Can someone tell me about how many hours a relaxed tour of the Musee d'Orsay will take concentrating mostly on the Impressionists?

Plan on a good couple hours. will you need to factor in any time waiting in line to get in?

If you are a big fan of Impressionism, two hours may not be enough. In that situation,I would say that two hours is a bare minimum.
Further, to get the most out of your visit to Musee d'Orsay, I'd include lunch in its beautiful dining room.
To me, the ideal way to enjoy the museum is to go in the morning for 2-3 hours, then have a leisurely lunch (get there right at noon to avoid having to wait). Then, if you still want/need more time for viewing, return to the exhibits.

We will be there in the second week of November. Will lines be an issue at that time?

I wouldn't think you'd have lines then. I know I had no line when we went in February. I've heard it can be more crowded the day the Louvre is closed (I think Tuesday's). Plan on AT LEAST 2 hours.

We went the first week in December and waited in line for about 45 minutes. We may have just been unlucky with our timing though - my sister went the day before us and walked right in. She was there earlier in the day.

I think the ideal time to go to the museum is after 6:30pm, before the dinner hour, when the crowds thin out. The impressionist galleries are on the top floor, so you should begin your tour there.

Even though you are going well off season, I would try to avoid the tour groups that storm through the place with their noisy guides. That's why I suggest the evenings or at least after 4pm.

We got to the museum right at opening time, trotted through the main floor to the back, took the escalator up to the Impressionist floor, and were the first and only people there for nearly an hour. It was heaven! And that was the last day of August.

I'm with Howard on the lunch idea. Lunch there was surprisingly wonderful. The only problem was that afterwards we could barely move in the Impressionists Galleries. I'd suggest you try to do the bulk of your viewing in the popular areas before lunch.

Thanks for the tips on lunch. We'll probably start first thing in the morning at Musee d'Orsay, have lunch there, then wander over to the Louvre.

The first time I think you should spend at least three or four hours. There are also impressionist paintings on the lower level too, on the left side.

Just the sculptures are worth taking an hour. I keep finding new "jewels" in this museum and trying to pass this is a loss.

This museum is part of the Louvre, so you're giving this a short time. It's one of the biggest reason you've came to visit in Paris.

Blackduff

One other good (and surprising) thing about lunch in the dining room is that it's fairly reasonable in cost!

When I visited early afternoon on a Friday in April, there was no line at all.

Keith

Dissent on the lunch. But maybe the chef was out on the day we stopped by.

My strategy for Musee d'Orsay is to look at the paintings and sculpture for about 2 hours. Then find the restaurant, not the snack bar, for lunch.

Then go back to the paintings for as long as it takes. It might take 2 more hours; it might take less or more.

Bear in mind that there is more than one place to eat in the museum. Make sure you go to the restaurant; you can tell by the wonderful ceiling of the room.

And don't be like the guy who went in looking for a train!

If you get a Museum Pass, you have a special entrance. No wait. Just the same at the Louvre.

If I remember correctly, at the main entrance at d'Orsay go over to the right. Sometimes the Museum Pass is worth the special entrances.

When we went to Orsay, it was an easy access through the gift shop with our musuem passes.
Dave, sorry you had a less-than-satisfactory luncheon in the dining room. I didn't mean to imply that it was gourmet dining, but it was certainly a most pleasant experience--both in terms of the food and ambiance.

&quot;<i>If you get a Museum Pass, you have a special entrance.</i>&quot;

Even w/o a museum pass you can use that entrance. Just stop at the ticket window and buy an advance ticket and then come back to tour the museum. So even if a museum pass doesn't work for you cost-wise, you can still bypass the line.

There was a 35 min line in mid-December around 1 pm. I forget what day it was (probably Sat or Sun) but I got in free with my faculty card.

Also plan to spend time on the fantastic Art Nouveau display.