Tour Details
- Duration
- 3 hours
- Product Type
- Tour
- Venues
- Musée d'Orsay
Photos & Highlights
- Take a captivating journey through the museum, once a railway station turned into an art haven, as you explore masterpieces from the 19th and 20th centuries
- Join an expert in art history who will tailor the experience to your interests and level of knowledge
Select a date
Tour Description
Embark on an immersive journey through the Musée d'Orsay that unveils the museum's fascinating history and showcases the evolution of its collections. You'll start your adventure by delving into the unique architecture of this former rail station, which was transformed into a museum in 1986.
As you step into the galleries, your focus turns to dozens of masterpieces on display. Taking a chronological approach, your tour begins on the ground floor, where the Barbizon school and Corot's works take center stage. These artists boldly broke free from traditional constraints, emphasizing nature and atmosphere, casting off the rules of antiquity and classicism.
Moving forward, you'll dive into the groundbreaking techniques and ideas of Realist artists like Courbet and Manet, tracing their influence on the future Impressionists. Witness the radical departure from tradition as Impressionism spread its wings through the mesmerizing works of Monet, Renoir, Degas, and Pissarro.
Your journey continues as you explore the profound impact of Impressionism on artists like Cézanne and Van Gogh. From there, you'll move into various movements such as Neo-impressionism, Fauvism, and Pointillism. You'll round off your tour by delving into these diverse movements, immersing yourself in the world of artists like Matisse and Gauguin.
By the end of your Context tour, you'll possess a deep understanding of these influential art movements and their pivotal role in shaping the landscape of Modern Art.
Experts
- You relish connecting with fellow art history enthusiasts, eager to share your passion.
- You want to uncover the captivating stories and profound insights hidden within famous paintings and sculptures.
- If you're traveling with children under the age of 12, we recommend our family-oriented Musee D’Orsay Tour for Kids
- The Musée d'Orsay, housed in a beautifully transformed Beaux-Arts railway station, is renowned for its exceptional collection of art from the 19th and early 20th centuries, featuring works from prominent artists of the Impressionist, Realist, and Post-Impressionist movements.
General Information
- There will be a break in the tour to stop and use bathroom facilities as well as opportunities to stop and rest along the way if needed. Please communicate any mobility needs or concerns with our team at the time of booking.
Tickets
- Includes timed admission tickets to the museum
- Our skip-the-line tickets will get us to a special lane where our group will have to stand in line due to security and crowd control measures.
Headsets
- Depending on your group size, we may be required by the venue to order headsets, in which case you’ll see a “Headset Fee” added to your order.
- If you would like to guarantee headsets for your tour regardless of your group size, please email us and we’ll do our best to get them reserved for you.
Resources
- If you are looking to learn more about Paris prior to a visit, check out our Online Lectures and Audio Guides.
Accessibility
- Information about the Accessibility at Musee D’Orsays is available here.
- We kindly request that you inform us if any members of your group have mobility considerations, so we can ensure the best experience possible.
For more information about Context tours, please visit our FAQ page.
There are 7 in my group but your website won't allow me to include more than 6 participants. Can't you make an exception?
No, unfortunately, due to venue reservation restrictions, we cannot accommodate groups larger than 6 people. If your group is larger, we recommend you split into multiple groups.
When is the best time to visit Musée d’Orsay?
The Musée d’Orsay is very busy and not as spacious as the Louvre. We recommend visiting the museum when it is open late on Thursday evenings.
Book with confidence — see Context's flexible cancellation policy here.
Where You'll Start
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489 Reviews
Reviews can only be left by Context customers after they have completed a tour. For more information about our reviews, please see our FAQ.
Thibaud is THE guide you want when touring Orsay. He's incredibly knowledgeable and intertwines history, relevance and humor into his guidance. We were entertained. We discovered so much. Highly recommend!
Michael
Oct. 19, 2024
Laurent is a fantastic guide to Musée d’Orsay. He is friendly and informative, and shared some wonderful anecdotes of this period of art history. We appreciated his attention to detail and passion.
Sharon
Oct. 19, 2024
We spent four of the best hours of our trip to Paris in the Musée d'Orsay (and only regret that we didn't have four more). We were accompanied on private tour by our exceptionally knowledgeable and passionate guide, Thibaud Canus. Thibaud's faculty level knowledge about art and the history of art in Paris brought the Musée d'Orsay to life for us. His sense of humor and personal warmth made our time pass by so quickly, that we felt as if we'd just arrived. Thibaud was gracious to stay longer and share in our enthusiasm about the exhibits and made our time with him absolute fun! His text-book knowledge and story-telling abilities brought each period and artist to life in ways that we lingered in each room engaging in conversation about the art before us. The masterpieces in this museum are mind blowing and the viewers proximity to them are intimate and engaging. We chose Thursday evening for the Nocturnes at the Musée d'Orsay to appreciate the art with fewer guests (note: the museum was still Paris predictably busy). Do not miss the Musée d'Orsay and if you are lucky enough to take a private tour with Thibaud, count yourself blessed! It'll be an experience of a life-time.
Grenda
Oct. 18, 2024
See the d'Orsay with Context
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