Musée d'Orsay

The Orsay is my favorite museum in Paris. It’s much more manageable than the Louvre and, although the Louvre obviously has a remarkable collection, you will find yourself recognizing nearly every painting that you see at the Orsay, which is not the case at the Louvre. Situated in what was once a train station, the Orsay has an unreal collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art, including the likes of Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, and Van Gogh. I hope that this is not the case for you, but when I last went, all of the Van Gogh’s were travelling. Also, something stuck in my mind that the Orsay housed Monet’s water lily paintings, but it turns out that those are primarily at the Musée de l’Orangerie, which is located in the Place de la Concorde. Despite being disappointed by this, Manet’s artwork, which I had never before seen, was on exhibit at the time I visited the museum. Before you leave the Orsay, I would highly recommend visiting the museum’s restaurant, if even only for a coffee and pastry. The restaurant is different than Café Campana, which I believe is located on the ground floor. You will be able to tell the difference between the two. The restaurant is an ornate, high ceiling room and includes table service.