Better than the Louvre? The Musee d’Orsay : Kathika Travel Website

By Amanda Kendle

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Art lovers visiting Paris always make a beeline for the Louvre, but I think the Musee d’Orsay is even better.

You’ll find the Musee d’Orsay along the River Seine, and while it lacks the Louvre’s controversial glass pyramid, I think it’s a much more beautiful setting . It’s housed in an old railway station. Not only is the building impressive from the outside, but the layout of the museum means there are some high vantage points inside where you can look down over much of the museum, and also be reminded of its beginnings as a train station.

The Musee d’Orsay’s collection is mainly French and includes terrific works by Monet and Renoir.

There are six main areas of the gallery, including painting, sculpture, photography, graphic arts, objets d’art and architecture. Some of the items were in fact moved here from the Louvre when the gallery opened in 1986.

Note that the Musee d’Orsay is closed on Mondays; on other days, it opens from 9.30am to 6pm, with a later opening until 9.45pm on Thursdays. It’s good value at just €7.50 per ticket for adults and free for under 18s.

(Photo via flickr cc)