Île-de-France, France · Europe
Orsay works well as a base: 5 minutes from Villejust, 21km from Notre-Dame de Paris.
Orsay is in Île-de-France, France, with about 18,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Villejust, about 4 km away.
Orsay (French pronunciation: [ɔʁsɛ] ) is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, 20.7 km (12.9 mi) from the centre of Paris.
A fortified location of the Chevreuse valley since the 8th century and agricultural domain of wealthyRead more
and influential people, the development of Orsay is marked by the introduction of a railroad in the second half of the 18th century (today the RER B of which two stations are located in Orsay) and donations which allow the construction of a hospital still active to this day.
Orsay is the main home to the Paris-Saclay University. The university significantly shapes Orsay's economy as it employs about 10,000 academic workers. The city's economy is also centered on high technology, with several companies drawn to the area by the Paris-Saclay's research and development infrastructure.
Seat of the Orsay campus of Paris-Saclay University, crossed by the 118 national road, Orsay has become a residential city of the Paris metropolitan area and the Chevreuse valley, easily accessible and with a preserved environment at the heart of the Paris-Saclay scientific cluster with laboratories of the CNRS and the Curie Institute on its territory.
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Within an hour or so of Orsay: Autodrome de Linas-Montlhery (9 km), Palace of Versailles (13 km), Eiffel Tower (20 km), Jardin du Luxembourg (20 km).
The nearest famous roads are Rouen-Les-Essarts.
Orsay is in Île-de-France, France, about 4 km from Villejust.
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Places within a drive of Orsay. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.
Essential numbers in France
Carrying a warning triangle and hi-vis vest in your vehicle is mandatory. Motorway emergency phones connect to official breakdown services only.
Full driving guide for France8 notable places within an hour's drive.
racetrack
Legendary 1924 banked concrete speed bowl south of Paris where dozens of land-speed and endurance records were set; its steep bankings still host classic-car festivals like Les Grandes Heures Automobiles.
9 km · about 15 min drive
landmark
Opulent royal palace and gardens that served as the seat of French power from 1682 until the Revolution.
13 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Iconic iron lattice tower built in 1889 that has become the most recognized symbol of Paris and France.
20 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Paris's most elegant formal garden, where Parisians sail toy boats around a fountain below the Senate palace.
20 km · about 25 min drive
cathedral
Gothic masterpiece on the Île de la Cité, one of the most famous cathedrals in the world.
21 km · about 25 min drive
museum
A jewel of a museum in the Tuileries housing Monet's monumental Water Lilies murals in two purpose-built oval rooms.
21 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Striking glass and metal pyramid serving as the main entrance to the Louvre Museum, the world's largest art museum.
21 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Largest public square in Paris at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées, anchored by a 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk.
21 km · about 25 min drive
April to October
Other places to explore near Orsay.
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