Musée de l'Orangerie

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If you have a special love for impressionist works of art, especially Monet, Musée de l'Orangerie is a must see

Sculpture of an embracing couple by Rodin outside the Musée de l'Orangerie cc licensed ( BY ND ) flickr photo by mckrista1976

There are many wonderful art museums located in and around Paris but if you have a special love for impressionist and post impressionist works then you should most definitely do everything you can to include the Musée de l'Orangerie on your itinerary.

Located in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, the museum houses an impressive collection of works from Monet in the form of no less than eight of the famed Water Lilies collection as well as works by artists such as Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Henri Rousseau, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and many others.

The gallery is located along the banks of the Seine River in the old orangery of the Tuileries Palace which is situated on the Place de la Concorde which is conveniently located near to the Concorde Metro station. The museum building was originally built in 1852 by famed architect Firmin Bourgeois. It is interesting to note that the original intention of the building was to provide shelter to the orange trees of the Tuileries garden. Throughout its history the building was used for many different purposes including housing soldiers as well as hosting various sporting and cultural events, music concerts and even events of patriotism.

The Musée de l'Orangerie is most famously known for being the place where one can view the entire collection of Monet's Water Lilies known as the Nympheas. The story is that Monet had agreed to donate the entire collection of eight Water Lilies panels to the French government and they were to be housed in the Musée de l'Orangerie. The ground floor of the building was in fact redesigned specifically for this purpose but after completion of the renovations to the building Monet could not bear to be parted from these works and it was only after his death in 1926 that they could be displayed in the museum. Such dedication and love of the work should be enough to entice anyone to go see the collection.

Nearby attractions: Jardin des Tuileries, Musée d'Orsay and Musée des Beaux Arts

Facts For Your Visit

Fee: Yes, except free on the first Sunday of every month.

Currently Closed

Hours This Week:

Monday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Address: Jardin Tuileries, 75001 Paris, France

Phone: 01 44 50 43 00

Official Website: Musée de l'Orangerie

Directions

Metro / RER Line	Nearest Station	Walking Time
M1, M8 or M12	Concorde Station	4 minutes

How to get to Musée de l'Orangerie by Metro / RER

By Metro: Exit Metro Line 1,8 or 12 at Concorde Station and walk south along the eastern edge of Place de la Concorde to the museum entrance on your left at the far end.

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Reviews

Rated 4.6 out of 5 Orangerie Museum Star Rating

Great museum. Not too big, not too small. Varied collection. Great location. Recommended time: 2 hrs.

Brian Bigda - 6 days ago

If you could only visit a single Museum in Paris it should be the Orangerie. A condensed selection of France's most famous painters. Unique and exceptional Monet installation. ( Even for non-Art lovers the perfect selfie post) Quality temporary exhibits. Top location with easy access via Concorde tube station.

Emile Sander - 11 days ago

Nice little museum in the park with some beautiful pieces of art. Today my husband and I enjoyed a couple hours inside on a rainy day. No line, €9 a person to enter. They do have a coat check but you could also just hold onto your things. Two main floors of art with a small cafe and gift shop in between. The lowest floor has a collection from various artists. Informative plaques in French and English make it really easy to know about the artists featured. Audio guides are €5. On the top floor you can find Monet’s water lilies. We were lucky enough to see both the rooms. Midway through seeing the second room they asked everyone to leave and blocked off the room. Not sure why but seemed unfortunate since Monet’s Waterlilies is what many people look forward to seeing. Very manageable museum that doesn’t feel too over whelming.

Theresa Tran - 13 days ago

A great museum. It's it €9 to get in so is very good value. It's easy to forget how good the exhibitions are, because of the sheer brilliance of the Monet exhibit. The scale of the collection in the basement is amazing and the space is wonderful from an architectural point of view. A must visit place.

Ben Lowing - 22 days ago

If you are visiting Paris forget the Louvre, hit this smaller, less crowded and extremely magnificent museum. More paintings that you will actually recognize and the murals on the top floor will blow your mind. We visited our last day of visiting and wish we would have hit it up first and skipped every other art museum.

Tristan Lyne - 1 month ago

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Video

Video slide presentation showing some of the many impressionist paintings on display in the Musée de l'Orangerie

Photo Gallery

Viewing paintings by Monet inside the Musée de l'Orangeriein cc licensed photo by Allie_Caulfield