Musée d’Orsay: Why This Paris Museum Beats The Louvre

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Paris is a city of history, art and culture. The City of Light is overflowing with museumy goodness and it’s often hard to not leave the city completely wiped after all those must do touristy activities. It’s true there are a lot of museums, but not all museums are created equal. So before you head straight to The Louvre, I’m going to tell you about my favorite museum. The equally impressive, but slightly less popular Musée d’Orsay.

Now I’m not saying it’s not popular, because it is. The Musée d’Orsay has over 3 million visitors a year. But compare that to the insanely popular Louvre, right across the street which received almost 7.5 million visitors in 2022. You get my point.

The Louvre is without a doubt the most visited museum in the world. So it’s not surprising that’s where everyone rushes to visit. But before you do, hear me out about the Musée d’Orsay.

Bigger isn’t always better

The Louvre is almost 800,000 square feet of real estate. Its 9 miles (almost 15km) of corridors will take you hours to walk even if you don’t stop at every piece of the 35,000 objects on display.

The first time I visited the Louvre my feet were so sore by the end of it. Mostly because I completely underestimated how tiring a museum visit was going to be. I cursed the man who invented heels as this was the day I decided to wear nice shoes, because you know…Paris!

By contrast, the Musée d’Orsay is a more modest 220,000 square feet and about 3000 objects on display.

While this might not seem as impressive, you also have to ask yourself how much of the Louvre you will see on a standard visit. I’ve been 3 times and I still feel like I haven’t seen it all.

In fact, the Louvre often ends up somewhat of a rush to get to the objects you want to view without doing multiple laps and spending hours getting lost. The Musée d’Orsay, on the other hand, you can enjoy at a more leisurely pace. Plus you still have time in the day for something else.

Cost of the Louvre vs. Musée d’Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay is (as of 2023) €16 to get in (€13 for concessions). The Louvre is €15-17 depending on if you buy online or at the museum, and might be the only place I’ve seen that charges more for buying online in advance. That does give you quick entry though (under 30 minutes).

With the Musée d’Orsay you’ll probably only have to wait a few minutes. So while the cost difference is not huge and some might say that the cost to number of objects in the museum/square footage ratio is in favor of the Louvre, I again urge you to think about how much of the Louvre are you actually going to see in a day?

The first Sunday of the month is always free in either museum, as well as a number of other Paris museums. However, this also means it can be pretty busy. That said, there’s free museum entry at both for people under the age 18. Also free entry for people 18-25 years old who are citizens/residents of the EU.

TOP TRAVEL TIP: The Louvre offers free museum entry on Fridays after 6pm for all visitors.

Such a cool building

The Musée d’Orsay is in a building which was once the train station, Gare d’Orsay. Built at the turn of the 20th Century, it has a definite train station feel from both the outside and the inside.

In fact, the main gallery floor you walk along is where the railway tracks once were, and the beautiful station clock still hangs in the main hall.

Speaking of clocks, my favorite part in the Musée d’Orsay is undoubtedly the clock face window on the 5th floor. If you stand just right you can see the Sacré-Cœur on the hill of Montmartre in the distance.

I find that the most beautiful parts of the Louvre are on the outside. The iconic three glass pyramids are better viewed from outside of the museum rather than descending into the museum and looking up at them.

The palace that the Louvre is housed in is also impressive from the outside. Walking through the Louvre can be a little lackluster compared to the exterior.

Since a lot of the museum is underground, parts of it can feel like you’re walking through subterranean tunnels with whitewashed walls.

Both buildings have charm and are gorgeous in their individuality. But being a bit of a train fan, I like the ingenuity of using the old disused station as the home of the Musée d’Orsay.

The collections

While the Louvre has an undeniable collection of art, I do recall walking through room after room after room of giant masterpieces and portraits. Portraits are the big thing here. And while they are spectacular, it’s not what interests me the most.

I actually prefer the scenic paintings of the likes of Monet which are abundant in the Musée d’Orsay. In fact what I liked about the Musée d’Orsay most was that there seemed more of a focus on French art.

My favorite part of the Louvre is the sculptures. The Greek and Roman Gods sculptures on the first two floors of the museum are prolific. I like paintings, but the dark epic battle scenes all merged into one in my brain and there are more cherubs than you can count.

I guess because the Musée d’Orsay is a lot smaller, the choice of what to display has to be more carefully thought out. As such they put the best of what they have in each category which for me means a lot more variety.

I’m a big fan of some of the less classic, more interesting pieces of art. So I adore the huge collection of Toulouse-Lautrec Moulin Rouge inspired paintings. And the colorful Van Gogh works in the Musée d’Orsay grabbed my attention a little more.

But shouldn’t I see the Mona Lisa?

Without a doubt the most famous painting everyone who visits Paris wants to see is the Mona Lisa. Let’s face it, for everyone wondering if you should visit The Louvre, I bet a number of us want to go there just because it’s where the Mona Lisa is.

And just because La Gioconda by Da Vinci is possibly the most famous portrait in the world, it doesn’t mean this should define your museum choice. It’s a masterpiece for sure. But how much of that is because everyone tells us it’s a masterpiece?

I’ve seen it, and yes it’s nice. But I’m still not convinced that the crowds you have to battle to get anywhere near the bullet proof glass covered, heavily guarded painting is worth it. And yes, the size of the painting is rather underwhelmingly small.

TOP TRAVEL TIP: If you do visit The Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, make sure to head there before you’ve walked half a marathon around the museum. Tiredness will not increase your appreciation for this painting.

Famous works of art at Musée d’Orsay

Admittedly, the Musée d’Orsay does not have anything nearly as famous at the Mona Lisa. But as I mentioned before, the works of art they do have are still very special. And there are famous pieces here in the Musée d’Orsay too.

One of Claude Monet’s famed Water Lilies paintings is here in the museum, alongside a number of other beautiful works of art by the French impressionist. And one of the most famous self portraits is the one by Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh which can also be found here.

The beautiful sculpture by Degas, the Small Dancer Aged 14, can be seen at the Musée d’Orsay. It’s a lovely, and well known piece by the French artist. But the ground floor main exhibition hall is where you’ll find the majority of the sculptures. Including a recognizable face… Lady Liberty.

The (much) smaller version of the famous New York monument is one of the first things you’ll see when you enter the main part of the museum. The sculptor Bartholdi, who designed the notable gift to the American people from France, also created this smaller version.

My favorite painting in the Musée d’Orsay

Without a doubt, one painting I love to see in the Musée d’Orsay is Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. He does have more than one by the same name though. The really famous one you’re probably thinking of with the swirly stars and sky is actually in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City.

But I prefer the one in the Musée d’Orsay which is actually Starry Night over the Rhône. It’s mesmerizing, and so beautiful up close. I can stare at that thing forever.

And unlike the Mona Lisa where you’re in elbows-at-the-ready fight mode from the minute you get there, this one you can happily get super close to. Minimal crowds, no glass, just art.

The Louvre or the Musée d’Orsay?

I much prefer the Musée d’Orsay. The fact that it’s quieter (I hate big crowds) is a big part of that preference. I also love that it’s not as over-hyped. And my feet also love that at the end of it, I don’t need to pound a liter of water and book a podiatry appointment.

The art is spectacular, the sculptures are impressive, and they’re all housed in the most wonderful building. I have been to the Louvre a number of times because I’ve been to Paris with different people who always wanted to go, but when I’m on my own I much prefer a walk around the Musée d’Orsay.

If it’s your first time to Paris then I can completely understand you’ll want to visit The Louvre. In fact you might end up at both of these amazing museums, and if you do I’d love to know which one you prefer.

But if you only have time for one, I would suggest you plan a morning or afternoon calmly wandering around the Musée d’Orsay. Then still have time for enjoying Paris outdoors rather than spending a whole day battling the crowds of The Louvre only to miss half of the things in there.

TOP TRAVEL TIP: The Louvre do offer virtual tours if you’re interested in a taste of the famous museum. Check out The Louvre and more with these fun virtual tours.

If you’ve enjoyed this post leave a comment or share using the social media buttons below. Which is your favorite Paris museum? Tell me your thoughts on the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre.