When in France, you MUST visit the D’Orsay Museum in Paris! It NEVER disappoints!
You cannot call Musée d’Orsay (D’Orsay Museum in Paris) a hidden gem. In fact, it is listed as the number ONE place to go on Tripadvisor when travelling in Paris. And yes, it is very popular and always very crowded.
This museum is my favorite museum IN THE ENTIRE WORLD as I am a die-hard fan of impressionism art. Not only is the art collection fantastic, but the building itself is magnificent. In fact, the museum’s building was once a former railway station!
The Layout of the Museum
The Musee d’Orsay is tiny compared to the Louvre. However it is still a huge museum and the permanent collection spans four floors and several important periods. It houses the largest collection of impressionist paintings in the world!
This museum is the home of art created from 1848 to 1914. On the top floor you will view the stunning masterpieces of the impressionists and post-impressionists. The paintings are arranged thematically and stylistically to provide different perspectives.
Downstairs houses the earlier Symbolists and Realists, including a new room for Courbet’s giant canvases, and new art nouveau galleries.
Photo by Slices of Light on Flickr
Important Tip for the D’Orsay Museum in Paris: Plan your visit!
In advance of your visit, familiarize yourself with how the museum is laid out. I suggest that you plan your visit in advance. First try to spend time on a selected period or artists that you love. That way you will get to see the artists that know and love, before serious exhaustion and serious sensory overload sets in. Press here to get an updated map of the layout of the museum.
It features a very large collection of Impressionism masterpieces painted by Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gauguin, Cassatt and Van Gogh to name a few.
We spent five hours and barely touched the surface…..our brains just couldn’t handle anymore art (nor our feet)….
But you do not need to leave this museum when your feet get tired or you suffer with a severe case of “Impressionist- art-overdose”. Take a break in one of the cafes or restaurants in the museum. I suggest you pop into the lovely Café de l’Horloge to see the gorgeous views of Montmatre & Sacré-Cœur.
My Tip for this Museum: Avoid going to D’Orsay Museum in Paris on the weekends or public holidays!! There are less crowds midweek!!! Also, the museum is free on the first Sunday of very month (but it is very crowded so go early, as soon as it opens!!!)
Sometimes there are long queues for buying entrance tickets. Therefore I strongly suggest you buy a ticket online so that you do need to be one of those waiting in long queues outside! That way you can walk right in!
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Opening Hours of D’Orsay Museum in Paris
Open every day from 9.30am to 6pm daily, except Mondays
Late night on Thursdays until 9.45pm
Last tickets sold at 5pm (9pm Thursdays)
Museum clears at 5.15pm (9.15pm Thursdays)
Closed on Mondays, on 1 May and 25 December
For more information go the D’Orsay website
Photo by Josh Edgoose on Unsplash
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