{"id":1467,"date":"2026-05-26T00:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T22:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horscadre.paris\/musee-dorsay-what-to-see-hours-tickets\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T22:43:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T20:43:19","slug":"musee-dorsay-what-to-see-hours-tickets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horscadre.paris\/en\/musee-dorsay-what-to-see-hours-tickets\/","title":{"rendered":"Mus\u00e9e d’Orsay \u2014 What to See, Hours, Tickets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Located on the left bank of the Seine, across from the Tuileries Garden, in a monumental former railway station built forthe 1900 World\u2019s Fair<\/strong>, the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay houses the world\u2019s largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings<\/strong>. Opened to the public on December 9, 1986<\/strong>, it features nearly 4,000 works<\/strong> on permanent display\u2014paintings, sculptures, photographs, graphic arts, and decorative arts\u2014covering the period from 1848 to 1914<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

This is where visitors come to see, gathered in one place<\/strong>, the absolute masterpieces of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, C\u00e9zanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Pissarro, Morisot, Sisley, Caillebotte, Toulouse-Lautrec, Seurat, Millet, Courbet, Whistler<\/strong> \u2014and dozens of other major figures in 19th- and early 20th-century art. A collection unmatched anywhere in the world, showcasing this pivotal period in Western painting. <\/p>\n\n

The building itself is an architectural masterpiece<\/strong>. Designed by architect Victor Laloux<\/strong> for the Orsay train station<\/strong> (the terminus of the Paris-Orl\u00e9ans line), it was threatened with demolition after the station closed in 1939, saved at the last minute in the 1970s, and then transformed into a museum by the Italian architects Gae Aulenti, ACT Architecture<\/strong>, and the set designer Italo Rota<\/strong>. The 138-meter-long central nave, the large transparent clock on the 5th floor, and the terraces overlooking the Seine: all of these elements make the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay as much<\/strong> an architectural experience as it is a pictorial one<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

The Mus\u00e9e d’Orsay at a Glance<\/h2>\n\n
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Address<\/td>Esplanade Val\u00e9ry Giscard d’Estaing, 75007 Paris<\/td><\/tr>
Subway<\/td>Solferino (Line 12) or RER C (Mus\u00e9e d’Orsay)<\/td><\/tr>
Hours<\/td>Tue\u2013Sun 9:30 a.m.\u20136:00 p.m., late night on Thursdays until 9:45 p.m., closed Mondays<\/td><\/tr>
Rates<\/td>\u20ac16 online \/ \u20ac14 at the door<\/td><\/tr>
Official Website<\/td>musee-orsay.fr<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n
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Must-See Works<\/h2>\n\n
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The museum is organized across five levels<\/strong> around the large central nave. The chronological tour begins on the ground floor (Realism, Academic painting, early Impressionism) and continues on the 5th floor (Impressionism and Post-Impressionism\u2014the most-visited gallery). Here are the key works, movement by movement. <\/p>\n\n

1. *Luncheon on the Grass* \u2014 \u00c9douard Manet (1863)<\/h3>\n\n

On the ground floor, the Manet Room. A scandalous painting<\/strong> from the 1863 Salon des Refus\u00e9s, the symbolic starting point of modern painting. A nude woman is having lunch in the woods with two men in contemporary attire\u2014a composition that shocked critics and the public alike, and marked the definitive break<\/strong> with academic painting. Imposing dimensions (208 \u00d7 264 cm), Victorine Meurent\u2019s direct gaze, a flat palette without chiaroscuro. Learn more about “Luncheon on the Grass” by following this link.<\/a><\/p>\n\n

2. Olympia \u2014 \u00c9douard Manet (1863)<\/h3>\n\n

The Manet Gallery as well. Manet\u2019s second scandal<\/strong>, exhibited at the Official Salon of 1865. A nude Parisian prostitute gazes at the viewer, accompanied by her Black maid, Laure<\/strong>, and her black cat. An outright provocation against the conventions of the mythological nude. The work was purchased from Manet\u2019s widow in 1890 thanks to a fundraising campaign launched by Monet<\/strong> among his artist friends (19,415 francs raised). Discover *Olympia* by following this link.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n

3. Poppies \u2014 Claude Monet (1873)<\/h3>\n\n

5th floor, Impressionist Gallery. Field of Poppies in the Argenteuil Plain. Madame Monet and their son Jean. An iconic work of Impressionism<\/strong>, completed in just a few hours outdoors. A loose brushstroke, light captured in the moment, an ordinary subject elevated to a pictorial motif. It is this type of work that defines the movement. <\/p>\n\n

4. Dance at the Moulin de la Galette \u2014 Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1876)<\/h3>\n\n

5th floor. An absolute masterpiece<\/strong> by Renoir and one of the most famous Impressionist paintings. A scene of a popular dance in Montmartre on a Sunday afternoon. Dappled light filtering through the trees, a joyful crowd, vibrant colors. Monumental size (131 \u00d7 175 cm). In this painting, Renoir proves that modern life<\/strong> can be depicted with the same ambition as that of the great masters of the past. <\/p>\n\n

5. *The Cradle* \u2014 Berthe Morisot (1872)<\/h3>\n\n

5th floor, Morisot Room. The first major<\/strong> Impressionist work with a maternal theme<\/strong>, presented at the first Impressionist exhibition<\/strong> in April 1874 at Nadar\u2019s studio. Edma Morisot, Berthe\u2019s sister, watches over her sleeping daughter Blanche. Intimate format (56 \u00d7 46 cm). A seminal work: all modern maternal painting (Cassatt, Renoir, Vuillard) traces its roots to it. Discover Berthe Morisot’s birthplace by following this link.<\/a><\/p>\n\n

6. The Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer \u2014 Edgar Degas (1880\u20131881)<\/h3>\n\n

5th floor, Degas Room. A<\/strong> 98-cm bronze sculpture<\/strong>, a copy of an original wax statue<\/strong> (presented in 1881 at the 6th Impressionist Exhibition) dressed in a real tulle tutu and wearing real ballet slippers. Degas\u2019s most revolutionary work<\/strong>, which scandalized critics in 1881 with its mix of materials and raw realism. Model: Marie van Goethem<\/strong>, a student at the Paris Opera. <\/p>\n\n

7. *Starry Night* \u2014 Vincent van Gogh (1888)<\/h3>\n\n

5th floor, Van Gogh Gallery. View of the Rh\u00f4ne in Arles<\/strong> under a sky studded with swirling stars. Painted in September 1888 during his Arles period\u2014one of Van Gogh\u2019s most creative. Note<\/strong>: Do not confuse this<\/em><\/strong> with the<\/em> famous *Starry Night*<\/em><\/strong> (1889, MoMA, New York), painted later from the window of the asylum in Saint-R\u00e9my-de-Provence. The painting at the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay isthe original<\/strong> in the series. <\/p>\n\n

8. The Card Players \u2014 Paul C\u00e9zanne (1890\u20131895)<\/h3>\n\n

5th floor, C\u00e9zanne Gallery. Two peasants in silhouette, seated at a table, playing cards. There are five versions<\/strong> in total (Orsay, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Courtauld, London; Barnes, Philadelphia; and the Royal Collection, Qatar\u2014the latter sold for $250 million in 2011, an all-time record<\/strong> for an art sale at the time). The Orsay version is one of two featuring two figures<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n

9. The Origin of the World \u2014 Gustave Courbet (1866)<\/h3>\n\n

Courbet Room, ground floor. The most radical female nude<\/strong> of the 19th century. Commissioned in 1866 by the Ottoman diplomat Khalil Bey<\/strong>, kept hidden for a century, and exhibited publicly for the first time at the Mus\u00e9e d\u2019Orsay in 1995. Uncompromising realism, an intimate scale, and the subject\u2019s direct gaze. A seminal work of modern nude painting. <\/p>\n\n

10. The Large Clock and the Central Nave<\/h3>\n\n

More than just a work of art\u2014 it\u2019<\/strong>s a place<\/strong>. The grand nave, 138 meters long and a remnant of the original 1900 train station, features monumental<\/strong> 19th-century sculptures<\/strong> (Carpeaux, Rodin, Bourdelle, Maillol). On the 5th floor, behind the large transparent clock<\/strong>, a panoramic view of the Seine, the Louvre, and Montmartre\u2014 one of the most beautiful views in Paris<\/strong>. A must-see for photos. <\/p>\n\n

How to Visit the Museum<\/h2>\n\n
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Recommended duration<\/strong>: Allow 2.5 to 3 hours<\/strong> to tour the permanent collections, especially the Impressionist gallery on the 5th floor. If a temporary exhibition is on view, add 1 to 1.5 hours. For enthusiasts, a full half-day<\/strong> (4 hours) is necessary to see everything in depth. <\/p>\n\n

Best time to visit<\/strong>: The Mus\u00e9e d’Orsay is one of the most visited museums in Europe<\/strong> (4 million visitors per year). To avoid the crowds: <\/p>\n\n