Musee d'Orsay
Museum In A Beaux Arts Railway Station On The Seine, Opened 1986, Holding The World'S Largest Collection Of Impressionist And Post Impressionist Art; Within The UNESCO Banks Of The Seine Listing · Paris, Ile-de-France
The Musée d'Orsay fills a former railway station on the left bank of the Seine, facing the Tuileries across the river. The Gare d'Orsay was built for the 1900 World's Fair, fell out of use as trains grew longer, and reopened as a museum in 1986. Its collection covers roughly 1848 to 1914, the decades between the Louvre's old masters and the modern art of the Centre Pompidou, and it holds the largest group of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings anywhere: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Sisley, Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat and Van Gogh, along with Manet's Olympia and Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe. The old station hall, under its glass and iron vault, is lined with sculpture, and two giant clock faces on the top floor look out over the river toward Montmartre. It is one of the most visited museums in France, so queues and crowded rooms are normal, and a timed ticket booked ahead saves a lot of waiting. Most people see the Impressionist floor first and leave the rest, which is a mistake only if you have time.
Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 75007 Paris, Paris, Ile-de-France, France
The Musée d'Orsay is open most days of the year from morning to early evening, with one weekly closing day, traditionally Monday; confirm the current pattern, because many Paris museums close on Tuesday instead and visitors mix them up. One evening a week, traditionally Thursday, the museum stays open late, and those late hours are usually the calmest time to see the top-floor Impressionist galleries (confirm the day and closing time). It closes on a few public holidays, including 1 May and Christmas Day, and some rooms can close without warning for rehanging or staff shortages. Last entry is well before closing, and room clearing starts before the official closing time, so do not arrive in the final hour expecting a full visit. Timed tickets for a set entry slot are sold online and are strongly advised in spring, summer and school holidays; on busy days ticket-desk sales can sell out or mean a long wait. The free first Sunday of the month, where it applies, is the most crowded day of the month and may also need a booked slot (confirm). Temporary exhibitions sometimes carry their own timed entry.