Musée d'Orsay highlights and gourmet lunch

The famous Orsay Museum houses the world’s most complete collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. You won’t want to miss the famous masterpieces by Manet, Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh, to name a few. Your local guide will accompany you on a two-hour tour through this tumultuous period in French culture, within one of the most beautiful museum facilities in the world. Following your tour, you’ll sit down to a lovely lunch in the Orsay’s classy restaurant.A visitor will quickly understand why the Musée d’Orsay is consistently ranked the favorite museum of Parisians themselves. Built over 100 years ago as a train station welcoming international visitors to the World’s Fair, the beaux-arts structure now displays the best art from that period, making it an essential visit during your stay in the City of Light. Your expert guide, fully accredited and eager to open your eyes to artistic passion, will meet you right in front of the museum, and your group will bypass any long lines to enter immediately.Believe it or not, the Impressionists’ peaceful scenes of rural and city life were thought absolutely shocking when they were painted! The vivid colors and expressive brushstrokes truly shook the foundations of the artistic establishment. Your guide will bring to life the turbulent personalities of the painters, describing how each artist dared to explore new territory and to pursue success without compromise. Traveling back in time, you’ll learn how these images and messages changed the art world forever. You may be familiar with some of the masterpieces on display, such as Monet’s Water Lilies or Van Gogh’s Starry Night; this will be an opportunity to examine up close the startling blend of colors that go into seemingly calm compositions. Your guide will point out all the highlights, and conclude by leading you to the restaurant.Here you’ll enjoy a delicious lunch in the Orsay station’s original restaurant, opened in 1900 and classified as a historic monument in its own right. Savoring the traditional French cuisine under the sparkling chandeliers will be a most fitting finale of your memorable tour. After lunch, your entrance ticket allows you to return to the galleries on your own if you wish, to further explore the collection or perhaps take in a special exhibition.