The Musée de l'Orangerie is a small art museum at the western end of the Tuileries Garden in Paris, best known for Claude Monet's Water Lilies. Eight huge panels fill two oval rooms lit from above by natural light, and standing in the middle of them is one of the most peaceful experiences any Paris museum can offer. Downstairs, a fine collection of paintings from the early 20th century makes the Musée de l'Orangerie well worth a visit even beyond Monet.
Why visit the Musée de l'Orangerie
The building began life as a winter shelter for the orange trees of the Tuileries. Monet offered his great Water Lilies cycle to the French state after the First World War, and the two oval rooms were designed to his wishes. The paintings went on show in 1927, shortly after his death. The idea was a space for calm reflection, and the curved walls wrap the canvases around you so that the pond seems to continue in every direction.
Because the museum is compact, it suits travellers who find the Louvre or the Musée d'Orsay overwhelming. You can see everything properly in a morning or an afternoon without feeling rushed.
It also helps to know a little about the paintings before you go. Monet worked on the Water Lilies for many years in his garden at Giverny, painting the same pond again and again at different times of day as his eyesight was failing. The panels are not meant to be read as separate pictures but as one continuous view, so stand back and take in a whole wall before stepping closer to look at the brushwork.
Getting to the Musée de l'Orangerie by metro
The nearest station is Concorde, served by metro lines 1, 8 and 12. From the station, head toward the Tuileries Garden side of Place de la Concorde. The museum is the long pale building on the raised terrace just inside the garden, on the side facing the Seine, a walk of only a few minutes.
If you are coming from the Louvre, it is easier to walk through the Tuileries Garden, which takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Tuileries station on line 1 is another option and puts you mid-way along the garden.
Tickets and opening hours
Admission is paid, with free entry for some groups such as visitors under 18 and EU residents under 26; check the conditions. Booking a timed ticket online is strongly recommended, because the entrance line can be long, particularly at weekends and in high season. Combined tickets with the Musée d'Orsay have been offered in the past, which can be good value if you plan to see both.
The museum closes one day a week, traditionally Tuesday, and on some public holidays. For current prices, hours and any free-entry days, use the official website, musee-orangerie.fr.
Best time to visit and how long to stay
Go at opening time or in the last couple of hours before closing to have the Water Lilies rooms at their quietest. Midday is usually the busiest period. The rooms are lit by daylight, so the paintings look different on a bright day than on a grey one, and both are lovely. Allow around 1.5 to 2 hours to see the Monet rooms and the lower galleries at a relaxed pace.
Highlights of the Musée de l'Orangerie
The Water Lilies rooms
Two oval rooms, eight panels, showing Monet's pond at Giverny from morning to evening. Take time to sit on the central benches and let your eyes adjust, rather than walking straight round.
The Walter-Guillaume collection
The lower level holds a collection assembled by the art dealer Paul Guillaume and later expanded by his widow. It includes works by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Soutine, Derain and Henri Rousseau.
Temporary exhibitions
A smaller space hosts changing exhibitions, often linking modern art to the permanent collection.
Nearby on the same metro stop
- Tuileries Garden: the formal garden stretching from the museum to the Louvre, with ponds and chairs to rest on.
- Place de la Concorde: the grand square with the Luxor Obelisk and its fountains.
- Jeu de Paume: a photography and image centre on the other side of the garden's Concorde end.
- Champs-Élysées: the avenue begins on the far side of Place de la Concorde.
To see more around the station, open the Musée de l'Orangerie on Around the Metro, or explore other stops on the Paris metro map.