Musée d'Orsay

Musée d'Orsay RER station serves the world's greatest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. The museum occupies the Gare d'Orsay, a Belle Époque railway station built in 1900 and converted into a museum in 1986. The building itself - with its vast glass roof, giant clock faces overlooking the Seine and the original station hotel's gilded restaurant (now the museum café) - is architecturally magnificent even before you see a single painting.

The collection spans 1848 to 1914 and includes the finest concentrations of work by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Seurat and Toulouse-Lautrec in the world. Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles, Monet's Rouen Cathedral series, Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette and Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe are all here.

Station Overview

Zone 1. RER C only at this station. The nearest Métro station is Solférino (Line 12) or Assemblée Nationale (Line 12), both about 5 minutes walk.

Travel Tips

• Book Musée d'Orsay tickets online in advance - queues at the door can be very long, especially in summer
• Free on the first Sunday of each month
• The museum café on the upper level, in the original station hotel's gilded dining room, is spectacular - book a table or arrive early for lunch
• Thursday evenings (until 21:45) are significantly less crowded than daytime visits

Nearby Attractions

Musée d'Orsay - Directly served. The world's greatest Impressionist collection. Admission charged; free first Sundays. Open Tuesday to Sunday.

Musée de l'Orangerie - 20 minutes walk east through the Tuileries. Monet's Water Lilies in purpose-built oval rooms.

Musée Rodin - 10 minutes walk west. The Thinker, The Kiss and The Gates of Hell in Rodin's former house and garden. Admission charged.

Timings and Best Time to Travel

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30–18:00 (Thursday until 21:45). Closed Mondays. Least crowded on weekday mornings and Thursday evenings.