Musée d'Orsay

A former railway terminal along the Seine now contains extensive galleries beneath arched glass roofing, flanked by side exhibition rooms on three levels arranged around a central hall with exposed iron framework and stone ornamentation from the Belle Époque era.

Victor Laloux designed the Gare d'Orsay for the Paris World's Fair in 1900, serving trains until 1939 before the structure served various purposes for decades. Italian architect Gae Aulenti redesigned the interiors for the museum opening in 1986 under President François Mitterrand.

The institution displays French paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and photography spanning 1848 to 1914, including major Impressionist and Post-Impressionist holdings organized across multiple floors through thematic and chronological arrangements that trace artistic movements of the period.

Visitors may enter Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, with Thursday hours extending until 9:45 PM. The first Sunday of each month grants free admission. RER line C stops at Musée d'Orsay station, while several bus routes and Metro line 12 reach the grounds.

The preserved station clock face in the main hall measures over 40 feet (12 meters) in diameter and provides views through its transparent hands toward Montmartre and the opposite riverbank, while visitors can walk behind the mechanism itself.

Location: 7th arrondissement of Paris

Inception: 1986

Founders: François Mitterrand, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing

Architects: Victor Laloux

Official opening: 1986

Accessibility: Rolstoeltoegankelijk

Fee: Yes

Part of: Établissement public du musée d'Orsay et du musée de l'Orangerie

Address: Rue de la Légion d'Honneur

Opening Hours: Dinsdag-Zondag 09:30-18:00; Donderdag 09:30-21:45

Phone: +33140494814

Website: https://musee-orsay.fr

GPS coordinates: 48.86000,2.32639

Latest update: December 14, 2025 22:59