The Musee d’Orsay. One of my favorite Paris museums anywhere. The structure of the museum itself is a work of art. An old Paris train station built in 1900 (complete with a hotel and fancy lounge for the fancier travelers), it suffered from limited utility by the mid-1930s due to train expansion and evolution issues. It shifted to some cargo shipping but in second half of the 20th Century it was almost demolished in favor of a “modern hotel.” Imagine! Thankfully, in the 1980s it was saved and converted to one of the most visually stunning museums in the world. It is gorgeous and serves as a spectacular backdrop for important art. The Musee d’Orsay is most famous for its impressionist and neo-impressionist works (think Van Gogh, Monet, Gaugin and Seurat) but has terrific sculptures and other interesting works, such as a detailed cut out model of Garnier Opera House. It helped that I had just visited the Garnier Opera house a few days earlier. Ha!
Other notable works include: Le Dejeurner sur l’erbe and Olympia by Edouard Manet; The Dance Class, Edgar Degas and also several of his scultpures; Renoir’s Two Young Girls at the Piano and Bal du Moulin de la Galette; Monet’s Poppy Field at Argenteuil and Iris Bed in Monet’s garden; and several paintings by Gaugin and Cezanne. If you want to see the timeline of impressionism, this is the place! On the lower levels there are non-impressionists works that are equally interesting such as Whistler’s Arrangement in Gray and Black No.1 (or the potrait of his mother as it can be better known as). Well worth the price of admission.
So, you are planning your trip to Paris and want to visit this world-class museum? Excellent—not to be missed! Here are some things to know before you saunter up expecting to be let in. There are 4 entrance lines as of 2024. One for “members” and people with accessibility issues. One for tickets with reserved times. One for groups and one for people sauntering up without a ticket hoping to get in. In late February, low tourist season, every slot had a line except for “groups.” Do yourself a favor and pre-book a time slot. Even in February, there was a bit of a delay. I had 10 AM spot and waited in line 15 minutes. It moved fairly quickly but there is a grace period so it wasn’t an issue of “missing the slot.” The d’Orsay is included in the museum passes, but I did not have the pass and did not scope out the line situation. Based on other passes, it is likely you book your slot but note you have the pass so you pay nothing at the time of reservation. But I strongly suggest figuring this out before you show up! It might be pass holders breeze in anytime, but I doubt it given that crowd control is the name of the game these days.
If there is something you have your heart set on seeing, go straight there. In fact, if this museum is top on your list for its more famous works, I suggest booking an early ticket (opening time) and making a beeline for whatever it is you want to see. Van Gogh and Monet and other impressionists’ works are up on the 5th floor. Start there and work your way back down. Otherwise, especially if you go in the high season, the room will be mobbed. Mobbed. It will be difficult to even get close to any of these paintings, let alone spend any quality time there. Further, in my experience, people aren’t all that considerate when they want an Instagram shot. Visitors from all countries want both a photo of the art and a selfie (or 9 selfies; apparently there can be no shortage of selfies!). It gets crowded, even in the off-season.
I recommend buying the tickets online. The museum has a comprehensive website which is easy to navigate. No need to print the tickets—simply save them on your phone and, voila! Note that the museum is closed Mondays (as of this publication) and has a “free” day, which is the first Sunday of the month. Reservations are required for the free day. There is a reduced entry fee for Thursdays after 6 pm (the museum stays open later this day). See the website for details, as the museum has several reduced or free entry programs (under 18 and EU resident, etc.). Musee d’Orsay.
I also recommend getting the audio guide. It was 6 euro extra for my ticket but there are 2 headphone slots. I am not sure if you can request 2 headsets, but if not, just bring some headphones with a traditional jack. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! This will save a bit of money if you are a pair. I find the audio tidbits much more enlightening that the small placards next to the paintings. Especially if you are not an art historian. 😉
There are two cafes inside the museums and bathrooms at either end (on lower floors). The museum is accessible as well with both escalators and elevators. It took me a couple of hours to get through but I would allow more time than that if you are traveling with someone, it is your first time visiting this museum, will spend time at the cafes or gift shop, or find the crowds enormous and need to wait to enter some rooms. If you go at opening time, you could slide right into lunch afterwards. It is directly across the Seine from the Louvre and Tuileries and located in the St. Germain neighborhood, a quaint and much loved area of Paris.