Louvre + Musée d’Orsay Combo

If you want to understand the full sweep of Western art in one day, the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay are the answer. The Louvre goes from ancient Egypt through the French Romantics (roughly 3,000 BC to 1848). The Musée d’Orsay picks up exactly where the Louvre ends, covering the late 19th century’s artistic revolution — Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, the birth of modern art. Together they form the most complete art experience in Europe, and they’re a 10-minute walk apart.

This guide describes the Louvre + Musée d’Orsay combo ticket in full — what’s included, what you’ll see at each museum, how to plan the day, and tips for the world’s greatest art walkabout.

What’s Included in the Combo

When you book, here’s what you get:

• Reserved-access Louvre entry within a 30-minute booked window
• Reserved-access Musée d’Orsay entry within a booked time slot
• Priority lanes at both museums via dedicated ticket-holder entrances
• Full access to both permanent collections and their temporary exhibitions
• Combined savings — typically 10–15% cheaper than buying each separately
• Mobile tickets — QR codes for both attractions
• Same-day or split-day use — depends on specific product

The two museums are remarkably complementary:

• The Louvre closes its story around 1848 — after the French Romantics
• The Musée d’Orsay opens its story in 1848 — starting with Realism, then moving to Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and early modernism
• Together they run from 3,000 BC to 1914 — essentially the full history of Western art

The 10-minute walk between them across Pont Royal is itself one of the best strolls in central Paris.

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What You’ll See at Each Museum

At the Louvre (morning, 3–4 hours)

The Louvre’s collection spans ancient civilisations through the French Romantics. Priority highlights:

• Mona Lisa — Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic portrait
• Winged Victory of Samothrace — Hellenistic sculpture masterpiece
• Venus de Milo — ancient Greek marble
• Liberty Leading the People — Delacroix’s French Romantic icon (1830)
• The Raft of the Medusa — Géricault’s massive Romantic painting
• Italian Renaissance paintings — Raphael, Titian, Veronese, Caravaggio
• Egyptian antiquities — the Seated Scribe, the Great Sphinx of Tanis
• Code of Hammurabi — one of humanity’s oldest legal codes
• Napoleon III Apartments — Second Empire state rooms

See our Louvre in One Day itinerary for a detailed route.

At the Musée d’Orsay (afternoon, 2–3 hours)

The Musée d’Orsay occupies a former Beaux-Arts train station (Gare d’Orsay, 1900) and focuses on art from 1848 to 1914. The building itself is a masterpiece — a grand glass-roofed nave with gallery spaces on multiple levels.

Must-see works:

• The Starry Night Over the Rhône — Vincent van Gogh
• Bedroom in Arles — Van Gogh
• Self-Portrait (1889) — Van Gogh
• Water Lilies — Claude Monet (though the Orangerie has the famous mural-scale Water Lilies series)
• Impression, Sunrise (loaned on occasion) — Monet
• Olympia — Édouard Manet
• Luncheon on the Grass — Manet
• Ball at the Moulin de la Galette — Renoir
• The Card Players — Paul Cézanne
• Little Dancer of Fourteen Years — Edgar Degas
• The Gleaners — Jean-François Millet
• The Thinker — Auguste Rodin (some casts displayed here)

The collection in one sentence: If you’ve ever seen a reproduction of an Impressionist painting, there’s a strong chance the original is here.

The chronological story, end to end

Start at the Louvre at 9:00 AM with Egyptian antiquities from 3,000 BC, end at the Musée d’Orsay at 4:00 PM with Van Gogh’s Bedroom from 1889. In between, you’ve covered 5,000 years of art history in a single day. No other city in the world lets you do this.

Ticket Details at a Glance

Important: The Louvre is closed Tuesdays and the Musée d’Orsay is closed Mondays. Plan your combo for any day except Monday or Tuesday.

The Ideal Day Itinerary

9:00 AM: Louvre opens

Start with a 9:00 AM Louvre slot. Galleries are at their quietest and the Mona Lisa queue is manageable. Head to the Denon Wing first — it has the biggest crowds later in the day.

9:00 AM – 12:30 PM: Louvre highlights

3.5 hours covers the Denon Wing (Mona Lisa, Italian paintings, French Romantics), plus Venus de Milo in Sully and Winged Victory on the Daru staircase. Save Sully and Richelieu’s other sections for a future visit if time runs short.

12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch

Eat at one of the Louvre cafés or walk toward the Seine and eat at a bistro on Quai Voltaire (the route toward Orsay).

1:30 PM – 2:00 PM: Walk to the Musée d’Orsay

Cross Pont Royal — one of the most scenic short walks in Paris. You’ll cross the Seine with the Louvre behind you and the Musée d’Orsay’s clock tower ahead. 10 minutes total.

2:00 PM: Arrive at Musée d’Orsay

Show your reserved-access ticket at the dedicated entrance. Security takes 5–10 minutes.

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Musée d’Orsay

Start on the 5th floor (the Impressionist galleries) — this is what most visitors come for, so start where your energy is highest. Then work your way down through Post-Impressionism, Realism, and sculpture.

Priority route:

1. 5th floor: Impressionism (Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, Sisley)
2. 5th floor: Post-Impressionism (Van Gogh, Cézanne, Gauguin, Seurat)
3. 2nd floor: Art Nouveau decorative arts
4. Ground floor: Sculpture, Realism, the Gustave Courbet gallery

5:00 PM onwards: Dinner or onward

The Musée d’Orsay’s surrounding neighbourhood (7th arrondissement, Saint-Germain-des-Prés) is full of classic Parisian bistros and cafés. Perfect for an early dinner after a long art day.

Who This Combo Is For

The Louvre + Musée d’Orsay combo suits specific visitors:

Serious art lovers who want to see the full sweep of Western art in one day.

First-time Paris visitors who know both museums are essential.

Repeat visitors who’ve done the Louvre and want to extend to Orsay (or vice versa).

Impressionism enthusiasts — Orsay has one of the world’s greatest Impressionist collections.

Couples on culture-focused trips wanting two complementary museum experiences.

Visitors on a tight schedule who need to maximise their cultural intake per day.

If you’re doing 3+ Paris attractions, compare this to the Paris Museum Pass — which includes both museums plus 48 others. For just these two, the standalone combo is cheaper.

Why This Combination Works Specifically

The museums don’t compete. The Louvre ends where Orsay begins — no overlap. You’re not seeing the “same thing twice.”

The walk between them is part of the experience. Crossing Pont Royal with the Seine beneath you is itself a Paris moment.

Orsay is smaller and less exhausting than the Louvre. After 3.5 hours at the Louvre, Orsay’s smaller footprint (3 hours is plenty) is a natural afternoon activity rather than another full museum marathon.

The chronology is perfect. You start with ancient civilisations, end with the first true modernists. It’s a single story told across two venues.

Scheduling is simple. Both are open most days except Mondays (Orsay) and Tuesdays (Louvre). Any other day works.

Practical Information

Entry rules

Louvre: 55 × 35 × 20 cm bag limit, no selfie sticks, no food. See Louvre Rules.

Orsay: Similar bag limit, similar rules. Photography allowed without flash in most galleries.

Photography

Non-flash photography is allowed throughout both museums’ permanent collections. Some temporary exhibitions at Orsay prohibit photography.

Accessibility

Louvre: Extensively wheelchair-accessible. See Louvre Accessibility.

Orsay: Wheelchair-accessible with lifts to all gallery levels. Wheelchairs available free at the entrance (first-come, first-served).

Getting between them

The 10-minute walk across Pont Royal is the scenic option. Alternatively:

• Taxi/Uber: 5 minutes, €8–12
• Metro: Line 1 from Tuileries to Solférino via Concorde (2 stops), then 5-minute walk
• Bus: Line 83 or 84 stops near both museums

Walking is almost always the best choice — the route is iconic.

Where to eat between the museums

On the walk from Louvre to Orsay:

• Café Marly (on the Louvre colonnade) — stop before leaving
• Angelina (226 Rue de Rivoli) — famous hot chocolate
• Quai Voltaire bistros — classic Parisian lunches near the Seine
• Saint-Germain area — restaurants near Orsay

Louvre vs Orsay fatigue

A common question: should you save one museum for another day? Most serious art lovers can handle both in one day if they:

• Sleep well the night before
• Eat a proper lunch between
• Skip the comprehensive “see everything” approach and focus on highlights
• Take sitting breaks when possible

Younger children (under 10) usually can’t handle both in one day — save Orsay for a second trip.

When to Book

• Peak season (April–October): 2–3 weeks ahead
• Shoulder season: 1–2 weeks
• Low season: A few days ahead

Avoid Mondays (Orsay closed) and Tuesdays (Louvre closed).

Best days for this combo: Wednesday (both open; Louvre has late hours if you want to extend), Thursday (both open; Orsay has late hours), and Sunday (both open; weekend atmosphere).

Tips for Making the Most of the Combo

Don’t skip the Louvre’s Richelieu Wing. It’s the quietest and contains the stunning Napoleon III Apartments and Cour Marly sculptures. Brilliant morning detour after the Denon Wing highlights.

Do Orsay’s Impressionist floor first. It’s why most people come, and fatigue builds as the day goes on. Start on the 5th floor and work down.

Take the Pont Royal walk — don’t metro. Seriously. The Seine view with the Louvre behind and Orsay ahead is one of Paris’s best free experiences.

Skip photographs of famous paintings. You can find perfect reproductions online. Use your eyes instead.

Plan dinner in Saint-Germain. Some of Paris’s best classical bistros are 5–10 minutes from Orsay — Le Comptoir du Relais, Les Editeurs, or the legendary Brasserie Lipp on Boulevard Saint-Germain.

Consider the evening Louvre option. On Wednesdays and Fridays the Louvre stays open until 9:45 PM. You can do Orsay in the morning, lunch, and evening Louvre — reversing the standard flow. Often quieter.

Pack light. Bag rules are enforced at both museums. A small daypack with water, phone, wallet, and a scarf is plenty.

Hydrate constantly. 6 hours of museum walking is more tiring than most visitors expect.

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