Hours and prices, first
The Musée d'Orsay is open 9:30 am to 6 pm and closed every Monday, plus May 1 and December 25. On Thursdays the night opening extends the visit until 9:45 pm. Ticket-wise, the museum lists a full price of €16 online, a reduced price of €11 sold on site, and a single night price of €12 on Thursdays from 6 pm. The first Sunday of each month admission is free for everyone, with reservation.
| What you’re looking for | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| Opening days | Every day except Monday, and closed on May 1 and December 25 |
| Hours | 9:30 am to 6 pm |
| Night opening | Thursday until 9:45 pm |
| Full price | €16 online |
| Night price | €12, Thursday from 6 pm |
| Free | First Sunday of the month, with reservation |
The slot we recommend: Thursday evening
Thursday evening is our recommendation, and we often suggest it at the front desk. From 6 pm the price drops to €12, you have until 9:45 pm, and the late‑day light under the grand glass roof is unlike anything you’ll see at 11 am. You’re also far from the group flow, which arrives mainly early in the day.
If your stay doesn’t include a Thursday, aim for the 9:30 am opening rather than mid‑afternoon, and book a timed ticket online. The museum sells slots in advance; showing up without a ticket on a spring Saturday means joining the line.
The first Sunday of the month, with a reservation
Admission is free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month, and that’s both good news and a trap. Reservation is still required, and slots disappear fast. If you care, take the first slot in the morning. If you’re traveling as a pair for a short weekend, we’ll be honest: €16 paid on a quiet Tuesday morning is worth more than a free spot in a crowd.
What it is, and what you’ll see
Orsay occupies the former Orsay train station on the Left Bank, along the Seine: a converted station building with its central nave and monumental clock, whose faces let Paris be seen through transparency. The collections span the mid‑19th century to the early 20th, and it’s the Impressionist rooms upstairs that most of our guests come to see.
Our visiting tip is simple: go straight to the upper floor on arrival, then come back down. Most visitors do the opposite and end up tired in the rooms they wanted to see. Allow two hours for an honest visit, three if you stop at the clock.
From us, Avenue Duquesne
We’re in the same arrondissement as the museum, the 7th, and you don’t have to cross the Seine to get there: Orsay is on our bank, along the UNESCO‑listed quays. Ask us at the front desk, we’ll point you to a walking route along the quays rather than the most direct path, and we’ll tell you which metro to take if the weather isn’t cooperating.
Check‑in is from 3:00 pm and check‑out at 11:00 am. On departure day, a morning at Orsay before retrieving your luggage is a good use of the last hours.
Combining Orsay with the rest of the neighborhood
Orsay pairs well with the two other museums on our side of the 7th. The Invalides and the Rodin Museum fit into the same morning; we’ve detailed the schedule elsewhere on this site, and they demand a different kind of attention: sculpture and a garden on one side, dense painting on the other. We don’t recommend Orsay and Rodin on the same day, unless you enjoy leaving a museum without anything to say about it.
In the evening, our speakeasy‑style bar is open next to your room: classic cocktails, chef’s cuisine, a lounge rather than a large hall. It’s where our guests return to talk about what they saw.