MUSÉE D'ORSAY · PARIS

The Complete Musée d'Orsay Guide 2026

Tickets & booking See the 10 highlights
HOURS
Tue–Sun 09:30–18:00
CLOSED
Mondays, May 1, Dec 25
TIME NEEDED
2.5–3.5 hours
LOCATION
15 min walk from the Louvre

What visitors ask before going to the Musée d'Orsay

Practical basics, tickets, booking and route — everything you need before the visit, in order.

01 Opening hours
Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30–18:00, with late opening until 21:45 on Thursdays. Closed Mondays, May 1 and December 25.
02 Best time to visit
Right at opening on a weekday, or Thursday evening after 18:00 — the tour groups are gone and the top floor feels like a different museum.
03 Location

On Paris’s Left Bank in the 7th arrondissement, Musée d’Orsay sits directly across the Seine from the Louvre, with the Tuileries Garden between them.

From the Louvre, it’s about a 15-minute walk via the Tuileries Garden and across the Seine.

04 How long to stay
Plan on 2.5 to 3.5 hours for the highlights at a comfortable pace. The collection is dense — Level 5 alone can hold a dozen world-famous paintings in 30 minutes.
05 Getting there
RER C stops at Musée d’Orsay, right by the museum. Metro Line 12 stops at Solférino, a short walk away.
06 Facilities & accessibility
Wheelchairs are available to borrow free of charge with ID. All exhibition and service areas are accessible by lift or ramp, and disabled visitors plus one companion receive free priority admission. Large backpacks and large umbrellas must be left in the free cloakroom.
Read the full guides

Orsay tickets & prices

€16 online (timed slot), €14 at the door, reduced rate Thursday evenings, and free entry conditions.

Read the full guide →

Booking your visit

Online booking assigns an entry time; recommended over buying at the door to skip the queue.

Read the full guide →

Hours & how long to stay

Open Tue–Sun 09:30–18:00, Thursdays until 21:45. 2.5–3.5 hours covers the highlights.

Read the full guide →

Route, map & floor guide

Level 5 (Impressionists) first, then Level 2, then the ground floor on the way out.

Read the full guide →

All 28 must-see artworks

Every must-see work at the Musée d’Orsay with the exact room it hangs in — not just the 10 highlights above.

Read the full guide →

History of the museum

How an 1900 World’s Fair railway station became a museum.

Full guide coming soon

Highlights — the 10 must-see works

Every work on this list is from MuseCat's verified must-see selection, with the exact room it hangs in.

Starry Night Over the Rhône — Van Gogh
VAN GOGH

Starry Night Over the Rhône

Level 5, Room 36
The Luncheon on the Grass — Manet
MANET

The Luncheon on the Grass

Level 5, Room 29
Olympia — Manet
MANET

Olympia

Ground floor, Room 14
The Angelus — Millet
MILLET

The Angelus

Ground floor, Room 4
The Gleaners — Millet
MILLET

The Gleaners

Ground floor, Room 4
The Bedroom in Arles — Van Gogh
VAN GOGH

The Bedroom in Arles

Level 5, Room 36
The Ballet Class — Degas
DEGAS

The Ballet Class

Level 5, Room 31
The Birth of Venus — Cabanel
CABANEL

The Birth of Venus

Ground floor, Room 3
Young Girls at the Piano — Renoir
RENOIR

Young Girls at the Piano

Level 5, Room 35
The Gates of Hell (plaster) — Rodin
RODIN

The Gates of Hell (plaster)

Level 2, Terrasse Rodin
Hear these works on the audio guide
AUDIO GUIDE

Don't walk past the paintings you came for

Hear the background and what to look for while standing in front of the work. Pick only the pieces you want and go at your own pace.

Explore the Orsay self-guided tour

Practical tips

Small things that save time once you are there.

Many visitors find it easier to take the escalator straight to Level 5 (Impressionists) first, rather than starting on the ground floor and arriving at the top already tired.

Behind the Level 5 café, the museum’s giant station clock frames a view over the Seine to Montmartre — many visitors consider it one of the best photo spots in the museum.

Works can be moved for loan exhibitions, so if there’s one painting you’re coming to see, it’s worth checking it’s on display before you go.

Photography without flash is allowed; tripods and selfie sticks are not.

Thursday evenings stay open until 21:45, with last entry at 21:00 — a useful option if you prefer visiting later in the day.

Under-18s enter free, as do EU residents 18–25 and disabled visitors plus one companion.

Nearby

Things to see and do nearby once you are done.

Musée de l’Orangerie
Musée de l’Orangerie ≈15-minute walk through the Tuileries

Home to Monet’s Water Lilies in two oval rooms lit only by daylight. Covered together with the Orsay by the Carte Blanche membership.

Tuileries Garden ≈10-minute walk across Pont Royal

Green chairs around the ponds, sculpture along the paths, and a straight line running all the way to the Louvre. Free to enter.

Musée Rodin
Musée Rodin ≈15-minute walk

The Thinker and The Gates of Hell stand in the garden. A cheaper garden-only ticket makes a short stop easy.

Frequently asked questions

How much is admission to the Musée d’Orsay?

€16 online for a timed slot, €14 at the door with a possible queue. Free for under-18s, EU residents 18–25, disabled visitors and one companion, and for everyone on the first Sunday of the month.

Do I have to book in advance?

It’s recommended — online booking assigns a timed entry slot and lets you skip the door queue.

Which works should I not miss?

Start with the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist highlights on Level 5 — Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Manet, Degas. The 10 highlights above set the priorities.

How long does a visit take?

2.5 to 3.5 hours for the highlights at a comfortable pace. On Thursdays you can use the late opening until 21:45.

Do I need an audio guide?

If you want the background and viewing points, an audio guide you can listen to in front of the work helps.