Orangerie Museum, Paris

Orangerie Museum (Le Musée de l’Orangerie) is a small but famous museum in Paris, known for its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections. It is especially renowned for Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, a series of eight large panels that Monet donated to the French state and that were installed here in 1927. Around a million visitors come here each year.

Location and Access

• Address: On the edge of the Tuileries Garden, near the Seine River and Place de la Concorde, Paris.
• Closest Metro: Concorde station.
• Nearby Attractions: Louvre, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, Orsay Museum.

History

The museum is housed in a former royal greenhouse built in 1852, originally used to shelter orange trees in winter (hence the name “Orangerie”). It was converted into a museum in the 1920s under the initiative of politician Georges Clemenceau, who wanted Monet’s tranquil Water Lilies to contrast with the horrors of World War I.

Today, the Orangerie is part of the Orsay Museum network, and both museums can be visited together with a combined ticket.

Collections

The museum has two floors. The lower floor displays the Walter-Guillaume collection, with works by famous artists including:

• Claude Monet
• Paul Cézanne
• Pablo Picasso
• Pierre-Auguste Renoir
• Henri Matisse
• Amedeo Modigliani
• Paul Gauguin
• Alfred Sisley

Monet’s Water Lilies are displayed in two oval rooms, allowing visitors to sit in the center and experience the paintings in a panoramic circle. Monet painted these while observing the pond at his home in Giverny, France.

Visiting Information

• Opening Hours: Daily except Tuesday, 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Last entry at 5:15 p.m.
• Tickets: €12.50 online; free for visitors under 18 and EU residents aged 18–25, and for everyone on the first Sunday of the month (booking required). A combined ticket with the Musée d’Orsay costs €20.

Near the entrance, visitors can also admire sculptures by Auguste Rodin.

The Orangerie Museum offers an intimate yet world-class experience of Impressionist art, making it a must-visit in central Paris.