Stepping into the Musée d’Orsay felt like entering a world where architecture, art and history seamlessly intertwine. One of Paris’ jewels not to miss. A top museum in Paris. Good for at a visit of at least half a day.
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The building
The building itself, a former railway station, is a masterpiece.
At the entrance, you can watch a short film. A black and white movie presents the history of the building. It captures the superb transformation from the busiest station in Paris into a world class museum. Worth a stop for 5 minutes, at the start or the end of your visit.
As of entering, the view into the museum is amazing. The enormous hall is covered with sculptures. The way the soft natural light hits the glass walls is stunning. And of course, there is the amazing grand clock. From whatever point of view you look, it’s magnificent.
For the best view of the hall, head straight to the viewing platform on the fifth floor.
When we visited, there was the special Elmgreen & Dragset exposition, mingling modern art with the more classic sculptures.
If you look closely at the overal photo below below, you can spot a lonely traveler crossing a white landscape on a white overhanging platform. Or a small boy at the edge of a tall diving board overthinking whether or not to dive.
On the fifth floor, you can also find one of the most iconic features of the Musée d’Orsay. It is located at the entrance of the Impressionist section. It is the giant glass clock window. Ideal for some great pictures!
We had a clear blue sky when visiting. We could clearly spot the Sacré-Cœur high above Paris’ rooftops and the Seine.
There may be quite a queue to take ‘the’ picture, but it’s worth the wait.
The art works
The museum offers three extensive floors, good for a couple of hours of gaping at splendid art works.
We headed straight to the fifth floor. There, we admired masterpieces by Monnet, Renoir, and Van Gogh in their full ‘grandeur’.
My favorites?
Renoir’s ‘Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette’, a masterpiece of Impressionism. It captures the vibrancy of Parisian social life in the late 19th century. The scene shows a bustling outdoor dance at the famous Moulin de la Galette in Montmartre. The dynamic, lively atmosphere spats from the painting. The painting captures not just a moment in time but also the spirit of celebration, camaraderie and carefree enjoyment.
Monet’s ‘Women with a Parasol‘ is also an impressionist work. The vibrant greens of the grass blend beautifully with the soft blues of the sky.
Monet’s ‘water lilies‘. The blues, greens, and pinks blended together so harmoniously. It feels as though you are gazing into an actual pond.
And then there’s Van Gogh’s self portrait of course.
Two floors below, in the sculptures section, I admire the imposing ice bear ‘Ours blanc’ by François Pompon. It’s a simple, sleek, modern depiction of a polar bear exuding a quiet strength and majesty.
And on the ground floor, the statute Les Quatre Parties du Monde Soutenant la Sphère in the Musée d’Orsay got my attention. 4 gracial figures hold up the world, interconnecting. I felt a real connection. The four figures, each representing a different continent reminded me of all the travels we made.
Exploring the museum took me a couple of hours. It’s easy to spend much longer there. There is so much too see. And then we even didn’t visit the temporary collections!
Practical information
The musée has an excellent website.
It’s reachable easily accessible by public transport. The RER C train stops directly at the Musée d’Orsay station, and several buses, including routes 63, 68, and 69, drop you nearby.
If you’re walking from the Louvre, it’s just a scenic 10-15 minute stroll along the river. To the other side, you are in about 30 minutes at the Eiffel Tower.
Ticket price (full price) costs 16 euro per person. There are reductions for students and families.
You can easily buy a ticket at the museum. But to avoid long lines, we recommend purchasing tickets in advance online. The museum offers several options. These include skip-the-line tickets. You can also choose combined passes if you’re visiting other attractions like the Louvre or the Orangerie.
We tried to book online before but the online tickets were sold out. So we went and bought a ticket through an agency without a time frame. This was more expensive and in the end, didn’t seem necessary at all. Even in the busy Christmas holidays, you could queue. Even with a ticket skipping-the-line’, we had to wait in line for 30 minutes.
Inside the museum, there are free lockers to store your clothes or backpacks.
There are also very nice restaurants to have lunch.
Accommodation
We stayed in Hotel Paris Boulogne , a decent 4 star hotel at the outskirts of Paris. This small hotel offers pleasant rooms and an excellent breakfast.
The hotel is located in a quiet residential area, at 5 minutes walk from the metro. Line 9 brings you to Paris center in 20 minutes.
A plus of the hotel is the spacious parking (16 euro per night).
Our recommendations
Some recommendations when visiting the Musée d’Orsay
- Book a ticket online to avoid the queues. Go for a time slot if you have a tight schedule, otherwise go for a ticket without time slot.
- If you bought the latter or didn’t buy a ticket online, go in the afternoon. Mornings are very busy. And even with tickets, waiting lines are still possible.
- Reserve at least half a day for a visit. There are so many things to enjoy.
- There are several temporary collections. If you also want to see these, reserve some extra time.
- Head straight to the viewing platform on the 5th floor and the Impressionist section.
- Store your backpacks and jackets in a locker. But don’t forget your wallet if you want to enjoy lunch at the 5th floor.
- If you don’t want to drive around in Paris, take the train. Alternatively, look for accommodation at the outskirts of Paris offering parking. It should be close to a metro station.
Interested in more musea in other European cities? Visit the exquisite modern art Museu Coleção Berardo in Lisbon.
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