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Why you'll love the Orsay Museum
From Monet to Renoir, from Manet to Degas, from Van Gogh to Gauguin, and from Cezanne to Rousseau, this museum is an Impressionist and Post Impressionist lover’s dream!
Set in what used to be a train station, the Orsay Museum is not only stunning in itself, but holds some of the most recognized and beautiful works of many of the admired artists from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century.
Not only a “paintings museum”, this museum differs from most by dedicating itself to truly all art forms of this period. From sculptures, photography, architecture, and even furniture, this museum will send you back to in time.
Although not as visited as the Louvre Museum, this smaller and more accessible museum is definitely worth discovering.
A little
bit of history about the Orsay Museum
The Orsay Museum did in a sense begin as a railway station but its full history is a little longer. In the 1600’s, the site was simply the Queen’s garden alleyway. After her death, it was sold to aristocrats who built mansions.
Take RER C to stop MUSEE D'ORSAY and use exit Musée d'Orsay.
You can also take Metro 12 to stop SOLFERINO and use exit [2] rue de Bettechasse. As you exit the Metro station, go straight down Rue de Bettechasse. The museum will be on your right as you reach the Seine River.
Every afternoon (except Thursdays) from 3pm-5:30pm tea and cakes in the very beautiful dining room.
We recommend stopping for some delicious pastries Paris style and a “café au lait” in the middle of your visit. (Located on the second floor directly above the entrance.)
Between 1800 and 1900, two buildings were built but then burnt down during the fall of the Second Empire. After World War II, it wasn’t big enough for modern trains and so the train station lost its use. It was in 1977 when the official decision to transform this former railway station into a 19th century museum was taken and the inauguration was held in 1986. Doors were opened to the public on December of that same year.
Today, as you walk through the elegant hallways, you may not feel the history but the building still provokes a feeling of wanting to put on a large hat, gloves, and a very Jane Austin’s Emma dress (for the women of course!).
