Musée d’Orsay Opening Hours: Plan Your Visit
Musée d’Orsay Opening Hours: Plan Your Visit
Prepare for your visit to the Musée d’Orsay by reviewing its opening hours, closing days, and the best time to visit. We also provide guidance on the recommended duration for your visit, so you can efficiently plan your time in Paris. At the end, we’ve included top-rated ticket options and highly recommended guided tours for Musée d’Orsay, ensuring a seamless and unforgettable experience.
Musée d’Orsay Opening Hours
Daily, except Mondays, 9:30 am to 6:00 pm, Thursday until 9:45 pm
Last entry is 1 hour before closing time.
You need to choose a time slot of 30 minutes for entry.
Closing Days: Closed Mondays, as well as on May 1 and December 25.
When is the Best Time to Visit Musée d’Orsay?
The best time to visit the Musée d’Orsay is during the shoulder seasons of spring or fall. These periods offer fewer crowds, pleasant weather, and longer daylight hours. You’ll likely encounter shorter lines and a more relaxed experience.
Consider visiting early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Weekdays are preferable, with Wednesdays often being the least crowded day.
How Much Time Should I Plan to Visit Musée d’Orsay?
How long you should spend at the Musée d’Orsay depends on your interests and how much time you have. If you’re an avid art lover, you could easily spend several hours exploring the museum’s vast collection. However, if you’re short on time, you can still get a good overview of the museum in 2 hours. Here is a suggested itinerary for a 2-hour visit to the Musée d’Orsay:
Start on Level 5: This is the most important floor, where the museum’s most famous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces are located. Here, you can admire works such as Monet’s “Water Lilies,” Renoir’s “Bal du moulin de la Galette,” and Van Gogh’s self-portraits, alongside paintings by Degas, Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat, and Toulouse-Lautrec.
Take a break for lunch: There are several cafés and restaurants near Musée d’Orsay, or you can relax at Café Campana on Level 5. For a more complete meal, the museum restaurant on Level 2 is also available.
Continue to Level 2 and the Ground Level: Level 2 focuses on Art Nouveau, Symbolism, and Belle Époque sculptures, while the Ground Level showcases Realist and Academic masterpieces by artists such as Manet, Courbet, Millet, and early Monet and Renoir works.
Book Musée d’Orsay Entry Tickets & Tours
Explore a thoughtfully selected array of tickets and guided tours designed to elevate your experience at Musée d’Orsay.
Bestseller Orsay Museum Entry Ticket
Paris: Orsay Museum Entry Ticket
26.2K+ Reviews
€13
GetYourGuide
“The reserved access made entry to the museum much quicker. Visiting in January there were still queues for buying entry tickets…”
Top-Rated Orsay Museum Ticket with Audio Guide
Paris: Orsay Museum Entry Ticket and Digital Audio Guide App
3.6K+ Reviews
€25
GetYourGuide
“Very impressive exhibition, informative, very well documented, a parade of wonderful pictures…”
Most Preferred Orsay Museum Guided Tour
Paris: Musée d’Orsay Ticket and Guided Tour
600+ Reviews
€59
GetYourGuide
“My tour of Musée d’Orsay was a phenomenal experience, largely thanks to our outstanding guide…”
