Visiting the Musée d'Orsay
Everything you need to walk in without a hitch: when the doors open, when the last visitors are let in, who gets in free, and how to time a visit around the Thursday late night.
The Musée d'Orsay sits on the left bank of the Seine, in a railway station that stopped taking trains in 1939. Its collection runs from 1848 to 1914, which is why the Impressionist rooms are the busiest floor in the building. Plan around three things and the visit runs smoothly: the day you come, the hour you arrive, and whether you already hold a ticket. Musée d'Orsay Tours compares the guided options and the entry tickets in one place.
Opening hours
The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and stays open on Thursdays until 9:45 p.m. It closes every Monday, and on 1 May and 25 December.
| Day | Hours | Last admission |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Closed | — |
| Tuesday | 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
| Thursday | 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 p.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Friday | 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
| Saturday | 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
| Sunday | 9:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
The cut-offs matter more here than at most museums. On a standard day the last admission is 5 p.m., the last entry to temporary exhibitions is 5:15 p.m., and the galleries begin closing at 5:30 p.m. On Thursday evenings the last admission is 9 p.m. and the galleries close at 9:15 p.m. Arriving at 4:45 p.m. gets you in, but it does not get you a visit.
Admission and tickets
Entry covers the permanent collections and the temporary exhibitions, subject to availability, and is valid for one entry. Two rates are published plainly by the museum: the €12 evening ticket, valid from 6 p.m. on Thursdays, and a reduced Enfant & Cie rate for up to two adults resident in the European Union who are accompanying a young person under 18.
For the current full rate, check the museum's own ticketing site before you book. It is the one figure that moves. Official ticketing.
Ready to choose a tour?
Compare guided tours and entry tickets side by side, with live ratings and free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Who gets in free
Free admission is broader here than most visitors expect, and it depends on residency as much as age.
- Under 18 — free, whatever your nationality.
- Under 26 — free for nationals of the European Union, and for non-EU nationals who are long-term residents, meaning a stay of more than three months.
- First Sunday of every month — free for everyone, but booking a timed slot online is mandatory, and the slots go early.
If you qualify, you do not need a tour to get in. What a guided tour buys you on a free Sunday is a route through a very full building, which is a different thing from admission.
Getting there
The museum's address is Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 75007 Paris, on the Seine's left bank, directly across the water from the Tuileries. The entrance is on the Esplanade side rather than the quay. Most guided tours meet outside on the forecourt, so allow a few minutes to find your group before the start time on your booking.
How long to allow
Two hours covers the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist floor and the sculpture in the nave. Three hours lets you add the Art Nouveau rooms and a temporary exhibition without rushing. Under ninety minutes you are choosing a floor, not seeing the museum, which is why most guided tours run between one and three hours. Our Musée d'Orsay highlights page sets out a route for a short visit, and Musée d'Orsay collections explains what sits on each level.
Accessibility in brief
Every floor is reachable by lift or ramp, and wheelchairs are lent free of charge. A disabled visitor and one companion enter free through priority Entrance C, on proof of eligibility, with no advance booking. The full detail — loan equipment, adapted facilities, assistance dogs — is on our Musée d'Orsay accessibility page.