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When you Visit the Orsay Museum, you’ll be amazed by the splendor of the building, which used to be the Orsay train station. Then, you’ll be able to see the most beautiful collections of French paintings. The Museum has a large number of prevalent works of art that mark important trends in French art history, including impressionism, post-impressionism, cubism, expressionism, and Fauvism.
Collections, masterpieces, Musée d’Orsay hours, prices, peak times, tickets, all the information you need for the best visit to this temple of modern art and impressionism.
Monet, Manet, Pissarro, Renoir, Gauguin, Cezanne, Rodin, Poussin, Van Gogh … admire masterpieces by the greatest artists! And find tips to access them with skip the line tickets…
OPENING HOURS AND PRICES FOR THE ORSAY MUSEUM
ORSAY MUSEUM PRICES:
- The Orsay Museum ticket price:
- €16 + €0.75 booking fees
- €9 for reduced rates (access to both temporary and permanent collections)
- Combined ticket price for the Orsay Museum/Orangery Museum: €21
- Combined ticket price for the Orsay Museum/Boat
Tour : €27.90
Avoid the (very) long queues!
- with this ticket:
- priority access
- skip the long line
- access to all the collection & exhibitions
- best online price
Night session on Thurday from 6pm: €12
ORSAY MUSEUM OPENING HOURS:
- Opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday:
- 9.30 am to 6.00 pm
- Opening hours on Thursdays evenings:
- until 9.45 pm (visitors are asked to leave at 9.15pm)
- Closed every Monday, as well as 1st January and 25th December
BUSY TIMES AT THE ORSAY MUSEUM:
Queues to get into the Museum can be long, especially at weekends.
Busy times at the Orsay Museum on Saturdays and Sundays:
- You can wait up to 2.5 hours to get into the museum (peak times from 1.00pm to 5.00pm).
- Queues are shorter before 10.00am (between 30 minutes and 1 hour).
On Wednesdays and Thursdays:
- Queues are shorter but you can still expect to wait 1.5 hours at peak times (from 2.00pm to 5.00pm).
- Queues are better on Thursday evenings after 7.00pm for evening opening.
Busy times on Tuesdays and Fridays:
- There are large crowds, with waiting times up to 2-2.5 hours on Tuesdays as other main museums are closed (the Louvre and Pompidou center).
- On Friday as the weekend gets underway, queues start to get longer (up to 1 hour 45 mins. on average).
HOW TO GET TO ORSAY MUSEUM:
Address: 1 rue de la Legion d’Honneur 75007 Paris
Metro: Solférino (line 12), Musée d’Orsay (RER C)
COLLECTIONS AND MASTERPIECES
LEVEL 0: ORIENTALISM, REALISM, SYMBOLISM, XIXTH CENTURY
On the ground floor, you can admire masterpieces by the great masters. Many paintings date from the second half of the 19th century (from 1850 to 1880).
- Courbet: The Origin of the World, The Wounded Man
- DelaCroix and Orientalism
- School of Barbizon: Millet, Corot …
- Toulouse Lautrec: Dance at the Moulin Rouge.
You’ll also find works from the 1860’s by Manet and Cézanne, as well as paintings by Degas from pre-1870.
LEVEL 2: NEO IMPRESSIONISM, GAUGUIN, VAN GOGH, NATURALISM AND SCULPTURE
Anyone who loves sculpture can’t miss the Rodin exhibition gallery and Sculpture gallery.
The museum’s 2nd floor also features world-famous works.
Among Van Gogh’s paintings, you can admire the artist’s room in Arles (room 72), which is one of his self-portraits or even Starry Night (room 71).
Gauguin’s paintings also have an important place on this level, especially in room 70.
In this area, you can see various paintings by the artist, including, “The White Horse”, “And the Gold of their Bodies” and “Arearea, and The Meal”.
In the adjoining rooms, you can also admire the Nabis paintings (Bonnard, Vallotton, Vuillard …).
LEVEL 5 – IMPRESSIONISM: MONET, RENOIR, SISLEY, MANET, CÉZANNE, DEGAS, PISSARRO …
There’s an enormous Impressionist collection at the Orsay Museum.
The Gachet collection has many paintings and is also on the 5th floor.
Monet’s Water Lilies also catch the eye of many visitors to the museum.
Finally, marvel at Paul Cézanne’s painting of Sainte Victoire Mountain.
Also, take a look at:
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE AT THE ORSAY MUSEUM IN 2026
Renoir and Love – The Joyful Modernity (1865–1885)
Dates: March 17 to July 19, 2026
A major retrospective dedicated to the theme of love in Renoir’s work, this exhibition explores scenes of Parisian life, moments of tenderness, and human relationships at the heart of 19th-century modernity. A major event for Impressionism enthusiasts.
Price: €16
Buy your ticket
Renoir the Draftsman
Dates: March 17 to July 5, 2026
This exhibition highlights a more intimate side of Pierre-Auguste Renoir through his drawings, sketches, and preparatory studies. It offers insight into the artist’s creative process and his work on movement, the human body, and light—often overshadowed by his iconic paintings.
Youssef Nabil – I Still Dream
Dates: May 19 to September 13, 2026
Franco-Egyptian photographer and video artist Youssef Nabil presents a series of poetic and melancholic works in dialogue with the museum’s collections. His hand-colored photographs explore memory, exile, and representations of the East through a contemporary lens.
A Statue for Liberty: Bartholdi’s Dream, from Paris to New York
Dates: September 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027
This immersive exhibition plunges visitors into the history of the creation of the Statue of Liberty. Through innovative scenographic devices, it retraces the technical, artistic, and symbolic stages of this monumental project between France and the United States.
Auguste Bartholdi – Liberty Enlightening the World
Dates: September 15, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Complementing the immersive exhibition, this retrospective is dedicated to the sculptor Auguste Bartholdi. It looks back at his career, his inspirations, and the genesis of his most famous work, while also highlighting his lesser-known creations.
Mary Cassatt – Choosing Independence
Dates: October 6, 2026 to January 31, 2027
The Musée d’Orsay pays tribute to Mary Cassatt, a major figure of American Impressionism. The exhibition explores her artistic journey, her commitment to the independence of women artists, and her sensitive взгляд on intimacy, motherhood, and everyday life.
Jenny Holzer – I Saw
Dates: October 20, 2026 to February 21, 2027
A contemporary artist renowned for her work with text and light, Jenny Holzer takes over the museum spaces with striking installations. Her works question power, violence, and collective memory through luminous and immersive messages.
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