Orsay Ticket with audio guide: Monet, Manet, and the context

Why visit Orsay after the Marmottan

The Marmottan is Monet’s museum: over a hundred works by the same painter, from Impression, soleil levant to the final Japanese Bridge. You leave knowing the man. Orsay, in the former Left Bank station, shows what surrounded him: dozens of Monets, but also Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Sisley, Caillebotte, and above all Manet, with Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe and Olympia, which aren’t at the Marmottan and never will be. Those who ask me where to see “the Manets and the Monets” need both museums, and I first direct them to the page Monet or Manet so they no longer confuse the two.

There’s a more personal reason to go after the Marmottan. Berthe Morisot, whose world’s largest collection is held at the Ranelagh museum, was Manet’s sister-in-law, and her most reproduced painting, The Cradle, is at Orsay, not on Louis-Boilly Street. After seeing At the Ball and the Self-Portrait on the Marmottan’s first floor, you’ll look for The Cradle at Orsay with fresh eyes. The page Berthe Morisot details what’s where.

What the ticket includes

A time slot, the permanent collection, the current temporary exhibition, and an audio guide—what the Orangerie ticket doesn’t include. ID may be requested. Entry is single-use: once you leave, you can’t re-enter, so plan for a full half-day. The cloakroom doesn’t accept items larger than 56 × 45 × 25 cm, which rules out suitcases. During renovations, from 2026 to 2028, enter via “Quay Entrance – 1”: it’s written on your ticket, but I repeat it because people look for the usual door. The museum is wheelchair accessible. The product carries the “Top Rated” and “Official Ticket” badges.

Mondays, Thursdays, and how to combine them

Orsay and the Marmottan share the same closing day, Monday, which simplifies the schedule: if one is open, so is the other. Orsay also closes on May 1st and December 25th. I recommend Thursday for visiting both. Marmottan at opening, at 10 a.m., spend 1 hour 30 in the galleries, then Orsay in the late afternoon and evening, when the late opening until 9:45 p.m. clears the upper galleries. Tania Elena, from Mexico, confirms this in her review: "everything worked, no queue on Thursday evening." Serkan, from Turkey, describes it as a "great museum, packed on Tuesday," which makes sense since the Orangerie and the Louvre are closed that day and everyone heads to Orsay.

From the Marmottan, allow half an hour. Take line 9 to La Muette, or the RER C to Boulainvilliers, which follows the Seine to the Musée d'Orsay. The route is detailed on getting there by metro.

What the 27,877 reviews say

Andrew, from Australia, calls it "a better Louvre, more compact, less overwhelming," and that’s pretty much what I tell people who only have time for one museum. Marianna, from Italy, enjoys "seeing the Impressionists in person after studying them." Katerina, from Sweden, writes that for Impressionism lovers, the museum is a marvel. Geraldine, from the UK, "walked right in, no queue." Marta, from Brazil, found the audio guide "very detailed." When there are criticisms, they focus on midday crowds and the museum’s size, which can’t be done in an hour.

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To compare Orsay with the two other Monet museums in Paris, the page where to see Monet in Paris tallies the paintings at each.

Frequently asked questions