5 MUSÉE D’ORSAY

Turn right off Rue de Rivoli and on to the gravel boulevard that takes you through the Tuileries gardens and past the Louvre’s glass pyramid. If you want to join the throngs and queue to see the Mona Lisa – arguably, one of the most overrated paintings in the world – then do this; otherwise, continue over the bridge and turn right along the Rive Gauche until you come to the Musée d’Orsay instead. The grand Beaux Arts building opened as the Orsay railway station in 1900 but was reinvented as a museum in 1986. Over the past few years it has undergone renovation, with the project set for completion in autumn. In the meantime, visitors can access the ground floor and level two, which exhibit works by Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec and Bonnard. Entry is € 8 ($10) and queues can be long so it’s advisable to pre-book at musee-orsay. fr/en. Open Tues-Sun 9:30 AM – 6:00 PM, until 9:45 PM Thurs).