Impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Van Gogh and Renoir inside a former railway station, with a giant clock window over the Seine.
Address: Esplanade Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, 75007 Paris
The Gare d'Orsay was built for the 1900 World's Fair as a modern railway station in the heart of Paris. Its platforms became too short for longer trains, and by 1939 it was used only for suburban lines before closing entirely.
Saved from demolition, it reopened in 1986 as a museum for art from 1848 to 1914. Today it holds famous works by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne and Van Gogh, and the huge station clocks still look out over the Seine.
Autumn and winter outside holidays. Summer weekends are crowded.
Thursday evenings, when the museum stays open late and the galleries are calmer.
Start on the 5th floor with the Impressionists, then walk down through the building.
Well-known hotels within easy reach. Check prices and availability for your dates.
It is closed on Mondays, and on 1 May and 25 December.
Van Gogh's Starry Night Over the Rhône, Monet's Poppies, Renoir's Bal du moulin de la Galette and Degas's dancers.
Two to three hours is enough for the highlights.
