TAKE A VIRTUAL TOUR FROM HOME
The famous Musée d’Orsay in Paris is online for you to be able to enjoy via virtual tour. If you’re stuck at home and unable to travel, you don’t have to miss out on the wonderful world of art and exploring some of the iconic pieces at this magnificent art museum.
The Museum
When I visited the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France, a few years ago I was blown away by this grand Museum. It is located in a stunning old railway station, which was converted into a glorious monument of French history and art. The building itself is to be admired for its impressive architecture, originally built in 1900.
Designed in the Beaux-Arts style, the neoclassical is one of the most popular attractions and not to be missed when visiting Paris, if you are fortunate enough to travel there. The iconic Museum normally sees 3 million visitors per year.
However, if you’re unable to see it in person, you don’t have to miss out. You can enjoy this marvellous Museum online from the comfort of your home, without travelling. Let me show you how.
The Building
The building is situated in the 7th Arrondissement on the Left Bank of the River Seine, in the Saint Germain des Pres neighbourhood, at 1 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur 75007 Paris, opposite another famous French location, the Tuileries Gardens.
This gorgeous old railway station complex was built in the late 1800’s. The original purpose was to service the rail line between Paris and Orléans, and was called the Gare d’Orsay. Later it became a hotel, and then remodelled as a museum.
The building is a very impressive construction for its time, an elegant and beautiful architectural masterpiece of Beaux-Arts design.
The Museum itself is not very old compared to others in Paris, which have been around a lot longer. It was only established in 1986.
The central nave with the massive glass ceiling was retained, as was the gorgeous gold clock at the front. It’s one of the most beautiful clocks in the world. Isn’t it stunning? Definitely one of the most recognisable features of this landmark.
The Art
Mostly French Impressionist paintings are housed in the museum, boasting the world’s best collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.
The period of 1848 to 1914 is one of the most creative in Western art history. The Impressionist movement was a fresh and innovative method of painting, using different techniques, whilst depicting everyday life, often outdoors, capturing light and movement on canvas. These new modern artists of Paris went against the traditional methods and chose not to paint the normal historical or religious themes. Their work was not appreciated at the time, hence most of them were poor and sadly, went unrecognised in their lifetimes.
Their exquisite paintings are definitely the highlight and main attraction of the Orsay. You will be able to appreciate the glorious masterpieces of the famous Impressionists, such as Van Gogh, Cézanne, Manet, Monet, Sisley, Gaugin, Degas, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and more.
Also on display at the Museum are tapestries, furniture, sculptures, photographs and other forms of decorative art.
The Best Virtual Tours of Musée d'Orsay
Normally it costs 14 euros for an adult ticket to the museum. But you can now do virtual tours for free online, with no queuing up, no crowds, and you can stay on line as long as you like. How good is that! Here are some fabulous options to explore:
1. Google Arts & Culture – This is a fantastic idea by our friends at Google who do a great job of virtual tours, perfect during times when we can’t travel. You feel like you’re actually walking through the galleries with this self-guided tour.
2. Museum’s You Tube Channel – Another way to enjoy the Museum online is through the Musée d’Orsay Official You Tube channel, where you can choose from the various videos available and enjoy them freely at your leisure. Most are in French, but offer wonderful vision of the galleries and the artwork.M
3. Museum Website – The Museum offers a wonderful tour from their website where you can see the art collections.
4. You Tube Impressionist Guide – An expert tour guide takes you through the Impressionist paintings with explanations of the art.
5. You Tube – Video tour of the museum and some of the art.
6. More on You Tube – Video tour of the commencement of the museum which opened in 1986.
Find specific art
If you would like to view a particular piece of artwork in the collection at the museum or discover something new, simply type in a name or subject matter in the search line. For example, if you’re after Claude Monet’s Le Déjeuner, you will find it easily enough with his name or the painting’s name.
Museé d'Orsay photos
Here is a small selection of the fabulous art housed at the Musée d’Orsay.
Snazzy facts about Musée d’Orsay
One of the top 10 museums of the world.
One of the largest museums in Europe.
Owns 6,000 works of art.
About 3,000 art pieces are on display at any given time.
The museum has 80 galleries.
Visiting Musée d'Orsay in person
If you plan on visiting the Musée d’Orsay in person in the future, you can find out details here.
To book an actual tour in person, you can explore the many options here.
I hope you enjoy the Orsay Museum and the magnificent masterpieces curated here, whichever way you can experience it.
Au revoir.
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I always wanted to visit Musee d’Orsay ! The last time I was in Paris, the queue was crazy long I decided to skip it. Thanks for sharing this virtual tour. I may just check it out while being lockdown at home. The railway clock is stunning by the way ! Also nice shot of the Seine ! Brings back nice memories ! =)
Loved your pictures of Orsay Museum. I missed visiting this during my short trip to Paris. Good that they are allowing virtual tour. Saving the link to watch later.
Musee d’Orsay may be my favourite museum in Paris. I love the old train station pieces that still remain. And their Impressionist collection is outstanding. So very great that you can now do a virtual tour of the museum online. It would be nice to spend some time looking at some pieces without the normal crowds. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for letting us know about this virtual tour. We visited the Musée d’Orsay quite often when we lived in Paris. Our favorite painting there was Courbet’s L’Origine du monde. But of course, we also liked the other Impressionists paintings, and the building itself. We can’t wait to return to Paris to visit the Orsay again. It’s been 7 years since we left the French capital!
Thanks so much for letting us know about this! I’ve been to Paris six times and never managed to visit the Orsay Museum, so now I can!
Now this is one virtual tour that I would LOVE to take! Paris is so dreamy, even from home!