Audio walk · Paris
Louvre, Tuileries & Musée d'Orsay
Put your phone in your pocket and walk. Your phone reads each stop aloud, then waits while you walk to the next one; tap “I've arrived” to carry on. Everything it says is written out below, so the walk works without sound too.
- 5 stops
- about 8 min of listening
- about 36 min between stops
- Cluster guide
5 stops · about 8 min listening · about 36 min between stops
Before you start
Voice and speed
The script is in English. On-device voices keep working with no signal once this page is open or saved.
Transcript
Everything the tour says, in order. Read it instead of listening if you prefer.
Before you start
Welcome to the Louvre, Tuileries & Musée d'Orsay audio walk in Paris. 5 stops: Louvre Museum, Musée d'Orsay, Jardin des Tuileries, Jardin du Palais-Royal and Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Museum morning: book a timed slot, enter at opening, leave at lunch; the Tuileries garden is the rest stop between the Louvre and the Orsay.
The Louvre courtyard and Palais-Royal, west along the Tuileries garden, south across the river to the Orsay. Underfoot: gravel garden paths and paved streets; slope: flat; shade: medium.
Paris is a city where almost every street has been rebuilt at least once, and the rebuilding is the story. Roman streets, a medieval island, royal squares, Haussmann's boulevards and a 19th-century iron tower all sit within a few kilometres of the Seine.
Before you start: Bags: suitcases and large bags are refused at the museum door; there is no reliable left-luggage. Keep your eyes on the street, and pause the audio before you cross a road.
1. Louvre Museum
Musée du Louvre
Look for
- Mona Lisa (Denon wing)
- Winged Victory and Venus de Milo
- Egyptian antiquities
Stop 1 of 5: Louvre Museum. Locally, Musée du Louvre.
Book a timed slot, go in at opening and choose two or three wings: the Mona Lisa room is a crush after 10:30; the museum is closed on Tuesdays.
Look for Mona Lisa (Denon wing): A small painting behind glass; the room is packed. Look for Winged Victory and Venus de Milo: Sculpture on the Denon and Sully sides. Look for Egyptian antiquities: The best-loved rooms for children.
Philippe Auguste built a wall around both banks and the first Louvre, a fortress on the western edge, around 1190. The 20 arrondissements wind outwards like a snail shell, starting with the 1st around the Louvre and the Île de la Cité and spiralling clockwise. The Louvre and Orsay cluster faces across the river on the 1st, 7th and 8th.
Queues at the pyramid peak 10:30–14:00; after 15:00 galleries thin. Allowed without flash; not of some restricted rooms.
Walk:Next, stop 2: Musée d'Orsay. It's about 14 minutes on foot, about 800 metres to the west. Route: Walk over Pont Royal (or Pont du Carrousel). The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
2. Musée d'Orsay
Look for
- Top floor Impressionists
- Main hall sculpture
- Clock café
- Ground floor realism
- Clock window
- Main hall
Stop 2 of 5: Musée d'Orsay.
Impressionists in a former railway station: plan 90–120 minutes with a timed ticket; closed on Mondays. On a first visit: More manageable than the Louvre.
Look for Top floor Impressionists: Monet, Renoir, Degas and Van Gogh. Look for Main hall sculpture: The nave under the iron vault. Look for Clock café: A view over the river. Look for Ground floor realism: Courbet and Manet. For a photo: Clock window, morning. For a photo: Main hall, any time.
The Musée d'Orsay is in a former railway station built for the 1900 fair, and its large clock and glass roof are part of the visit. The 7th and 16th arrondissements hold embassies, apartment blocks and a few museums, including the Musée du quai Branly and the Cité de l'Architecture at the Trocadéro.
Allowed without flash in most rooms. Closed Mondays; book a timed slot. The top-floor Impressionist rooms are the highlight.
Walk:Next, stop 3: Jardin des Tuileries. It's about 6 minutes on foot, about 400 metres to the north. Route: Walk (straight-line distance plus 30% for streets). The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
3. Jardin des Tuileries
Look for
- Grand Bassin (round pond)
- Sculptures
- Terraces
- Pond with the Louvre behind
- Terrace toward the Concorde
Stop 3 of 5: Jardin des Tuileries.
Walk it between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde: free, shaded in parts, with chairs and a pond; 20–60 minutes at any pace. Good after a museum.
Look for Grand Bassin (round pond): Chairs and a view of the Louvre. Look for Sculptures: Along the paths. Look for Terraces: Views over the Seine and the Place de la Concorde. For a photo: Pond with the Louvre behind, morning. For a photo: Terrace toward the Concorde, sunset.
Calm in the morning; busiest around sunset in good weather. Drones not allowed. It is the oldest and largest formal garden in the centre, laid out from the 17th century. Green metal chairs are free to move and sit in. Sculptures by Maillol and others line the paths; some are modern art. Enter from the Louvre pyramid side or Place de la Concorde. Walk the central axis between the two ponds.
Walk:Next, stop 4: Jardin du Palais-Royal. It's about 11 minutes on foot, about 700 metres to the east. Route: Walk (straight-line distance plus 30% for streets). The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
4. Jardin du Palais-Royal
Look for
- Buren columns
- The garden and pond
- Arcades
- Buren columns
- Arcade perspective
Stop 4 of 5: Jardin du Palais-Royal.
Stop for 20–40 minutes in a quiet arcaded garden behind the Louvre, with the Buren columns in the courtyard; free, good for a bench and a coffee.
Look for Buren columns: Striped pillars in the courtyard. Look for The garden and pond: Benches and chairs. Look for Arcades: Small shops and cafés. For a photo: Buren columns, morning. For a photo: Arcade perspective, late afternoon.
Calm all day; busiest on lunchtimes in fine weather. The palace itself is not open to visitors; the garden and arcades are. The Buren columns are in the courtyard, 260 striped pillars of different heights. The arcades have small shops and historic cafés. Walk in from the Rue de Rivoli side through the courtyard of the Buren columns. Circle the garden under the arcades, which hold small shops. Is it worth a stop? Yes for a quiet bench near the Louvre.
Walk:Next, stop 5: Musée des Arts Décoratifs. It's about 5 minutes on foot, about 300 metres to the west. Route: Walk (straight-line distance plus 30% for streets). The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.
5. Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Look for
- Art Nouveau and Art Deco rooms
- Fashion and textile galleries
- Toy galleries
- Period rooms
Stop 5 of 5: Musée des Arts Décoratifs.
Go for design, furniture, fashion and toys in a wing of the Louvre palace on the Rue de Rivoli; 90 minutes, usually quiet. Closed Mondays.
Look for Art Nouveau and Art Deco rooms: Furniture and interiors. Look for Fashion and textile galleries: Changing displays. Look for Toy galleries: Of interest to children. For a photo: Period rooms, any time.
Rarely crowded; exhibitions draw the busiest days. Allowed without flash in permanent galleries (check). Three museums in one: decorative arts, design and fashion, and toys and advertising (check). Entrance is on the Rue de Rivoli, not through the Louvre pyramid. Calmer than the Louvre, which is in the same palace. Book online if a temporary exhibition is on (check). Take the lift to the top and follow the galleries down. Is it worth it? Yes for design and fashion, and as a quieter alternative to the Louvre.
End of the walk
That's the end of the Louvre, Tuileries & Musée d'Orsay walk. To carry on, Le Marais is about 16 minutes away (metro line 1). To carry on, Île de la Cité & Latin Quarter is about 20 minutes away (walk east along the quays).
Built from this site's place pages, walking times and city deep dive; nothing is added that isn't on those pages. Opening hours, prices and rules change: check each place page before you go. Walking times are typical (median) and assume a steady pace.