I see now on their website that there is a 9E fee to enter in the last 90 minutes of the day; previously it was always free and those of us on a budget would line up at that time and enjoy a precious hour at no charge... can anyone confirm if this has, indeed, changed as of late?
Donna,
You're right, if the free admission were available, it would be specified on their website.
FYI, there's free admission on the first Sunday of every month.
If you're planning to visit many of the amazing museums & monuments, including Versailles Palace, you may consider getting the Paris Museum Pass
Enjoy Paris!
It's not free if you arrive during the final 90 minutes of late evenings. There is only one museum in Paris that is free during late evenings and that is the Muser des Arts et Metiers. I don't know when the Musee d'Orsay was officially free in the evenings but it has been a while since it was not.
The guards start shooing people out of museums around 20 to 30 minutes ahead of closing time - depending on the size of the museum.
I don't know what you could see, with only the remaining 30 minutes. You'd really have to plan everything meticulously and make a mad dash...
That's why anyone wishing to purchase tickets in the late evening will find the ticket office won't sell them tickets.
We were at the Orsay a week or so again and yes, they shut down a full half hour before closing time; rolling up the museums is an art and it is sort of fun to watch at both the Louvre and Orsay but always assume you need to be done about 45 minutes before closing time.