Louvre vs Musée d'Orsay: which one for your visit
The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays and the Musée d'Orsay on Mondays, so the day you go can settle it. The Louvre says it has about 35,000 works on display, and the Paris tourist office describes about 3,000 Orsay works on show, Western art from 1848 to 1914 (checked Oct 5, 2026).
Open days
Checked Oct 5, 2026
- Musée d'Orsay closedEvery Monday
- Louvre closedEvery Tuesday
The differences at a glance
The seven facts that change a choice, one row each, from each museum's own pages. Both museums' tickets cover the permanent collections and the temporary exhibitions, the Orsay's subject to availability.
Closed on
- Louvre
- Tuesdays, Jan 1, May 1 and Dec 25
- Musée d'Orsay
- Mondays, May 1 and Dec 25
Hours
- Louvre
- 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday
- Musée d'Orsay
- 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and to 9:45 p.m. on Thursday
Last entry
- Louvre
- One hour before closing
- Musée d'Orsay
- 5:00 p.m., and 9:00 p.m. on Thursday
Admission
- Louvre
- 22 euros for citizens and residents of the EEA and 32 euros for other visitors, with no reduced-rate ticket
- Musée d'Orsay
- 16 euros online and 14 euros at the museum, 11 euros discounted on site, and a Thursday evening rate (visits starting at 6 p.m.) of 12 euros online and 10 euros at the museum
Free days
- Louvre
- The first Friday of the month after 6 p.m., except in July and August, and July 14
- Musée d'Orsay
- The first Sunday of the month, with a reserved slot
Ticket rules
- Louvre
- A time slot is recommended, a ticket is valid for one date and time and is not changed or refunded unless the Louvre cancels
- Musée d'Orsay
- Online booking is highly recommended during the renovation, a ticket is valid for one admission and any exit is final
Access notes
- Louvre
- Some rooms close during the week and the museum publishes a schedule
- Musée d'Orsay
- The public areas are being renovated from Mar 10, 2026 to summer 2028 and the museum stays open
Which museum is open on your day
Pick a date to see each museum's hours and last entry for that day, and the dated notices that fall on it. Both museums close on some dates through the year, and the check knows them.
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2026
Checked Oct 5, 2026
- Louvre opensOpen
- Louvre, last entry
- Louvre closes
- Musée d'Orsay opensOpen
- Musée d'Orsay, last admission
- Musée d'Orsay closes
What each museum holds
The two museums describe their collections in different terms, so each column gives that museum's own words and its source.
The Louvre
The museum describes its collections as moving from one civilization or artistic technique to another, where a small Egyptian chair counts as much as the most famous Italian Renaissance work. It puts about 73,000 square metres and about 35,000 works on display, the oldest more than nine thousand years old.
The Musée d'Orsay
The Paris tourist office describes its permanent collections as Western art, painting, sculpture, decorative arts, graphic arts, architecture and photography, from 1848 to 1914. It counts 6,000 works, of which about 3,000 are on show at any time. The Orsay's visit page places an Impressionists gallery on the 5th floor.
The Orsay says its paintings collection comes from earlier museums: the Musée du Luxembourg, created in 1818 for works by living French artists, the Jeu de Paume, and the Louvre, which exhibited major 19th-century artists and added Impressionist rooms in 1929.
We do not rank works. For a particular artist, check each museum's own collection database: the Louvre collection database and the Orsay collections page, which has a search.
Free days and who enters free
The two museums have different free rules, and each asks you to book.
Free for all
- Louvre
- The first Friday of the month after 6 p.m., except in July and August, and July 14
- Musée d'Orsay
- The first Sunday of the month, with a reserved slot
Under 18
- Louvre
- Free
- Musée d'Orsay
- Free
Young adults
- Louvre
- Under 26 who are citizens or residents of the EEA
- Musée d'Orsay
- 18 to 25 from the EU or the EEA, and 18 to 25 who are long-term residents of France or another EU country
Disabled visitors
- Louvre
- Free, with the person accompanying them
- Musée d'Orsay
- Free, with one accompanying person
Booking
- Louvre
- The help center article on free admission says booking is mandatory for the first-Friday evening and July 14, and the hours page says slots are recommended. Book a slot either way and check the ticket office on the day
- Musée d'Orsay
- A reserved slot is mandatory on the first Sunday
How each ticket works
Both museums sell timed tickets on their own sites, and each warns about look-alike sites.
Official ticket office
- Louvre
- ticket.louvre.fr
- Musée d'Orsay
- billetterie.musee-orsay.fr; the address must have https and end in .fr
Time slot
- Louvre
- Recommended for everyone, valid for one date and time
- Musée d'Orsay
- Online booking is highly recommended during the renovation, and visitors should arrive at least 15 minutes before their slot
Entrance for ticket holders
- Louvre
- The Pyramid queue for booked slots, the Carrousel or Porte des Lions
- Musée d'Orsay
- Entrance 1 on the Quay for timed tickets; Entrance 2 on the Forecourt for a ticket without a time stamp, for visitors without a ticket, for groups, for luggage and for reduced mobility
On the day
- Louvre
- Tickets may be bought on site when attendance is low, subject to availability
- Musée d'Orsay
- A ticket can be bought at the museum for 14 euros
Warning
- Louvre
- Do not buy tickets that claim to jump the queue, or from street vendors
- Musée d'Orsay
- Be wary of skip-the-line ticket offers and mirror sites, and never buy from street vendors
What is under renovation
The Musée d'Orsay is renovating its public areas from Mar 10, 2026 until summer 2028 (its home page says reception areas). The museum stays open for the whole period, all collections and exhibitions remain accessible, access routes change and the museum asks visitors to check the access conditions before they come.
At the Louvre some rooms close during the week for renovation. The museum publishes a schedule of open rooms and a phone number for the situation on the day. The Louvre visit guide links both.
How much time each needs
The museums' opening hours, last entry and room clearing show what fits in half a day. We give no estimate of how long either museum takes, because neither museum's pages read give one.
Louvre, Thursday
Checked Oct 5, 2026
- You arrive at the entrance
- Last entry
- Rooms cleared3 h 30 min
Taking off the 15 extra minutes the museum suggests for the lockers and toilets, that leaves about 3 h 15 min in the rooms.
Which one for your trip
One short pick per situation, with the row that decides it. None is a winner.
Only a Monday
Only the Louvre is open. The Musée d'Orsay is closed on Mondays.
Only a Tuesday
Only the Musée d'Orsay is open. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.
An evening
The Louvre stays open until 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, with last entry at 8 p.m. The Musée d'Orsay stays open until 9:45 p.m. on Thursdays, with last admission at 9 p.m.
Impressionist painting
The Musée d'Orsay's visit page places an Impressionists gallery on its 5th floor. For a particular artist, check each museum's own collection database.
The Mona Lisa
The Louvre's own tour page names the Mona Lisa among the masterpieces its Welcome to the Louvre tour visits.
With children
Both museums are free for visitors under 18, on their own pages. The Louvre's family guided tour is marked 6 and over on its tours page.
A free visit
The Louvre is free for all on the first Friday of the month after 6 p.m., except in July and August, and on July 14. The Musée d'Orsay is free for all on the first Sunday of the month. Each asks you to book a slot.
How to see both
Both museums are open Wednesday to Sunday, apart from the closing dates. OpenStreetMap routing gives 967 metres between the Pyramid and the Musée d'Orsay, about 13 minutes on foot at the service's walking speed. That is an estimate, and neither museum publishes a walking time.
Two ways: split by day, one museum on each of two days that both are open, or split by half-day, with a booked slot at each. Book each slot on its own ticket office, and keep last entry in mind: the board shows it for each museum.
What binds a same-day plan
Checked Oct 5, 2026
- Pyramid to Orsay, on foot, estimate967 m, 13 min
- Louvre last entry, most days
- Louvre last entry, Wed and Fri
- Orsay last admission, most days
- Orsay last admission, Thursday
Louvre or Orsay: questions
Which is better, Orsay or Louvre?
Neither wins on every day. The day, the time you have and what you want to see decide it, and the selector at the top shows the facts for your trip.
Louvre or Musée d'Orsay with kids?
The with-children scenario above gives what each museum's own pages say for visitors under 18 and for families.
Is Musée d'Orsay worth it?
We do not rate museums. The Orsay says it stays open throughout the renovation of its public areas, with all collections and exhibitions accessible, and asks visitors to check the access conditions before they come. The section on what each museum holds gives the museums' own descriptions.
What do Musée d'Orsay tickets cost?
General admission is 16 euros online and 14 euros at the museum (checked Oct 5, 2026). The discounted and Thursday evening rates are in the glance table above.
Is Musée d'Orsay free?
On the first Sunday of the month with a reserved slot, for visitors under 18 and for the other groups the Orsay lists on its rates page.
Can I go to the Musée d'Orsay without a booking?
The Orsay highly recommends online booking during the renovation. A ticket without a time stamp, or no ticket, goes through Entrance 2 on the Forecourt, and tickets are sold at the museum.
I only have one day: which museum?
The museums close on different days, so start with your day. On Wednesday, Oct 7, 2026, the Louvre is open 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and the Musée d'Orsay is open 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., from the hours each museum states. The open-days check above gives any other date, with its dated notices.