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

Map of nearby accommodations: Booking.com

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

Absolutely fantastic gallery in the shadows of the huge iconic museums. Make a visit, if not just to see Monet's waterlilies in the two oval rooms. Arrive when it opens to ensure you can stand back and admire them from every angle, near and far - they're incredible! The gallery's collection has many other fantastic works and temporary exhibitions.

Paul Evans - 4 days ago

I'm so happy to visit this museum. It's like dreams come true. Can spend hours before Monet's Willow tree and Lily pond. So beautiful. Huge display. Except Monet's work, there are so many world famous paintings. art enthusiasts can get glimpse of work of PierreAuguste Renoir and Paul Cezanne.

Chandni Ghosh - 8 days ago

After what I admit no research, I was expecting it to be focused only on Monet. I was positively surprised of the amount of well known artists they had in the lower floor. Varying from impressionists, fauve and cubists (Cezanne, Picasso, Modigliani..) Really enjoyed it and the audio guide (for a 5€ fee) was worth it to give the paintings their context. A lot of the story of the artists is described on the panels next to their paintings.

Lorenzo - 21 days ago

Meditative and beautiful, not overwhelming like the Louvre can be. Everything as advertised, well set up, tastefully presented. I recommend the Orsay-Orangerie combined ticket as it'll save you a bit of money and both museums are great experiences.

Antonio Valenzuela - 28 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 - 2 months 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