PARIS 7th arrondissement

Historic monuments, world-class art and spectacular department stores on the French capital's Left Bank

- HANNAH BRANDLER

1 MUSÉE D’ORSAY 

Housed in the magnificent former Orsay railway station, this grand museum on the banks of the Seine has the largest collection of Impressionist artworks in the world. Pick up an audio guide (€6) for commentary on more than 300 works, and take in the impressive architecture in the great hall, including the beautiful arched ceiling and giant clock.

The ground floor pays homage to the Opéra Garnier, exhibiting a cross-section of the monument and a 1:100 scale model below your feet of the surrounding district as it was in 1914. Impressionist aficionados should head to the fifth floor for oeuvres by artists including Claude Monet (don’t miss the Water Lillies) and Edouard Manet, along with a gallery of Van Gogh’s works including Starry Night. Next month marks the start of the exhibition “Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise” following its spell at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. Running from 3 October 2023 until 4 February, 2024, it will display almost 50 paintings and drawings – including eight loaned masterpieces from the Dutch museum. If you get peckish, the Musée d’Orsay Restaurant on the first floor doubles as a gilded gallery, with chandeliers and frescoes by Gabriel Ferrier and Benjamin Constant, or there’s the Café Campana on the fifth floor with a clock acting as a window over the city at its centre. Open Tues-Sun; adult tickets from €16. musee-orsay.fr