# Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris > The Musée de l'Orangerie is a small museum in the western corner of the Tuileries Garden by the Place de la Concorde, world-famous for Claude Monet's eight huge Water Lilies panels. They fill two daylit oval rooms and together run 91 metres, so you feel you're standing in the middle of the painter's pond. Downstairs is the Walter-Guillaume collection: Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani. The museum is compact, an hour and a half is enough, and entry is ticketed. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/paris/musee-de-lorangerie - City: [Paris](https://yesgo.io/france/paris), France - YesGo score: 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 1 h 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Ticketed, free under 18 - Hours: By day, closed Tuesday - Highlight: 8 Water Lilies panels, 91 m - Duration: ≈ 1–1.5 hours - Nearby: Place de la Concorde, Tuileries - Location: 1st arrondissement, metro Concorde - Coordinates: 48.86385, 2.32254 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1852** — the orangery was built (source: English Wikipedia) - **1927** — the Water Lilies rooms opened (source: English Wikipedia) - **91 m** — total length of Monet's panels (source: English Wikipedia) - **8** — panels in two oval rooms (source: English Wikipedia) ## About the Musée de l'Orangerie The Orangerie is a museum of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in the western corner of the [Tuileries Garden](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/tuileries-garden), next to the [Place de la Concorde](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/place-de-la-concorde). The building went up in **1852** under Napoleon III as an orangery, where the garden's orange and lemon trees spent the winter. That's why its south wall facing the Seine is almost all glass, while the north side is blank against the cold wind. After the First World War it was given over to art, and in **1927** the rooms holding **Claude Monet's** Water Lilies opened. The museum later received the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume collection, and in 2000–2006 it was rebuilt to restore natural light to Monet's rooms. Today it is run together with the [Musée d'Orsay](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/musee-dorsay) and is one of the most atmospheric museums in Paris. ## What to see - **Monet's Water Lilies** — eight panels in two oval rooms. - **Renoir** — portraits and scenes with children. - **Cézanne** — still lifes and landscapes. - **Matisse and Picasso** — early works. - **Modigliani and Soutine** — painters of the School of Paris. - **Henri Rousseau and Utrillo** — naive Paris and Montmartre. ## Claude Monet's Water Lilies The museum's treasure is the **Water Lilies** cycle that Monet painted for years in his garden at Giverny. He gave it to the state in 1922 and helped the architect design the rooms himself. Eight panels about **two metres** high and **91 metres** long in total hang in two **oval rooms** that together form the infinity sign. Monet wanted the paintings lit by daylight alone, so the rooms have glass ceilings and the colours shift with the weather and time of day. There are no corners or frames: the panels wrap around you, and you seem to stand in a pond of lilies, clouds and willows from dawn to dusk. Benches sit in the centre, so sit down and take your time. > **When to come** The museum is small and queues form in season, so buy a timed ticket ahead on the official website. The quietest times are right after opening and in the last hours before closing. The museum is usually closed on Tuesdays. On a sunny day the Water Lilies rooms are especially bright; on an overcast one the colours turn softer and deeper. ## The Walter-Guillaume collection The lower floor shows the collection of the art dealer **Paul Guillaume** and the architect **Jean Walter**, built up by their shared widow Domenica. Guillaume dreamed of a public museum of modern French art, and in 1959–1963 the state acquired the collection for the Orangerie. Around a hundred and fifty paintings hang here: luminous **Renoirs**, **Cézanne** still lifes, works by **Matisse** and **Picasso**, **Modigliani** portraits, expressive **Soutines**, **Henri Rousseau's** naive landscapes and **Utrillo's** Montmartre streets. It is one of the finest small collections of early-20th-century French painting. ## The building and its history The architect Firmin Bourgeois built the orangery, and Louis Visconti decorated its east and west entrances. Before it existed, the garden's citrus trees wintered in the Louvre's Grande Galerie. From 1930 the Orangerie hosted major exhibitions, such as one on Rubens that drew a million visitors. During the last renovation, remains of a **1566** wall that protected the Tuileries Palace were found beneath the building; they've been preserved and are shown on the lower floor. And in Woody Allen's film Midnight in Paris, the characters talk in the Water Lilies rooms. ## The Orangerie and Giverny If the Water Lilies win you over, consider a trip to **Giverny**, a village 75 kilometres from Paris where Monet lived for over forty years. His house, the Japanese bridge and the very lily pond he painted for these panels are still there. The Orangerie and the Orsay are easy to see in one day: the two museums share management and stand almost opposite each other across the Seine. The Orsay holds more famous works by Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh. ## How to get there 1. Metro lines 1, 8 and 12 to **Concorde**, a 2-minute walk. 2. Through the Tuileries from the Louvre, a 15-minute walk. 3. From the Musée d'Orsay, across the footbridge over the Seine, 10 minutes. 4. The entrance faces the Place de la Concorde, on the garden terrace by the Seine. ## Tips for your visit Start with the Water Lilies rooms while they're quiet, then go down to the Walter-Guillaume collection. An hour and a half is enough to see everything calmly. Photos without flash are allowed, but in Monet's rooms it's better just to sit. The museum pairs well with a stroll through the Tuileries, the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées. Large bags and backpacks must be left in the cloakroom. Entry is usually free for under-18s and EU residents under 26; check the official website. Combined tickets with the Musée d'Orsay are available. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Book a timed ticket - [ ] Make sure it's not Tuesday - [ ] Sit in Monet's oval rooms - [ ] Find the Modigliani and Renoir - [ ] See the 16th-century wall ## Places in Paris: compare and choose Places in Paris rated by YesGo. - [The Louvre](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/louvre) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h 30 min · Timed ticket, online - [Musée d'Orsay](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/musee-dorsay) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h 30 min · Timed ticket, online - [Musée de l'Orangerie](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/musee-de-lorangerie) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Ticketed, free under 18 - [Musée de Cluny](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/musee-de-cluny) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 45 min · Ticketed, free under 18 - [Musée Rodin](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/musee-rodin) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 45 min · Museum and garden ticket, free under 18 - [Fondation Louis Vuitton](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/fondation-louis-vuitton) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 45 min · Timed ticket, book ahead - [Parc de la Villette](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/parc-de-la-villette) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Park free, museums ticketed - [Giverny](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/giverny) — YesGo score 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · Ticket for the house and gardens ## Don't mix it up The Musée de l'Orangerie in the Tuileries is the home of Monet's Water Lilies; the Orangerie du Sénat in the Luxembourg Gardens is a different building with temporary exhibitions. ## Tips - Timed tickets. - Closed Tuesdays. - Quieter early. - The Orsay is close. ## Questions ### What is there to see at the Musée de l'Orangerie? Claude Monet's eight Water Lilies panels and the Walter-Guillaume collection. ### How long do I need at the Orangerie? About an hour and a half. ### Which day is the museum closed? Usually Tuesday; check the official website. ### Can I buy a ticket combined with the Orsay? Yes, combined tickets with the Musée d'Orsay are available. ### How do I get to the Musée de l'Orangerie? By metro to Concorde station. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Prices, hours and the closing day weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Musée de l'Orangerie - Museum official website, musee-orangerie.fr --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.