The Musée d’Orsay is Paris’s museum of 19th- and early 20th-century art, in a former railway station on the Left Bank, with the world’s best-known collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting: Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne and Van Gogh. As of October 2026 a ticket costs €16 online or €14 at the museum, and under-18s and EEA residents under 26 go free. It opens Tuesday to Sunday 9:30–18:00 (Thursday to 21:45) and is closed on Mondays. Building work runs until 2028 but the museum stays open; book a timed ticket and allow two to three hours.
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Tickets and tours for Musée d'Orsay
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Why the Musée d’Orsay matters
The Gare d’Orsay was built for the 1900 World’s Fair, a grand iron-and-glass station dressed in stone to suit its setting opposite the Louvre. When long-distance trains outgrew it, it was saved from demolition and turned into a museum, which opened in December 1986. It picks up roughly where the Louvre stops, covering painting, sculpture, photography and decorative arts from the mid-19th century to the First World War. Some 3.7 million people visit every year.
From 10 March 2026 to summer 2028 the museum is renovating its forecourt, glass canopy and reception areas. It stays open at normal hours with all collections and exhibitions, but entrances and exits have moved and queues now form on the riverside pavement.
What you’ll see
- The nave: the old train hall under its glass roof, lined with 19th-century sculpture, with the station’s great gilded clock at the end.
- The Impressionist gallery on the top floor: Monet’s poppies and cathedrals, Renoir’s Bal du moulin de la Galette, Degas’s dancers, and the famous view through the giant clock face over the Seine to the Louvre and Sacré-Cœur.
- Van Gogh and Gauguin: Van Gogh’s self-portrait and Starry Night over the Rhône, and Gauguin’s Tahiti paintings.
- Manet and his time: Olympia and Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe, which scandalised Paris, alongside Courbet, Millet and Whistler’s portrait of his mother.
In summer a terrace at the exit of the Impressionist gallery looks out over the rooftops of the Right Bank, and the Café de la Gare sits beneath the nave.
Tickets and how to visit
From the museum’s official website, as of October 2026:
- Full price: €16 online, €14 bought at the museum. Reduced: €11, sold on site. Thursday evening ticket (from 18:00): €12 online, €10 on site.
- Free: under-18s and EEA residents under 26 (other free categories are listed on the museum’s site), and everyone on the first Sunday of the month, when booking is compulsory.
- Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9:30–18:00, Thursday until 21:45. Last admission 17:00 (21:00 on Thursdays), and the galleries start closing 30 minutes before the museum. Closed every Monday, 1 May and 25 December.
- How to book: buy a timed ticket on the museum’s online ticket office; the museum strongly recommends it for the whole building work period. Paris Museum Pass holders must book a time slot on the Pass website.
- Entrances during the works: Entrance 1, on the Seine side, is for visitors with timed tickets. Entrance 2, on the forecourt, is for priority visitors, visitors with luggage or reduced mobility, and anyone without a timed ticket.
- Security and bags: bags are screened. Large backpacks, helmets, big umbrellas and cabin bags up to 56 × 45 × 25 cm go in the free self-service cloakroom, space permitting; anything bigger is refused.
How long to allow and when to go
Two to three hours covers the Impressionists and the highlights of the lower floors. Many visitors head straight to the top floor, so start downstairs if you arrive at opening time, or take the cheaper Thursday evening slot, when the museum is at its calmest. Avoid the free first Sunday unless you have booked well ahead, and remember the Monday closing when you plan your week.
Accessibility
Visitors with reduced mobility use Entrance 2 on the forecourt, and visitors with a disability card and their companion, as well as pregnant women, have priority access. Wheelchairs and folding chairs are lent free at the cloakroom in exchange for ID, and lifts serve the different levels.
Getting there
The museum is on the Esplanade Valéry Giscard d’Estaing in the 7th arrondissement. RER C stops at Musée d’Orsay station, right beside it, and metro line 12 at Solférino, a few minutes’ walk. Buses 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, 87 and 94 stop nearby. From the Louvre, walk through the Tuileries and cross the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge.
Combine it with
The Louvre is 700 metres away across the river, but two big museums in one day is a lot; a better pairing is the Musée de l’Orangerie, at the far end of the Tuileries, for Monet’s huge Water Lilies. A riverside walk west leads to the Eiffel Tower in about 30 minutes. For more ideas, see our Paris travel guide and our city sightseeing guide.
Musée d’Orsay FAQ
How much is a Musée d’Orsay ticket?
As of October 2026, €16 online or €14 at the museum, and €12 online for Thursday evenings. Under-18s and EEA residents under 26 go free.
Is the Musée d’Orsay closed on Mondays?
Yes, every Monday, as well as 1 May and 25 December. It is open late on Thursdays, until 21:45.
Do I need to book the Musée d’Orsay in advance?
It is strongly recommended during the building work (until 2028), and compulsory on free first Sundays and for Paris Museum Pass holders.
Is the Musée d’Orsay open during the renovation?
Yes. It keeps its normal hours and all collections stay on view; only the entrances and exits have moved.
How long do you need at the Musée d’Orsay?
Two to three hours for the Impressionists and the main highlights; half a day if you want the sculpture, decorative arts and an exhibition too.
Can I bring a suitcase to the Musée d’Orsay?
Only cabin size, up to 56 × 45 × 25 cm, which goes in the free cloakroom if there is space. Use Entrance 2 on the forecourt.