long, glass-roofed hall lined with sculpture, with the great station clocks still in place at either end. The paintings, sculpture, decorative arts and photography on display span the decades between the mid-19th century and the First World War, filling the gap between the Louvre and the modern art of the Centre Pompidou.

The top floor galleries hold the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces that draw most visitors, including works by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Van Gogh and Berthe Morisot. The view through the transparent face of the giant clock, looking across the Seine towards the Louvre and Montmartre, is one of the best-known images of the museum.

Don’t miss

  1. 01Impressionist and Post-Impressionist galleries on the top floor
  2. 02Works by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Degas and Cézanne
  3. 03Manet's Olympia and Whistler's portrait of his mother
  4. 04The great clock windows looking across the Seine
  5. 05The central sculpture aisle under the station's glass roof

History & culture

The story of Musée d'Orsay

The Gare d'Orsay was built between 1898 and 1900 for the Paris–Orléans railway, to designs by Victor Laloux, and opened in time for the 1900 Exposition Universelle. Its platforms soon became too short for longer trains, and over the following decades the building served various purposes before falling into disuse. Plans to demolish it were rejected in the 1970s, and it was listed as a historic monument in 1978.

The conversion into a museum was carried out by the ACT Architecture group, with interiors by the Italian architect Gae Aulenti, and the Musée d'Orsay opened in December 1986. It brought together works from the Louvre, the Jeu de Paume and other collections, and it now receives several million visitors a year, making it one of the most visited art museums in the world.

Local life & traditions

The museum sits in the elegant Faubourg Saint-Germain, a district of aristocratic mansions, ministries and embassies. Nearby rue du Bac and rue de Grenelle are lined with chocolate shops, pastry shops and design boutiques, and the riverside promenade below the museum is popular with Parisians for walks and evening drinks. The footbridge across to the Tuileries is a favourite crossing on the way to the Right Bank.

Things to do

Experience it like a local

Visitors usually start in the central nave with its sculpture before heading to the top floor for the Impressionists, then working back down through the decorative arts and art nouveau rooms. The Thursday late opening is a good time for a quieter visit, and the museum's Café de l'Horloge was redesigned by the Campana brothers.

When to go

The museum is open year-round except on Mondays. Weekday mornings and the Thursday late opening are generally the quietest times; weekends and the first Sunday of the month, when entry is free, are the busiest. Booking a timed ticket in advance is recommended.

Plan your visit

Verified information

Opening hours
Tuesday to Sunday 9:30 to 18:00 (last entry 17:00); Thursday until 21:45 (last entry 21:00). Closed on Mondays, 1 May and 25 December. Source: ticket.parisjetaime.com ↗
Tickets
From €16 per person. Free for under-18s, EU nationals under 26, and disabled visitors with a companion. Audioguide €5. Source: ticket.parisjetaime.com ↗
Free Sundays
Free entry on the first Sunday of each month with a reserved time slot. Source: ticket.parisjetaime.com ↗
Getting there
RER C to Musée d'Orsay; metro line 12 to Solférino. The museum is on the Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 75007 Paris. Source: parisjetaime.com ↗

Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.

Travel tips

  • Remember that the museum is closed on Mondays, unlike the Louvre, which closes on Tuesdays.
  • Book a timed ticket online to avoid the longest queues at the entrance.
  • Go straight to the top floor for the Impressionists before the crowds build up.
  • Use the Thursday late opening for a calmer visit.
  • Pair the visit with the Musée de l'Orangerie, across the river, for Monet's Water Lilies.

General guidance from our specialists, not official information.

Around Musée d'Orsay: food, markets & places to stay

The Louvre and the Tuileries Garden face the museum across the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor, and the Musée de l'Orangerie stands at the far end of the Tuileries. Les Invalides, the Musée Rodin and the Eiffel Tower are a short walk or RER ride west, and the cafés and galleries of Saint-Germain-des-Prés are to the east.

Musée d'Orsay & what’s nearby

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Sources & verification

This guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 29 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.

  1. Musée d'Orsay tickets and visitor information — Paris je t'aime – Office du Tourisme de Paris
  2. Musée d'Orsay kiosk — Paris je t'aime – Office du Tourisme de Paris
  3. Musée d'Orsay – official website — Établissement public des musées d'Orsay et de l'Orangerie
  4. Musée d'Orsay — Wikipedia
  5. Musée d'Orsay — Wikipédia
  6. Paris, Banks of the Seine — UNESCO World Heritage Centre

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