Musee d'Orsay

The Musee d'Orsay holds the greatest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art in the world, set inside a magnificent former railway station. Built for the 1900 World's Fair, the Gare d'Orsay was saved from demolition and reborn as a museum in 1986. The soaring nave, the original station clocks and the wrought iron architecture make it one of the most atmospheric cultural spaces in Paris.

This is where you come to stand before the canvases that changed Western art. Van Gogh's self-portraits and Starry Night Over the Rhone, Monet's poppies and cathedral series, Renoir's Bal du Moulin de la Galette, Degas' dancers and Manet's bold compositions all live here. The fifth floor Impressionist galleries are the heart of the museum, and the glass clock with a view over the Seine and Montmartre is one of the best photo spots in the city.

Because the collection is more compact than the Louvre, the Orsay rewards a calm, chronological visit. Start on the upper level with the Impressionists while you are fresh, then work your way down through the sculpture nave and the Art Nouveau rooms. A skip-the-line ticket with a timed slot is well worth it, since the entrance queue along the riverside can be long, particularly on weekends and Thursday evenings.

The museum is closed on Mondays and stays open late on Thursdays, which is a quieter and beautifully lit time to visit. Take metro line 12 to Solferino or the RER C to Musee d'Orsay, which stops almost at the door. The Orsay sits on the Left Bank directly across the river from the Tuileries, so it combines easily with the Louvre or a walk to Saint Germain. There is a popular restaurant under the ornate ceiling of the former station ballroom, which makes a memorable lunch stop in the middle of your visit, and the bookshop is one of the best in any Paris museum.