A visit to The Louvre would be the most essential thing you would add to your itinerary when visiting Paris. People usually fall for The Louvre because of its massive structure, world famous paintings, and the sheer volume of artifacts it houses.
A tour through The Louvre needs a lot of time, as you will be walking for hours and there may be good chance that you will be thinking of getting out faster by running through the artwork. However, if you had the patience and time to spare here, it would definitely be one of the most amazing things to cherish for life.
If you have covered The Louvre though, and are looking to collect some more exceptional memories when in Paris, a visit to the Musée d’Orsay museum should be your next stop. A tour to the Musée d’Orsay museum can be completed within a few hours, including the break time, so you won’t fall short on your schedule. Yet again, a short tour doesn’t mean that the museum is too small with just a few things to see.
Visiting the Musée d’Orsay Museum
The Musée d’Orsay museum is one of the largest museums in the world, and holds the largest collection of the impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world by many prominent painters like Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir, Seurat, Cézanne, Sisley, and Gauguin. It mainly houses French art, including sculptures, furniture, paintings, and photography.
The museum was actually a railway station until 1939. However, when the short platforms of the station became unsuitable for large trains, it was used for suburban services. During World War II, Musée d’Orsay was used as mailing center, and later it became the set for various films.
During the 1970’s, the Directorate of the Museums of France gave the suggestion to turn the old railway station into a museum. In 1978, a contest was conducted to design a new museum, and three young architects won the contract to design the Musée d’Orsay museum.
Location and Timings
The museum is located on the left bank of the river Seine. The nearest métro stops are Musée d’Orsay on the RER B, or Solférino or Assemblée Nationale on line 12. The museum stays open from 09:30 am to 06:00 pm from Tuesdays to Sundays, and remains closed on Mondays. During Thursdays, it is open till 09:45 pm.
The museum also has a reputation of having one of the longest queues in Paris, so if you could plan your visit during evening hours, the crowd will be less and thus you would be able to spend more time in the Musée d’Orsay musuem. Moreover, the museum also has numerous restaurants, cafes, and snack bars, so you don’t have to worry about your dinner.
