Situated in the beautifully manicured Tuileries Gardens, the Orangerie transformed into a museum in the early 20th century when Paris’s over-crowded museums needed new galleries. The Orangerie most famously houses the series of various waterlilies Monet granted to France thanks to his friendship with George Clemenceau, which earned their own private gallery space. The expansive collection of 19th century and early 20th century paintings features works by other famous Impressionists and those who came after. View Cezanne’s studies of fruits and flowers, seductive portraits by Matisse, and various phases of Picasso’s career through several nudes. Other artists including Modigliani, Renoir, and Utrillo, all make the Orangerie a must-visit for anyone who appreciates French art and the Impressionist movement.
We had a great tour with Sunday. She was so knowledgeable and engaging and her love of art and impressionism in particular is infectious. We felt very fortunate to have viewed the Monet exhibit with her.
We visited the Musée de l'Orangerie today and came away with a far richer understanding of Monet than we'd ever have gotten on our own, thanks almost entirely to our guide, Manu. Charming, warm, and clearly passionate, he made the visit feel less like a tour and more like a conversation with a friend who happens to know everything. What set him apart was the depth of context he brought. He knew the art inside and out, but he also wove in the history and popular culture surrounding each phase of Monet's life: what was happening in France, how audiences and critics were reacting, and how his personal circumstances shaped the work. By the time we stood in front of the Water Lilies, we weren't just admiring beautiful paintings; we understood what Monet was reaching for and why these canvases mattered so much to him at the end of his life. Manu paced the visit well, answered every question with enthusiasm, and had a gift for turning facts into stories. Seeing the Water Lilies in those oval rooms is moving on its own, but with his guidance it became one of the highlights of our time in Paris. Highly recommended, and if you can book Manu specifically, do.
Our tour of the Van Gogh exhibit and the Water Lilies permanent exhibit was FANTASTIC! Our guide Hugo was so knowledgeable and passionate about the subject. He was AMAZING! This was definitely a highlight of our trip to Paris. Book it!
Our guide, Hugo, was excellent! Knowledgable, personable, kind. Highly recommended.
Francesca was our guide and she was fabulous. She made seeing the collection so much more enjoyable giving us an art historian’s take on everything. Couldn’t have enjoyed our tour more.
Excellent on every level. Friendly and knowledgeable guide, THe tour was a real pleasure.
What an incredible experience with Manu! We had a semi-private tour of L’Orangerie Museum with Manu and he really brought the experience to life with his personal and depth of art history background. I highly recommend Manu to anyone looking to experience the museum. And - also recommend a tour with Manu instead of waiting in line for tickets.
Lili is excellent. We learned so much. She was so knowledgeable.
Lili, the appropriately named guide, was fantastic!!! Very knowledgeable and truely brought the paintings to life. The Monet works were of course amazing but the other collections were also well worth it and again Lili really good at explaining the context, history and theory behind the works. Would very much recommend her and the tour!!!!!!
Went with Tina. She was awesome! Knew the art and provided historical reference across many art periods. And provided a perspective to the French, German and US cultures. We learned a lot and highly recommend Tina as a guide!!!!
The tour exceeded my expectations. Dunja was so welcoming, inclusive and most importantly knowledgeable and passionate about the paintings. She gave us time to absorb the works and embellished this experience with her expertise. She included us all and listened to our thoughts and responses to the works we were seeing and had a real glitter in her eye of excitement at sharing beautiful art with us. The water lilies will always have a special place in my heart and this has just enhanced this further.
Hugely enriching explanations by excellent tour guide Lily, magnificent for adults and kids
We had an amazing tour of the Muse de Orangerie with Anatole S. He was so knowledgeable about Monet and his process for painting. He really showed us how to see the light Monet achieved in his beautiful Water Lilies. He brought to life not only Monet, but explained what was going on in Paris at the time he painted these masterpieces. His humor and charm only added to the experience. I would highly recommend this tour.
Our guide, Sunday, was a knowledgeable and delightful resource for this museum. She wove together stories that gave us undiscovered knowledge and context of the works we were studying. I strongly recommend having a practiced and enthusiastic guide like Sunday and her company be a part of your museum experience. Well done and thank you!
This small-group tour of the Orangerie was absolutely worth it! Our tour guide Sunday was WONDERFUL — extremely knowledgeable as well as entertaining. The water lillies collection was beautiful as expected, but I also really enjoyed the rest of the collection (more so with Sunday’s insight).
Our tour of the Musée de l’Orangerie with Manu was truly excellent. He has an impressive depth of knowledge in art history, and it shows in the way he brings each piece to life. His explanations of the works—especially the context, techniques, and historical significance—made the experience far more meaningful than simply viewing the art on our own. Manu has a great ability to connect individual paintings to broader movements and ideas, helping us understand not just what we were seeing, but why it matters. His passion for art history is clear, and he presents information in a way that is both engaging and accessible. Overall, the tour was outstanding and well worth it. Manu is a fantastic guide, and we would highly recommend him to anyone visiting the Musée de l’Orangerie.
We had a wonderful tour from Dunja. We got some time to experience the paintings first by ourselves and after that Dunja really added a lot of extra insights that really made it a memorable experience
Tina was friendly, extremely knowledgeable and just a delight to spend time at the museum with.
Our family had an absolutely wonderful experience visiting the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris with our guide, Anatole. From the moment we booked, his communication was excellent—clear, friendly, and timely. Although the tour was advertised as semi-private, it ended up being just the three of us, so it felt like a truly private tour. Anatole was incredibly knowledgeable and shared fascinating stories about Monet’s life, his friendships, and the inspiration behind the Water Lilies cycle. On top of his expertise, Anatole was funny, engaging, and made the two-plus hours fly by. He struck the perfect balance between giving us insightful information and allowing us time to simply take in the beauty around us. Our family felt comfortable asking questions and his passion for art made the visit even more memorable. We left the museum with a much deeper appreciation not only for Monet but for the museum itself. We highly recommend a tour with Anatole—he made our visit exceptional
Our family had an absolutely wonderful experience visiting the Musée de l’Orangerie in Paris with our guide, Anatole. From the moment we booked, his communication was excellent—clear, friendly, and timely. Although the tour was advertised as semi-private, it ended up being just the three of us, so it felt like a truly private tour. Anatole was incredibly knowledgeable and shared fascinating stories about Monet’s life, his friendships, and the inspiration behind the Water Lilies cycle. On top of his expertise, Anatole was funny, engaging, and made the two-plus hours fly by. He struck the perfect balance between giving us insightful information and allowing us time to simply take in the beauty around us. Our family felt comfortable asking questions and his passion for art made the visit even more memorable. We left the museum with a much deeper appreciation not only for Monet but for the museum itself. We highly recommend a tour with Anatole—he made our visit exceptional
Was a wonderful and informative tour!! Our guide was so so knowledgeable and easy to speak with! We learned a lot and he answered all our questions! Huge appreciations!
We had a wonderful experience with Lili! She was so detailed, attentive, and truly brought the Orangerie Museum to life for us. We learned so much and she opened up our imagination in ways we didn’t expect. Highly recommend this guided tour—it made our visit unforgettable!
Lili was a knowledgeable and informative guide. She really made the experience unforgettable. It was more the best tour we have been on.
Francesca was so nice and so knowledgeable the tour through floor -1 into cubism was fantastic ending on floor 0 in the Water Lilies rooms was so great and memorable we highly recommend.
Malaika gave a great tour. She was efficient and knowledgeable about all of the painters. It was a wonderful experience.
Hugo made the museum come to life by stepping into Monet's life and the time period. Really provided the context for the paintings with his valuable insight. Hugo also recommended other places to visit based on our interests. Highly recommend Hugo.
Beautiful art collections, tour guide Dunja was greatr! She was knowledgeable and on time. I like it because it is a small group
Our guide was wonderful! Small museum but he made it very interesting and pointed out art that we might have overlooked without a guide. We were late due to circumstances out of our control, and our guide was very kind and accommodating about it and let us join the rest off the group late. We got great pictures of The Water Lilies and were glad to have a guide for the downstairs exhibit as well.
Special place, especially after seeing Giverny, Monet's home and gardens. Took a small tour of four people and it was wonderful. Hint is that Uber drivers and taxi drivers aren't that familiar with this museum, and we were dropped off far from the museum itself.
Great tour! Our guide, Lili, was wonderful! Informative, knowledgeable, and very personable. We highly recommend this enjoyable experience.
Highly recommend this tour. Our guide, Ileana, was fantastic and very knowledgeable. She made the art and artists come alive.
Babylon and our guide Zdravko saved our trip - we had especially wanted to visit L’Orangerie museum, but tickets were sold out on our last day in Paris. By booking the tour we were able to access the museum and we had an absolutely amazing guide, Zdravko, who has a Master’s degree in Fine Arts as well as an engaging, intriguing personality. As an artist himself, Zdravko had a very unique perspective and in depth knowledge of the artists and paintings at the museum. We got so much more out of our visit with Zdravko’s expert commentary. The museum itself was also a gem, both the Water Lilies and the Paul Guillaume collection. It’s also situated in the beautiful Tuileries gardens where you must have a coffee or ice cream to talk about the artwork after.
A very pleasant and informative tour. We truly enjoyed the visit. Impressive way of introducing us to modern art. Highly recommend him. 5 stars *****
Grandson booked the trip from Houston as he did not want to wait on line . We arrived on time, Emma was waiting ,walked straight in . I’Orengerie an amazing space ,obviously build for a purpose .Our guide was outstanding ,we would in no way get the same experience on our own .Also Emma , made the time spend with her knowledge very pleasant.
The tour was much more than expected. Dunya gave us a wonderful history of the Museum and Monet, then opened our eyes to the wonderful surprise art in the lower level! Great morning.
Awesome ! Our guide, Lili was extremely knowledgeable and personal. She made our Orangerie visit memorable. Well worth the money. I learned some time ago to get a guide when I go to a museum. She is the best I have ever experienced.
Lili our guide made the whole museum come alive in a way that would not have been possible without her. Knowledgeable, personal, friendly and energetic… the Lillies came alive with Lili! Fantastic!
Best tour I have ever done. Belen was fantastic! Her knowledge and enthusiasm were infectious. She taught us so much. I will book with her in the future.
I’ve never taken more tours on vacation than this vacation in Paris. I’ve seen a lot by myself but the tour guides showed me so much and gave me great advice. The Orangerie was my fourth museum in Paris. When I met Anatole I thought he might be the reincarnation of Paul Cézanne. I’ll include a photo. There wasn’t going to be any rushing on this tour. Anatole carefully led us through Monet’s masterpiece explaining the methods and showing the results. His love of art is so genuine. His excitement is sincere even though he must see these works of art a lot. Anatole’s perspective was interesting and there is no way I would have gotten as much out of my experience at The Orangerie if I had gone by myself. Of course there’s more to The Orangerie than Monet and Anatole was going to lead us through it. I think we went into overtime and some of us stuck around just to hear Anatole regale us with the story of how he and his wife got their apartment in The Marais. This was an authentic French experience that I highly enjoyed.
My husband and I really enjoyed this tour. Lili was kind, welcoming and had a vast knowledge on art. It was the first museum tour on our trip and we can’t wait to visit the other museums. I highly recommend.
Lili was an excellent guide, very informative and engaging. We loved the museum and Lili made the experience all the more interesting.
We sent on the semi-private tour of the orangerie. It was a little difficult to get to since everything was closed/fenced off for the Olympics, so we were a little late (10 minutes) and Hugo waited for us before getting started. Le Orangerie was a fantastic choice to visit and we enjoyed all of the art along with the information that was shared. Hugo was very informative and it showed that he has a passion for what he does. Thanks for a great tour! highly Recommend!!!
Our tour guide Hugo was fabulous. He was so warm, patient, and very knowledgeable about the art work and the museum space. My teenage daughter and I rank this as one of our best experiences in Paris.
Hugo Loyon was an excellent guide! His art expertise was shared with a most passionate & engaging speaking style. Playing Clair de Lune for a few minutes while the group viewed the Water Lilies heightened an already thrilling experience!
Emma did a fantastic job as a guide during my recent time spent in the Orangierre Museum. I was running a few minutes late and she was kind enough to hold the tour for the minute or two. At the beginning of the tour, she explained the evolution of the building to its final use as museum you have today. But, when explaining the different works of art she really came into her own. As an Art History graduate she really brought the artists to life and added context to their work. Highly recommend.
A thoroughly delightful experience with Hugo our guide. He explained what was happening in society or with the subject of the paintings. His inventive approach to the two “Nymphieas” rooms was different from any other tour I’ve taken. He is a gem.
The guide (Hugo?) was excellent!!! ***** He made the whole experience entertaining and informative. I wish we could have him for every tour. The water Lilly rooms are amazing!
Malaika was very knowledgeable and informative and was both friendly and professional. She asked questions to help personalize for our interests. She clearly has a love for art and we enjoyed the background stories about some of the artists.
Hugo was a fantasic guide. The attention to detail and thorough storytelling made the experience quite engaging. I would recommend.
Marcel did a wonderful job in explaining the style of impressionism to allow us to better understand Claude Monet’s artwork. He is a very knowledgeable guide. Pointing out small details in the paintings and sharing stories on them. Recommended to join this tour!
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