Musée d'Orsay

Welcome to the start of our route through the 7th arrondissement, and what a place to begin. The Musée d'Orsay looks like a palace that decided to moonlight as a train station, which is essentially what it is. Three architects built it in just two years for the 1900 World's Fair, using 12,000 tonnes of metal. More than the Eiffel Tower ever consumed.

For a few decades, trains rattled in and out. Then, by 1939, the platforms were simply too short for modern trains. During World War II, the building served as a parcel centre for prisoners of war, and later as a reception point for returning deportees. After that, it sat largely forgotten, with demolition plans circling in the 1960s. Thankfully, the Ministry of Culture stepped in.

It reopened in 1986 as a museum, and today it holds masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh. Speaking of Monet: in 2007, a burglar actually punched through his painting of the Pont d'Argenteuil, leaving a tear of over ten centimetres. Security has improved since. We've attached the beautiful painting so you know!

One last thing before we move on. Behind that famous glass clock face, a hidden staircase winds up to a rooftop terrace with sweeping views over the Seine and the Eiffel Tower. The building kept one secret exit all along.