Louvre vs Orsay: Which Paris Museum Should You Visit First?

Both are world-class. Both are on the Seine. Both are former buildings repurposed as museums — a palace and a train station. But they cover different centuries, different art, and demand different amounts of your time.

The short answer: if you only have one day for museums in Paris, choose based on what you want to see. Renaissance through Neoclassical? Louvre. Impressionism through early modern? Orsay. If you have two days, do both — starting with Orsay.

The key differences

The Louvre covers roughly 9,000 years of art: Egyptian antiquities, Greek and Roman sculpture, Italian Renaissance painting (including the Mona Lisa), French painting from the 16th to mid-19th century, and decorative arts. It's enormous — 72,735 square metres of exhibition space, 35,000+ works on display. You could visit ten times and not see everything.

The Musée d'Orsay focuses on 1848-1914: the period that gave us Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Art Nouveau. Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne, and Gauguin all live here. The building — a converted Beaux-Arts train station — is more intimate. You can see the highlights in 2-3 hours.

Comparing the basics

Tickets: Louvre €22 (online). Orsay €16 (online). No combo ticket. The Paris Museum Pass (€62 for 2 days) covers both plus 50+ other museums.

Hours: Louvre is open every day except Tuesday, 9:00-18:00 (Fridays until 21:45). Orsay is open every day except Monday, 9:30-18:00 (Thursdays until 21:45).

Schedule tip: Because they close on different days, you naturally get Monday for Orsay, Tuesday for Louvre if you need to avoid conflicts. Never visit Orsay on Tuesday — the Louvre's closure pushes its crowd across the river.

Size: The Louvre needs a minimum of 3-4 hours for a focused visit (skip the wings that don't interest you). Orsay works in 2-3 hours. Combining both in one day is possible but leaves you exhausted by mid-afternoon.

Should you visit the Louvre or Orsay if you only have time for one?

Choose the Louvre if you want to see the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, or Winged Victory of Samothrace. If ancient civilisations, Renaissance painting, or the sheer scale of a world-class encyclopaedic museum appeals to you. If this is your first time in Paris and you feel you "have to" see it.

Choose Orsay if Impressionism is what drew you to Paris. If you prefer a museum you can cover in half a day without a map. If you respond more to Monet's light and Renoir's colour than to da Vinci's composition. If you want a museum where the building itself is part of the experience. If Van Gogh is the whole reason you're going, see Van Gogh in Paris — Orsay holds the core, but there are six other places worth the detour.

Unpopular opinion: Orsay is the better first-day museum. It's more approachable, the art is more immediately accessible, and you leave energised rather than overwhelmed. The Louvre benefits from a strategic visit — pick 2-3 sections in advance and ignore the rest. Half of Louvre visitors leave disappointed and half leave loving it; the difference is the plan. Our is the Louvre worth it guide covers who falls in which camp.

How to do both

Day 1 — Orsay + Orangerie: Start at the Orangerie (9:00, Monet's Water Lilies). Walk to Orsay (10 minutes). Spend 2-3 hours on the Impressionists. Lunch at the Orsay restaurant (level 2, worth it for the ceilings).

Day 2 — Louvre: Arrive at 9:00 via the Carrousel du Louvre entrance (shorter queue than the Pyramid). Pick two wings: Denon for Italian painting and Classical sculpture, Sully for Egyptian antiquities, Richelieu for French painting. Leave by 13:00.

The walk between the two museums follows the Seine — 20 minutes through the Tuileries garden. It's one of the best urban walks in Europe. If you have exactly one day in Paris and can only do one of the two, our Paris in One Day itinerary lays out the full-day route with the Louvre as anchor and Orsay as the afternoon alternative.

Tips for visiting both

Book both in advance. The Louvre queue can run 90+ minutes without a pre-booked timeslot. Orsay is slightly better but still 45 minutes in peak season. If the official sites are sold out for your dates, GetYourGuide has refundable entry for both: Louvre + audio guide and Orsay entry + audio guide, both with free cancellation.

Late openings are underused. Louvre on Friday evenings (until 21:45) and Orsay on Thursdays (until 21:45) are dramatically quieter. Evening light in both buildings is exceptional.

The Paris Museum Pass makes sense if you're visiting 3+ museums in 2 days. At €85, it covers both the Louvre and Orsay plus the Orangerie, Rodin, and dozens more. Nine venues now require advance reservations even with the pass.

Frequently asked questions

Should I visit the Louvre or Orsay first?

If you only have time for one: Louvre for Renaissance and ancient art, Orsay for Impressionism. If you have two days, do Orsay first — it's easier to manage and builds context for the Louvre.

Can you do Louvre and Orsay in one day?

Technically yes, but it's exhausting. You'd need 3 hours at Orsay (morning) and 3-4 hours at the Louvre (afternoon). Most visitors prefer splitting them across two days.

Which is more crowded, Louvre or Orsay?

The Louvre gets 8+ million visitors per year, roughly twice Orsay's numbers. But Orsay's Impressionist rooms can feel more packed because the space is smaller. Avoid both on Tuesdays — the Louvre is closed and crowds shift to Orsay.

Is there a combo ticket for Louvre and Orsay?

No official combo ticket exists. Each museum sells tickets separately: Louvre €22, Orsay €16. The Paris Museum Pass covers both, starting at €62 for 2 days.

Paris has more to see beyond these two. The Orangerie completes the Impressionist trio, and if the Pompidou is still closed, check where to see its collection in 2026. For a direct comparison between the Louvre and modern art, see Pompidou vs Louvre. And the Petit Palais — directly across from the Grand Palais — is free and rarely crowded.

Last verified: April 2026