The Louvre
The Louvre is the most visited museum and arguably the most renowned museum in the world
There are few museums anywhere in the world that have attracted more attention than the Louvre. The world's most visited museum, the Louvre is home to in excess of 35000 pieces of art dating from the earliest times to the 19th century and displayed in an exhibition space covering an amazing 650,000 square feet. Some famous pieces of art include The Madonna and Leonardo da Vinci’s Saint Anne, however there are literally thousands more works of art and historical pieces for visitors to view.
The Louvre has a lengthy and interesting history. During the 12th century, Paris was Europe's largest city. To protect the capital from the Anglo Norman threat king, Philippe Auguste, who was reigning at that time, decided to build a garrison to reinforce its western defences on the shores of the River Seine. The large fortress comprised of a moat, a huge tower at the centre of the structure plus other towers encompassed narrow gates at the wall on south and east sides. The solid building had two inner buildings butt against the exterior walls on the south and west sides. This magnificant structure lost its ability to be Paris' defence fortress as the city grew far beyond the original wall by the mid 14th century. Other defences were developed under King Charles V which enclosed the Louvre within the expanding city. In 1364 he commissioned his architect, Raymon du Temple, to transform the ancient garrison into a splendid royal mansion.
Each section of the Louvre has its story to tell and bears the mark of a different influential personality. The Louvre was turned into a museum in 1791 and first opened its doors as such in 1793. The first pieces on display were works of art that were donated or loaned by families that could afford to do so. Since then, the Louvre has simply grown in splendour and has had many galleries added and renovations done to turn it into the amazing museum that it is today.
The Louvre, as with most famous museums, offers floor plans, audio guides and guide books to visitors. It also features a number of cafes, media centres and even a bookstore for those that wish to bring a little of the Louvre home with them. The Tuileries Gardens offer a number of activities for the restless little ones who may not enjoy taking in the art of the Louvre as much as their parents. Instead, they can be amused with boat rides and trampolines and other play area activities in the gardens.
Nearby attractions: Jardin des Tuileries and Museum of Decorative Arts
Facts For Your Visit
Fee: Save time and skip the queueThe Louvre Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays
- Monday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Thursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Friday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
- Saturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Sunday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Address: 75001 Paris, France
Phone: 01 40 20 53 17
Official Website: The Louvre
The Louvre Reviews
Rated out of 5
Amazing. The artwork is stunning. The history is fascinating. It is much bigger than I expected. This place is overwhelming, not in a negative way.
Do not go without plan. Decide what you want to see.
The Mona Lisa is busy and slightly overrated. Take a quick look and go see the rest. There is so much more.
Highly recommended. You could spend days here.
sheldon Zedd - 2 weeks ago
Visiting Paris and not going to see the louvre would be such a shame. This is the biggest museum in the world and you'll quickly realise it when inside, there's so many amazing things to see that you would need a full week. One of the most hidden gems is Napoleon's Apartments, get a map and find it! Been here at least 10 times and everytime i find something new and equally interesting.
Life hack: buy the tickets online and do not stand in line near the pyramid, there are 2 other entrances, one on the shopping mall beneath and one on the street.
Sidónio Sousa - 2 weeks ago
One of the most famous and important museums of the world, entrance is 22 euros, it was very crowded and with some areas closed. Most of the elevators were not working and with a pregnant person it’s stressful and tiring. They should fix it.
Luca G - 2 weeks ago
The world knows the Louvre - and for good reason. It's simply one of the greatest collections of artifacts ever brought together. Every item has a story. It would take days to go through it all, so I'd sincerely suggest a guide to maximize your time viewing the impressive collection. If you can, plan your visit before or after summer, and avoid holidays. I'd also suggest viewing the more iconic items close to closing time. The crowds thin out and you'll have a better viewing experience. Otherwise, try hard to be in the first group to enter and quickly go to the more popular items as quickly as possible. Either way, have a plan. Visit the museum's website and know what you want to see and where you need to go. Absolutely buy tickets ahead of time. There's stairs, escalators, lifts, and ramps to transit. We walked 3 miles in just over 2 hours, so expect to walk - a lot.
M R - 5 months ago
Booked our tickets months in advance & highly recommend doing so. We had booked thefirst session & unfortunately had a 2 hour wait in the cold & light rain due to an issue in the Louvre. They had a plumbing leak overnight & that delayed the opening. There was no communication from any of the staff while we were all waiting in the line to let us know what the delays were. We found out online while waiting which was super frustrating.
Once inside the water damaged wing was closed off which was fine but so was the area that held the Royal Jewels as the were robbed a few months ago. That was a shame as we thought that wing would have reopened.
Apart from that we spent many hours wandering from room to room & it was amazingly beautiful. It was my 2nd visit & I spent longer here with my kids this time.
Really enjoyed it & highly recomend it.
Our 16 & 18 year old kids also loved it
Heather Rodgers - 2 months ago
Directions
| Metro / RER Line | Nearest Station | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|
| M1 or M7 | Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre | 3 minutes |
How to get to The Louvre by Metro / RER
By Metro: From Metro Line 1 or 7 exit at Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre Station and proceed to your right (west) along Rue de Rivoli and then cross the road to your left and proceed through the arches at Place du Corrousel. The entrance to the the Louvre is in the Glass Pyramid ahead and to your left.
The Louvre is also easily accessed from the Batobus.
Map & Instant Route Finder
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Accommodations near The Louvre:
Photo Gallery
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One of many expansive halls exhibiting paintings by the masters inside The Louvre cc licensed photo by vic15 -
Photo Credit: Rojs Rozentāls - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Patrik Seiler - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: szeke - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Gael Varoquaux - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: szeke - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: Gael Varoquaux - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: docoverachiever - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: docoverachiever - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: docoverachiever - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: docoverachiever - cc license via Flickr
