Paris boasts an effectively organized museum system to suit any preference and artistic taste, housing some of the world’s richest and most important collections, including masterpieces like ‘Mona Lisa’ and ‘Venus de Milo.’ Most often being related to ART, it’s not a surprise why for centuries the French capital has been and continues to be the world’s hub for artistic inspiration, dazzling both locals and international travelers. Do not forget that admission in many museums is free and be ready for a memorable and enriching experience of a different kind!

In our previous posts we have already discussed one of the most visited and popular museums of Paris, Louvre, and now it’s high time to introduce another wondrous museum located in the city’s heart — d’Orsay, featuring collections from academic works to Art Noveau, including famous paintings, sculptures, objects d’art and other works produced between 1840s and 1914 that belong to the famous French Impressionists Renoir, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Seurat and Alfred Sisley to name but a few.

Dedicated to the second half of the 19th century, d’Orsay Museum is housed in a large building that was originally intended to be a Beaux-Arts train station and is one of the most pleasurable museums in the City of Lights. The Musée d’Orsay facilities include a fine restaurant and two cafes, one featuring an outdoor terrace with dramatic views of the River Seine and the majestic Tuileries Garden. The museum is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 9:30am to 6pm.

Did You Know?

• When the museum opened it contained some 2,300 paintings, 1,500 sculptures and 1,000 other objects.
• The museum is organized on three levels: the ground floor, the middle level with its superb art noveau rooms and the upper level (lit by a skylight).
• The building including the awning is 188 meters long and the hall under the Nave is 138 meters long and 32 meters high.
• 12,000 metric tons of metallic structures (more than the amount of metal used for the Eiffel Tower), 35,000 sq. m of glass and 30,000 sq. m of Burgundy stone for covering the floors and walls was used, add to this around 1,600 rose casings in the nave.
• There are ten escalators and 11 elevators and lifts in the Musée d’Orsay.
• The installed electric power is 7,500 kWh.
• The museum is home to 80 separate galleries that occupy 16,853 square meters.
• There is also a 570-sq. meter auditorium that seats 347 people, of which three can take people in wheelchair.
• Before the station was built, the museum’s collections were showed in the Musée du Jeu de Paume.
• Sketching, videotaping and photography is not allowed in the exhibition.
• Standard tickets for the Museum d’Orsay cost €7 and on Sundays they are reduced to 5 Euros.

Here are some of the Masterpieces the stunning Musée d’Orsay has to offer: ‘Le bain Turc’ by Ingres; ‘Hérakles’ by Bourdelle; ‘La femme a l’ombrelle’ by Monet; ‘La Balancoire’ by Renoir; ‘Le cirque’ by Seurat and ‘Self-portrait’ by Vincent Van Gogh.

With over 300 museums of different categories visited by around 30 million visitors each year, Paris is truly a unique getaway for art lovers!