The Musée d'Orsay opened in 1900 as a railway station and very nearly became a parking garage before someone realized the glass-roofed hall was too beautiful to demolish. It now holds the world's largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings — Monet, Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne — under the same arched glass ceiling that once sheltered steam trains.
- The giant station clock is still there — climb behind it for one of the best photo spots in Paris
- Impressionist galleries are on the top floor; go straight up if that's what you're here for
- Combined ticket with the Musée de l'Orangerie saves money if you're doing both in one trip
- Hours
- 9:30–18:00, Thu until 21:45, closed Mondays
- Price
- €16, free first Sunday of the month (Oct–Mar)
- Tip
- Thursday evenings are the quietest time to see the Impressionist rooms.
Nearby
- T Tuileries Garden · garden
- M Musée de l'Orangerie · museum
- P Pont Alexandre III · bridge