The Museé du Louvre, housed in the largest royal palace in Europe, is world-renowned for its impressive collection of over 300,000 artistic masterpieces. A brief snippet of Louvre history: initially a fortress to guard the western edge of Paris during the Middle Ages, the Louvre became a chateau, experiencing several architectural changes over the course of five centuries, then a salon for exhibiting artwork, and in 1793, it opened its doors as a museum to the general public.
The Louvre has three principal exhibition halls: Denon (the wing alongside the Seine), Richelieu (along the rue Rivoli), and Sully (the cour carrée). At a massive 652,000 square feet, this is the most visited museum in the entire world, as its long lines attest. Amongst its masterpieces, three of the sought after are the famous “La Jaconde”, (the “Mona Lisa”) painting by Leonardo da Vinci, “Victoire de Samothrace”, (“The Winged Victory of Samothrace”), and the “Venus de Milo”. The Louvre’s impressive collections present Islamic Art, Prints & Drawings, Paintings, Egyptian Antiquities, Decorative Arts, Greek, Etruscan & Roman Antiquities, Near Eastern Antiquities, and Sculptures.
It’s a good idea to do some pre-planning before attempting a visit, as its immense size can quickly be overwhelming for adults as well as
for children. A good place to start is the Sully wing where the foundations of Philippe-Auguste’s medieval keep are located. This leads to the Egyptian section, newly restored, with the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts outside Cairo. From there, you then have two choices: the Richelieu wing with its rich collection of French, Persian, Dutch and Flemish paintings; at the other end, the Denon wing offers the spectacular Greek collection (don’t miss Winged Victory), along with the fabulous Italian paintings upstairs.
Admission into the museum is 12€ for adults, and free for children under 18. There are also various reductions for students, teachers, handicapped, etc. It is open Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 9am-6pm, and Wednesday and Friday from 9am-9:45pm. Note that tickets are half price after 6 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays; free admission to everyone the first Sunday of each month and July 14, the national holiday. Closed Tuesdays. Guided tours are available in French & English. Regarding transportation, this museum is easily accessible by the Metro, Paris’ extensive and inexpensive transit system, with daily trains arriving every few minutes on lines 1 and 7, Musée du Louvre.
If you get hungry during your visit, don’t worry. A range of 15 cafés, restaurants, and take-out are present in the domaine of the Louvre, spread out between the museum, the garden of the Carrousel, and the Tuileries gardens.
One simply cannot admit having been in Paris without visiting the Louvre. It’s an intellectual, emotional, and philosophical must!
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