Musée d'Orsay Tickets 2026: Prices, Hours & How to Skip the Line
Orsay ticket prices, opening hours, free days, and whether skip-the-line is worth it. Plus what to see first and how to avoid the worst crowds. Updated April 2026.
The Musée d'Orsay exists because Paris had a disused train station and the world's greatest collection of Impressionist paintings. The Beaux-Arts building, originally built for the 1900 World Fair, reopened as a museum in 1986. The converted station hall — iron arches, giant clock, natural light flooding through the glass roof — is nearly as impressive as the art.
This is where Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Van Gogh live in Paris. The Louvre gets the crowds for Renaissance masterpieces. Orsay gets them for the 1848-1914 period that changed everything.
How much are Musée d'Orsay tickets?
Online: €16. On-site: €14. Thursday evening (after 6 PM): €12.
Free entry: Under 18 (all nationalities), EU residents 18-25 with valid ID, disabled visitors and one companion. Plus students up to 30 in art/culture fields, job seekers, and several other categories — full eligibility list and 2026 calendar in our Musée d'Orsay free admission guide.
First Sunday of the month: Free for everyone — all 12 first Sundays of 2026 included. Reservation mandatory online (since 10 March 2026 this applies to every visitor, including free categories). The free admission guide covers the calendar, the Easter Sunday 5 April overlap, and the booking timing trick.
A combo ticket with the Orangerie costs €20 (buy at the Orangerie desk, valid for 6 days). If you plan to visit both, this saves €8.
The Orsay guide — your 2-hour room-by-room route
- Start Level 5, not ground floor — most visitors get it backwards and exhaust themselves
- Exact locations for Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, Starry Night Over the Rhône, and Olympia
- The clock window light at sunset, and how to avoid missing it
What's on in 2026
2026 is the Orsay's 40th anniversary and the centenary of Claude Monet's death — both reflected in the year's exhibition lineup.
- Renoir and Love (through 19 July 2026) — 90+ Renoir works with a concurrent drawings show. Separate ticket.
- Africa Fashion (through 12 July 2026) — 20 years of African fashion influence on international design.
- Youssef Nabil: To Dream Again (through 13 September 2026) — Franco-Egyptian photographer/videographer.
- 1913-1923: The Spirit of the Times (through 20 September 2026) — African and Oceanian creations and the Parisian avant-garde.
- Mary Cassatt: The Choice of Independence (6 October 2026 – 31 January 2027) — first major French exhibition of the American Impressionist.
Confirm ticket bundles and dates at musee-orsay.fr — most temporary exhibitions need a separate ticket.
Opening hours
Tuesday to Sunday: 9:30-18:00 (last entry 17:00).
Thursday: 9:30-21:45 (last entry 21:00). This is the best time to visit — the galleries thin out dramatically after 18:00.
Closed every Monday, plus May 1 and December 25.
Renovation note (2026–2028): From 10 March 2026, booking a timed entry slot is mandatory for all visitors while reception areas are being renovated. This applies through summer 2028. All galleries remain fully open. Walk-up entry is no longer available — book before you go.
Is skip-the-line worth it?
Yes. Standard queues run 45-90 minutes during peak hours and can exceed 2 hours in summer. Any pre-booked ticket with a timeslot effectively skips the main queue — GetYourGuide's entry + audio guide is the most common fallback when the official site is sold out.
Worst day to visit: Tuesday. The Louvre closes on Tuesdays, so its crowd spills into Orsay. Avoid if you can.
Best day: Wednesday or Friday morning. Thursday evening is even better — fewer visitors, €12 entry, and the Impressionist galleries feel almost private after 19:00.
Where to book
Our take: Book direct if Orsay is your only stop (€16, works fine). The GetYourGuide ticket adds a digital audio guide — worth it if you're going in cold. Visiting 3+ Paris museums over 2-4 days? The Paris Museum Pass saves money — see the Paris Museum Pass guide.
What to see first
Go straight to the 5th floor (top level). This is where the Impressionists are, and it's where most visitors want to be. The collection includes 86 Monets, 81 Renoirs, 43 Degas, and 24 Van Goghs.
Don't miss: Renoir's Bal au moulin de la Galette — the painting that captures Montmartre's open-air dance halls better than any photograph. Van Gogh's Starry Night over the Rhône hangs here too. It's more contemplative than the MoMA version. Degas's ballet pastels and Monet's Rouen Cathedral series reward close viewing. If Van Gogh is what pulled you to Orsay, the 7 places to see Van Gogh in Paris maps the rest — Auvers-sur-Oise, the Orangerie, and the Montmartre addresses he actually lived at.
The ground floor covers mid-19th century academic art and early Impressionism. The middle levels bridge the gap with Post-Impressionism, Art Nouveau furniture, and sculpture.
If you only have 2 hours, stay on the 5th floor and the ground floor. Skip the middle levels unless you're interested in decorative arts.
Tips most sites won't tell you
Thursday evening is the best-kept secret. Entry drops to €12, and the museum stays open until 21:45. By 19:00, you'll have entire rooms to yourself. The light through the great clock at sunset is worth the late visit alone.
Don't skip the clock. The giant clock on the 5th floor looks out over the Seine and Sacré-Coeur. It's the most photographed spot in the museum — arrive early or wait for a gap.
The restaurant on level 2 has Belle Époque ceilings and reasonable prices for a museum café. Better than the cafeteria on the ground floor.
Orsay + Orangerie in one day works well. Walk from Orsay along the Seine (10 minutes) to the Orangerie for Monet's Water Lilies. Buy the combo ticket at Orangerie first (€20 for both). For a quieter left-bank pairing, the Musée Rodin is a 15-minute walk south-west and runs a €25 combined ticket with Orsay.
- Address
- 1 Rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 75007 Paris
- Hours
- Tue–Sun: 9:30–18:00 · Thu: 9:30–21:45
- Closed
- Mondays · May 1 · December 25
- Standard ticket
- €16 online · €12 Thursday evening · Free under 18
- Free day
- First Sunday of each month (book online)
- Book at
- GetYourGuide (entry + audio guide) · official site (€16)
- Metro
- RER C: Musée d'Orsay · Line 12: Solférino
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
Frequently asked questions
How much are Musée d'Orsay tickets in 2026?
Online tickets cost €16. On-site tickets are €14. Thursday evening entry (after 6 PM) is €12. Free for under 18, EU residents under 26, and on the first Sunday of each month.
Is the Musée d'Orsay open during renovation?
Yes. The entrance hall renovation started March 2026 but the museum and all galleries remain fully open. Expect minor entrance route changes.
What day is the Musée d'Orsay free?
The first Sunday of every month. Entry is free but you need to book a timeslot online in advance. Expect large crowds.
How long do you need at the Musée d'Orsay?
Most visitors spend 2 to 4 hours. If you focus on the Impressionist galleries on the 5th floor, 2 hours is enough. A complete visit takes 3-4 hours.
Is the Musée d'Orsay worth visiting?
Yes — the Musée d'Orsay houses the world's largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings: 86 Monets, 81 Renoirs, 43 Degas, 24 Van Goghs. The building itself is a converted 1900 Beaux-Arts railway station, which makes the 2-hour visit faster and less overwhelming than the Louvre. If your interest sits in the 1848–1914 period (Impressionism, Realism, Art Nouveau, early modern), the Musée d'Orsay is often more rewarding than the Louvre for the same time investment. Pair with the Orangerie (10-minute walk) for Monet's Water Lilies and the combo ticket saves €8.
The Musée d'Orsay pairs naturally with the Louvre (20-minute walk along the Seine), the Orangerie (10 minutes on foot for Monet's Water Lilies), and Notre Dame (15 minutes east along the river, free entry with a free reservation). For a different art capital, see our Rome and Florence guides.
Last verified: May 2026
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