The artwork was my big draw to the museum, being a huge fan of impressionism myself (I am an art history minor, which influences my opinion of Paris greatly). Though it seemed to take forever to get up to the little maze of galleries that held my Renoirs, the journey was worth it, for the art all around was terrific. I especially enjoyed the statue at the end of the main gallery (four women and a globe, though I can't remember the name of it). The rooms displaying Art Nouveau pieces were very interesting. Besides, this museum is chockfull of famous 19th-century paintings, from Manet's "Olympia" to Monet's "Gare St Lazare."

I arrived at the museum shortly after opening and there was already a line out the door, though it moved quickly. I spent roughly 4 or 5 hours in the museum, which was enough time to cover everything (resting at my favorite works) and also eat lunch in the dining room.

The D'Orsay is fantastic, from the building to the collections. Housed inside an old train station, this museum is great for those who feel too overwhelmed to tackle the Louvre. There are still many amazing works in a much smaller space.

The D'Orsay officially became a museum in 1986. Before that, the building had been both a train station and a hotel. Many remnants of the station remain, from a gorgeous ornate ceiling to a giant clock.

The collection itself contains works by Monet, Seurat, Rodin, Renoir, and van Gogh, among others. The D'Orsay is the only place to find some of these artists most well-known works, including van Gogh's Starry Night. There are tons of paintings, but also a number of sculptures.

The Musée D'Orsay is open Tuesday through Sunday, with late hours on Thursdays. Go to the museum’s website for more information.

Designed by Victor Lalour for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, the former Gare d’Orsay stands on the site of two former state buildings, which, in the early 19th century, were left in ruins due to the Paris Commune fires of 1870 to 1871. The Orléans Railway Company bought over the plot of land in 1897, with a view to make it a railway station for trains serving Nantes, Bordeaux, and Toulouse. Construction was completed within 2 years, just in time for the exhibition. Scheduled to be torn down in 1970, it was saved by the skin of its teeth, and in 1986, 47 years after it had closed as a mainline train station, the superb building was reopened as one of the foremost impressionist museums. A visit to this museum is a must even if you are not an art buff. And for art lovers (like myself), it can be a spiritual experience.

The long-distance terminus ceased operation in 1939, and the station, an immense hall with an arched vault 128 feet high, and running alongside it, a narrower hall topped by a series of seven cupolas, was then used for various purposes, including as an auction house and theater. The ceiling work illustrates the close partnership between construction workers and architects, and is characterised by a highly skilled system of roof timbers with no tie beams and monumental ornamentation, consisting of large caissons of molded plaster bound with vegetable fibres. Much of the original architecture was retained during the conversion from a railway station to a museum of note.

The facade that overlooks Rue de Bellechasse was the logical choice as the main entrance because of its peacefulness versus the windy quay that faces north. A canopy, the old entrance hall, and a café provide visitors with a warm welcome.

The new museum was set up to present each of the arts of the period from 1848 to 1914 in the context of the contemporary society and all the various forms of creative activity happening at the time. The museum sought to capture the full diversity of this unusually dense and prolific period by focusing not only on painting, sculpture, decorative, and graphic arts, but also on other visual arts, such as architecture, town planning, movies, posters, and press and illustrated books.

The vast collection is housed on three levels. The ground floor displays works from the mid- to late 19th century. The middle level features Art Nouveau decorative art and a range of paintings and sculptures from the second half of the 19th to 20th century. The upper level has an outstanding collection of art from the Impressionist and neo-Impressionist movement. A tour of the museum is chronological.