THE PARIS ART JOURNAL
Musée d'Orsay: the best time to visit, and how to skip the line
Thursday nights, the 9:30 rush, the right entrance, and the fake ticket sites. Plus the clock you can see Paris through, and why Orson Welles filmed a Kafka nightmare in the old station.
In this article
Orson Welles needed a nightmare for his film of Kafka's The Trial. He found it in a half-forgotten Paris railway station on the Left Bank, and shot it there. The Gare d'Orsay had opened on 14 July 1900 for the World's Fair, a 138-metre hall under a 32-metre glass vault with sixteen tracks hidden underground. By 1939 electrification and longer trains had made its platforms too short, long-distance services left, and the building drifted through a strange afterlife: a wartime depot for parcels to prisoners, a reception centre for returning prisoners at the Liberation, a film set, a theatre, an auction house.
It was nearly torn down for a modern hotel, then listed as a monument in 1973 and reborn as a museum in 1986. Today the problem is the opposite of emptiness: the Impressionist galleries can be packed by late morning. Here is when to go, which door to use, and the secrets of the old station that most visitors walk straight past.
The best time to visit, hour by hour
The Musée d'Orsay is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 to 18:00, with last admission at 17:00 and galleries closing from 17:30. On Thursdays it stays open until 21:45, last admission 21:00. It is closed on Mondays, 1 May and 25 December.
Thursday night is the insider choice. The evening rate is lower, day-trippers have left, and the light fades over the Seine outside the great clock windows. If you can only go in the daytime, be at the door for 9:30 and climb straight to the fifth floor, where Monet, Renoir and Degas fill up first.
| When | Crowd | Price | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday evening | Lowest | €12 online, €10 on site | Open to 21:45, last admission 21:00 |
| Opening, 9:30 | Low at first | €16 online, €14 on site | Head straight to the fifth floor |
| Late morning to mid-afternoon | Highest | Standard | Groups and day visitors overlap |
| Last hour before 17:00 entry | Lower | Standard | Galleries close at 17:30, so it is short |
| Monday | Closed | Also closed 1 May and 25 December |
Official hours and pricesOfficial website. No commission.
How to skip the line: the right door matters
Buying online is the real skip-the-line ticket. Timed tickets cost €16 online against €14 at the museum, but the on-site queue can be long, so the extra two euros buys you time. Timed-ticket holders, and Paris Museum Pass holders with a reserved slot, use Entrance 1 on the quay side. Priority visitors and holders of vouchers from resellers use Entrance 2 on the forecourt.
Book only at billetterie.musee-orsay.fr. The museum warns about fake websites that imitate it and resell tickets at higher prices. Approved resellers are fine, but read where you enter before you pay.
Official Musée d'Orsay ticket officeOfficial website. No commission.
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission.Most visitors miss this: Paris through the clock face
On the fifth floor, the station's giant clocks are windows. Near the exit of the Impressionist galleries you can look out through a clock face across the Seine to the Right Bank, with Sacré-Cœur on the hill. Café Campana is right there at the gallery exit, open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 to 16:45, and until 20:45 on Thursdays. You need a museum ticket, and in summer there is a terrace with views over the Right Bank.
The trick: go to the Impressionists first, then take your coffee by the clock when the galleries are at their busiest. By the time you come back, the first wave has moved on.
The station secrets most visitors walk past
Stand at the top of the nave and picture it full of steam. Victor Laloux's hall is 32 metres high, 40 metres wide and 138 metres long, and sixteen tracks ran below street level, with electric traction from the start. From 1939 only suburban trains used it, because electrification and longer trains had made the platforms too short.
The station hotel closed on 1 January 1973. Its gilded ballroom survives as the Salle des Fêtes, and it was there that General de Gaulle held the 1958 press conference announcing his return to power. Most visitors never find it, so ask for it by name.
Insider tips before you go
Keep these quick rules in mind and the Orsay feels like a different museum.
Make a night of it
If you are staying nearby, a Thursday evening at Orsay followed by dinner in Saint-Germain is one of the best art nights in Paris. Our guide to luxury hotels near the Musée d'Orsay has four addresses within an easy walk.
Questions before you go
What is the best time to visit the Musée d'Orsay?
Thursday evening, when it is open until 21:45 at a lower evening rate, or right at opening at 9:30. Late morning to mid-afternoon is the busiest time.
Should I buy Musée d'Orsay tickets in advance?
Yes. Timed tickets cost €16 online and let you use Entrance 1 on the quay; on-site tickets are €14 but the queue can be long.
Was the Musée d'Orsay a train station?
Yes. The Gare d'Orsay, designed by Victor Laloux, opened in 1900 for the World's Fair. From 1939 it served only suburban trains, and the museum opened in 1986.
Is the Musée d'Orsay free?
It is free for under-18s and for EEA residents under 26. Everyone else pays from €16 online, or €12 online on Thursday evenings.
What is the official Musée d'Orsay ticket site?
billetterie.musee-orsay.fr. The museum warns about fake websites that copy it.
Reviewed . Hours, prices, entrances and Café Campana times were checked on musee-orsay.fr on 17 October 2026.
