Tickets for the Musée d'Orsay in Paris in 2027

From railway station to Musée d'Orsay: an unusual story

The Gare d’Orsay, designed by the architect Victor Laloux, went up between 1898 and 1900 on the site of the former Palais d’Orsay, which had burnt down in 1871. Opened on 14 July 1900, it was the first electrified station in the capital. As modern trains grew too long for its platforms, it gradually lost its role over the course of the twentieth century and stood largely idle for years.

Orsay reborn in 1986

The decision to turn the building into a museum was taken under the presidency of Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. The architects Renaud Bardon, Pierre Colboc and Jean-Paul Philippon led the conversion, while the Italian designer Gae Aulenti created the interior layout. François Mitterrand opened the museum in December 1986. You can still recognise the railway nave, the gilded coffered ceiling and the great clocks that once marked the departures, which gives the visit a character quite unlike any other gallery in the city.

Highlights you should not miss at the Musée d'Orsay

The collection covers painting, sculpture, decorative arts, photography and architecture from a pivotal period, running from Realism to the avant-garde movements of the early twentieth century.

Impressionist painting at Orsay

• Édouard Manet: Le Déjeuner sur l’herbe and Olympia, two scandals that became classics.
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir: Bal du moulin de la Galette, a Montmartre dance in full sunshine.
• Claude Monet: the Rouen Cathedral series, five canvases capturing the same façade at different times of day.

Realism and Post-Impressionism at Orsay

Gustave Courbet makes his mark with monumental formats such as The Painter’s Studio. The rooms devoted to Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne, Seurat and Toulouse-Lautrec round off a panorama found nowhere else. The central nave, for its part, is home to a large crowd of nineteenth-century sculptures, best admired from the side terraces that overlook it.

Decorative arts and photography at the Musée d'Orsay

It is easy to forget, but the museum also holds furniture, Art Nouveau objects and a photography collection from the second half of the nineteenth century. These rooms, usually less busy than the Impressionist gallery, show how architects, cabinetmakers and glassmakers kept pace with the revolution in ways of seeing led by the painters.

Which Musée d'Orsay ticket should you choose?

Two options are offered on this page: the ticket with audio guide, giving you commentary on the major works, and the standard ticket, ideal if you would rather wander at your own pace. Both give access to the permanent collections; the conditions for temporary exhibitions are set out in the description of each option.

Official Musée d'Orsay prices

Entry is free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month, which naturally draws large crowds. Combined tickets with other Paris museums, including the Rodin Museum, are also available, which can be handy if you are planning several visits over the same few days.

Musée d'Orsay opening hours and the best times to go

The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9.30am to 6pm, with a late opening on Thursday until 9.45pm. It is closed on Mondays, as well as on 1 May and 25 December.

Quieter times at Orsay

The first hours of the morning and the Thursday late opening are generally more comfortable, especially in the Impressionist gallery on the top floor. On Tuesdays, when the Louvre is closed, the Left Bank can be busier: if your plans allow, a Wednesday or Friday morning is often more peaceful.

How long to spend at the Musée d'Orsay

Allow two to three hours for a balanced tour of the collections. With the audio guide, working through the commented works easily fills half a day, including a break.

How to get to the Musée d'Orsay

The museum lines the Seine in the 7th arrondissement, facing the Tuileries Garden across the river. The RER C stops at Musée d’Orsay station, right at the foot of the building, and metro line 12 serves Solférino station, a few minutes away. Several bus routes also run along the embankments.

Walking to Orsay

From the Louvre, cross the Seine on the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor, which brings you out almost opposite the entrance. From Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Rue du Bac and the Rue de Lille make for a pleasant stroll past grand private mansions and art galleries.

Getting ready for your Musée d'Orsay visit

There is a security check at the entrance, so arrive a little before your slot, particularly in high season. Large bags are not allowed in; a cloakroom takes coats and small bags.

Orsay with children

Children get in free and are often taken with the scale model of the Opéra district, the animal sculptures and the view over Paris through the face of the great clock. With younger visitors, it is better to focus on four or five works and tell their stories than to try to see everything.

Accessibility at the Musée d'Orsay

The museum offers free entry to visitors with disabilities and to the person accompanying them. Lifts and adapted routes provide access to the different levels; ask the visitor services team about the specific tours they offer.

The Musée d'Orsay neighbourhood and nearby visits

Cross the Seine and you reach the Tuileries Garden and then the Louvre Museum, perfect for a day devoted to painting. Further west, the Faubourg Saint-Germain leads to the Rodin Museum and Les Invalides, two stops that are easy to link on foot.

After Orsay, the Seine

The lower embankments of the Left Bank, laid out for walkers, make a lovely transition before a Seine river cruise at the end of the day.

Musée d'Orsay tickets for 2027: using our calendar

To find out whether your date is still free, choose a day in the calendar on this page and press “Check availability”. We consult our booking partner and display the remaining places together with the current price. When sales have not opened yet or everything is booked, enter your email address and an alert will reach you as soon as a slot becomes available.

Orsay through the year in 2027

Temporary exhibitions change several times a year and affect visitor numbers; the 2027 programme will be announced by the museum. As every year, the European Night of Museums and the European Heritage Days should punctuate cultural life in Paris.