The Famous Orsay Museum in Paris
Paris is the home of many of the world’s most famous museums. Chances are, you’re visiting the city not just because of its history, culture and vibe, but also to see what these cultural institutions have to offer!
One of the best and most famous museums in Paris is the Orsay Museum, known locally as Musee d’Orsay. It was established back in 1986 and built inside what was formerly the Gare d’Orsay railway station along the Seine River. It’s also one of the largest museums in Europe. If you have a fascination for art and aesthetics, this museum is a must-visit.
It specializes in the curation of French works from a wide variety of mediums, from paintings to sculptures. Majority of these masterworks were made between 1848 to 1914. This makes the museum a wonderful entry point to the world of French art, so if you’ve yet to go down that fascinating wormhole, then paying the museum a visit will get you hooked!
Leaving an Impression
The Orsay Museum also serves as the home of the world’s largest and extensive collection of Impressionist paintings. These kinds of paintings often depict nature and mundane goings-on in real life, and these are usually done in an open-air area and are done relatively quickly in order to capture how light adjusts over time. To better reflect this, painters often use dabs to give the impression of the changes in lighting.
Photo credit: @Diane Picchiottino on Unsplash
You’ll find many of the best examples of this style of painting on display, such as “The Card Players” by Paul Cezanne, Vincent van Gogh’s world-famous self-portrait and “Starry Night Over the Rhone,” and “The Lion Hunt” by Eugene Delacroix. There’s just so many that you can spend an entire day just admiring the works of the Impressionist movement’s luminaries.
Musee d’Orsay’s Health and Safety Guidelines
As per the local government’s rules, in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, visitors must present a health pass (for those aged 12-15) or a vaccination pass (for those aged 16+) upon entering. Guests aged 6+ must also wear Category 1 face masks at all times inside the museum.
Where Is the Orsay Museum and How Do I Get There?
The Orsay Museum can be found along Rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 75007 Paris, France. It’s also open from 9:30am to 6:00pm from Tuesday to Sunday.
You can get there via any of the following:
- By bus: you can ride Bus 68 and 69, which passes by the museum
- By metro: ride Line 12 and stop at Solferino or Assemblee Nationale. It’s a 2-minute walk from there
- By RER (Reseau Express Regionale): take Line C and stop at Musee d’Orsay
Book It, Klook It!
Klook offers Orsay Museum tickets! There are two packages that you can pick from. One is just a regular package that comes with a single fast track ticket (which allows you to skip the line), while the other also has that but it also comes with an audio guide via an app, which you can use to learn about each piece of art you’ll find as you explore the museum.
Klook Tip: We recommend the package that comes with the audio guide. This will enrich your visit because you’ll be able to learn more about the works and the people behind them as you wander the halls of this fantastic museum!
