Private Musee d’Orsay Tour | History of Impressionism


Private
2 hrs
Le Royal Orsay
Refundable booking
musee d'orsay tour

LivTours Private Musée d’Orsay Tour covers some of the world’s most important Contemporary, Realist, Pointillist, Cubist, and Impressionist art from 1848 to the first World War, 1914. The Orsay, one of the largest collections of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces,  enjoys constant exhibit rotations in order to display its vast collection. This is one of the most comprehensive itineraries for anyone interested in the last 200 years of art by such greats as Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Gauguin, and Van Gogh.

The Museum, originally built as a train station for electric trains, was built for the 1899 Universal Exhibition held in Paris. Its life as a train station was short-lived as train design grew by leaps and bounds, leaving the station’s short platforms obsolete. The station, a metal structure covered in limestone to match the nearby Louvre and Musee l’Orangerie, experienced many uses including mail sorting during World War II and the setting for several films, but it was not until the early 1970s that Paris started restoration to transform it into the world-class museum it is today.  Your LivTours’ Musee d’Orsay Tour will expose you to the timeless, most well-known beauty of masterpieces such as Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Along with his paintings are the likes of Renoir, Cezanne, School of Barbizon, Manet, and Monet. Walk and absorb history as if you were back in time to witness the progression of styles, the best of the best of each era.

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  • Admire the world’s largest Impressionist art collection with a private expert guide
  • Enjoy learning about the history of the last 200 years of art on this private tour
  • Maximize your time in Paris with our priority access entrance into the Orsay Museum
  • Understand the progression and origins of Impressionist art from start to finish
  • Discover the history of this once railway station, turned renowned museum
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Exclusive private Tours and Experiences. Also offered in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Swedish and Russian

Our prices always include tickets and reservations fees (no waiting in lines!)

Our tour guides and staff are selected experts and speak perfect English

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Eco-sustainable tourism, designed to respect and support local culture, art and traditions


Your LivTours Private Musée d’Orsay Tour covers some of the world’s most important Contemporary, Realist, Pointillist, Cubist, and Impressionist art from 1848 to the first World War, 1914. Orsay contains constant exhibit rotations in order to display its vast collection. This is one of the most comprehensive itineraries for anyone interested in the last 200 years of art.

Your LivTours’ Musee d’Orsay Tour will expose you to the timeless, most well-known beauty of masterpieces such as Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Along with his paintings are the likes of Renoir, Cezanne, School of Barbizon, Manet, and Monet. Walk and absorb history as if you were back in time to witness the progression of styles, the best of the best of each era.

Equally impressive is the museum’s art nouveau interior, as it was once a Beaux-Arts Railway Station, Gare d’Orsay, that housed the first electric trains in all of France. This structure served many a purpose, even as a hotel, until it finally became what it is today – a structure that lends itself perfectly to displaying timeless art and its history in an organized fashion to the public.

One of the highlights of the Musée d’Orsay is the top floor view! Look outside to see a terrace with stellar views of the Sacre Coeur and the Seine River. The real attraction though and the climax of your visit are the masterpieces of Monet, Courbet, Manet, Picasso, and Renoir. Your LivTours guide will inspire you with awe-inspiring tales of some of the museum’s finest pieces of the Impressionist Movement.

Impressionist Art
To understand why these paintings are so popular, you have to understand exactly what impressionist art is and what exactly was the movement – learn this and more on your LivTours’ Musee d’Orsay Tour. Impressionist art and artists rebelled against traditional artistic expression favored by the regime at that time. Their art aimed to capture life in the moment, what the eye could capture in a single moment. As a result, their art became known as “different” and at the time, something quite unimpressive. Impressionism is the centric point of all modern art due to the fact it was the movement that freed people from preconceived ideas of how art should be made to even be considered art. Learn all about how this art movement changed the very way we view art today.

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  • Van Gogh’s Starry Night
  • Artwork by Manet, and Monet
  • Artwork by Renoir, Cezanne, School of Barbizon
  • Views of the Sacre Coeur and the Seine River
  • Fully guided experience
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LivTours’ group size of max 6 participants is and always has been based on sustainable travel, and we are proud to be at the forefront of change and innovation in the industry.  LivTours is committed to providing travelers with truly sustainable tours with the lowest possible environmental impact, all while supporting the local industries and people of each unique destination. To learn more about how you can actively support sustainable tourism  and how LivTours is contributing, click here.

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When you book a LivTours Private Tour or Experience, you are guaranteed a dedicated, expert guide that allows you the flexibility to start your tour at a time which is convenient for you, making planning easy. Our private tours ensure that you will get a tailored experience to meet all your needs so we go at your pace, perfect for families with younger children, elderly, or individuals with accessibility needs. Please be advised that all private tours begin at a base price starting at two people*. Prices are inclusive of entry tickets where applicable. *Some Ferrari private experiences are inclusive of one person only.

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Make your experience even more unique by upgrading your LivTours experience. Please note: add-ons are non refundable.

Paris One Way Transfer from Hotel
Upgrade for a one way pick-up service directly from your centrally located Paris hotel to the meeting point of the tour. Guaranteed stress-free. One way only.
starting from 110 €
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  • Best intro to Paris for our kids

    Sébastien was a wonderful guide. We introduced our 9 and 10 year old to Paris with a tour of the Musee d’Orsay. He was so kind to our kids. Sébastien was engaging, and made the art relatable and interesting for both the kids and adults. Thanks Sébastien and LivTours!

    - C. Baskin
  • The d'Orsay

    Impressionistic Art is alive and well at the Musee d'Orsay. You can visit it on your own but we recommend you take this tour. Having a guide to point out details and give us background information about the artwork made it so much more meaningful. If you're going to take the time to visit an art museum, do it with this company so that it is an experience you enjoy and will remember forever.

    - Brenda
  • Wonderful tour

    If you are interested in Impressionistic art, you won't want to miss the Muee d'Orsay. But do it with one of LivTours excellent local guides! We loved the museum and all the art but it was definitely a much more enjoyable visit thanks to the excellence of our LivTours guide. She pointed out details that we wouldn't have noticed and shared her passion for this period of art and the stories of each artists' life. We loved every minute of this tour and will strongly recommend it to everyone we know.

    - Norma
  • Highly recommend this tour

    An absolutely awesome collection of impressionistic (and more) art and scupture. Our tour made it that much more wonderful because we had a fabulous guide to help us navigate the museum and who shared with us so many insights into the art and the artists. We will book other tours with the company as we had a very positive and memorable experience.

    - Douglas
  • 5 star tour

    The d'Orsay museum is a must but book LivParis' tour so that you can really get the most out of all there is to see and learn about. It really makes a difference!

    - Leah Watson
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By selecting Choose Dates Later / Buy as Gift at booking, any tour can be purchased without fixed dates. This is the perfect option if you want to purchase your tour as a gift for a loved one, or if you are in the pre-planning phase of your vacation. After booking, you will receive a Travel Voucher Code and full instructions on how to schedule your tours when ready. Once your travel plans are confirmed, you can easily use the Travel Voucher Code on the LivTours website to formally schedule your tours. You can find out more here.

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