Rail Europe

Paris is a city blessed with so many exceptional museums, galleries and cultural institutions that it is almost impossible to select just a few to see in a single day -- but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Just stay focused, stick to your schedule and try to absorb thousands of years of art, design and history as efficiently as possible. Make Wednesday or Friday your day to explore Paris’ museums as extended hours will allow you to cram in more of the world’s most impressive collections.


Morning

Set in a grand turn of the century former train station facing the Siene River, the Musée d'Orsay is the perfect introduction to Europe’s artistic prowess. The museum features Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Art Nouveau period (mid-19th century to early 20th century) art at its finest. Wander through and be entranced by the works of Monet, Renoir, Gaugin, Cézanne, Matisse, Manet and Degas among others.

Afternoon

For a complete change of pace and environment, go forward a few decades at Centre Georges Pompidou -- Paris’ home of Modern Art. The unique building designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers is a spectacle in its own right -- a fusion of glass and bright colored protruding pipes. It is considered one of the world's leading collections of 20th century art, with over 50,000 works covering the spectrum of creative arts, from painting to architecture, photography to cinema, new media to sculpture and design. The collection includes works by Miró, Picasso, Duchamp, Warhol, Pollack and Kandinsky plus contemporary and emerging artists.

Evening

Spend your evening walking the hallowed halls of arguably the best museum on the planet -- Musée du Louvre. Enter under I. M. Pei’s imposing glass pyramid and descend into a world of cultural fact and fantasy. There is so much more to this museum than the Mona Lisa. Start in the Denon Wing with magnificent Etruscan and Roman antiquities, then head up the impressive marble staircase to the stunning Winged Victory of Samothrace before making your way through the European paintings section for priceless works by Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio and Giotto. Then venture to the Sully wing for the Egyptian collection and Greek antiquities including the Venus de Milo. If you have the time and energy, the Mesopotamian collection, including the Code of Hammurabi is located on the ground floor in the Richelieu Wing.

Details:

Musée d'Orsay
-Métro: Solferino station. Buses 24, 68 and 69
-Open 9am to 6pm Tuesday to Sunday (until 9:45pm on Thursdays). Closed Monday
-Full day ticket -- €7.50 or €5.50 (18-25 year old), under 18 -- free. Sunday -- free

Centre Georges Pompidou -- Musée National d'Art Moderne
-Métro: Rambuteau, Hôtel de Ville, Châtelet. RER train: Châtelet /Les Halles
-Buses: 21, 29, 38, 47, 58, 69, 70, 72, 74, 75, 76, 81, 85 and 96
-Open every day from 11am to 10pm. Closed Tuesdays
-Admission -- €10. Under 18 -- free

Musée du Louvre
-Métro: Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre station. Buses: 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81 and 95
-Open from 9 am to 10 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays. Closed Tuesday
-Full day ticket -- €9, Evening admission -- €6

Journey Time: 2hr20
Frequency: 15
Departure Station: London St-Pancras
Arrival Station: Paris Nord
Prices From: 106 (Economy) to 834 (Premier / Comfort Flexi)
(prices subject to change)

Uselful Links:

• http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/home.html
• http://www.centrepompidou.fr
• http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en

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