Thursday, March 28, 2024

Latest Posts

How Much Is It To Visit The Louvre Museum

Private Tour Louvre Museum

VISIT THE LOUVRE! // Museum Tips & Travel Advice You MUST Know

For your eyes only… youll feel like a VIP with your own private guide leading you to those Louvre masterpieces you most want to see. Whether its the world-famous, iconic Mona Lisa or a lesser known work of art, your guide can help you find the things that interest you the most and help you experience them to their fullest.

Exhibitions In The Louvre In Paris

Jean-Luc Martinez, a classical archaeologist and art historian, has been the museums director since April 15, 2013, and has been responsible for all the exhibitions found in the Louvre in Paris. The previous director who was responsible for all exhibitions was Henri Loyette. Exhibitions centering on paintings, sculptures, art pieces, and graphics are showcased in the Louvre. The museum also offers antiques from ancient cultures such as Middle Eastern, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman cultures. One can also find art pieces from Islam, Africa, Asia, Oceana, and North & South America here. Therefore, the Musée du Louvre offers more than just its most famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci. In 2012, the Louvre in Paris was the most visited museum in the worldabout 10,000,000 visitors in total! The Paris City Pass includes your admissions ticket into the Musée du Louvre and allows you preferred access. Access into many interesting exhibitions in the Louvre is also included in your Paris City Passall at no extra cost to you.

What Is The Best Day To Visit Louvre

The best time to visit is Wednesday and Friday night when, as we mention above, the museum stays open until 9:45 p.m. and most large groups and school children are nowhere to be seen. You can spend the entire evening browsing away much more comfortably than those who braved the museum earlier in the day.

Don’t Miss: How To Be A Museum Curator

What You Need To Know Before Visiting The Louvre Museum

Tickets were 15 Euros per person and the admission gives you access to the Delacroix Museum. You can get tickets online to gain quicker access inside and avoid the lines. Tickets are also valid all day and it seems you can re-enter the building during that time if you decide to leave.

There are three cafes inside and like any other museum there are audio guides available for your visit. The largest lineup is through the Grand Pyramide, however, you can also enter the museum under the Arc du Carrousel You should plan at least half a day to visit and that probably wont be enough.

Entrances To The Louvre

Secrets of the Louvre

The Louvre Museum has four entrances :

  • Pyramid for individual visitors
  • Port des Lions normally used by guided groups
  • Louvre Carrousel for all visitors, it is accessed directly from the Metro Line 1 and since it is underground provides shelter in case of rain
  • Passage Richelieu only for groups.

Read Also: Whitney Museum Of American Art Nyc

Special Notes On Visiting

Once you begin exploring the Louvre, you won’t want to leave. With that in mind, come prepared for a long day of walking, and remember these tips:

  • You can store personal items free of charge in the coatroom and luggage room underneath the pyramid. However, large suitcases are no longer accepted.4
  • You can borrow walking sticks, strollers, and wheelchairs for free for use in the museum.
  • Traveling with children? The Louvre has a few fun diversions for little ones, including a pond with little sailboats to push around, trampolines and a carousel.
  • No drinking or eating is permitted in the galleries. However, you won’t go hungry: There are 15 cafes and restaurants scattered throughout the Louvre and its grounds.
  • Don’t use your cell phone in the galleries.
  • No photography is permitted in temporary exhibits.
  • Watch out for swinging elbows around the Mona Lisa!

What Is There To See Besides The Mona Lisa

Some of the worlds greatest masterpieces can be found in the Louvre, including the armless Aphrodite and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, one of the worlds most celebrated Greek sculptures. Also on display are Eugene Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People and Jacques-Louis Davids The Coronation of Napoleon plus works by Michelangelo, Caravaggio, and Raphael.

While the Louvre is known for its sculptures and European paintings, it also has an impressive collection of Egyptian and Near Eastern antiquities and Islamic art. In the Richelieu wing, you can glimpse what life for the royals might have been like by touring the Napoleon III apartments and, on the lower ground floor, you can walk around the remains of the original moat.

Recommended Fodors Video

Read Also: Is There Parking At The Intrepid Museum

The Louvre Museum Collections

Over 35,000 works of art from the Louvre Museums extensive collection are on display among eight curatorial departments. These include paintings by famous Italian masters, sculptures and various objects dart from all over the world. The departments include:

Egyptian antiquties: Covering artifacts from 4,000 BC to the 4th century AD, the collection covers 20 rooms and is one of the largest Egyptian collections in the world. Covering items from the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom and Coptic art, as well as the Roman, Ptolemaic and Byzantine periods.

Near Eastern antiquities: This collection spans a period of 9,000 years, from prehistoric to early Islamic Period. Geographically, it covers the area from North Africa to the Indus Valley and Central Asia, as well as from the Black Sea to the Arabian Peninsula.

Greek, Etruscan adn Roman art: This collection is pretty much what the name says. Greek, Roman and Etruscan artworks spanning from Neolithic times to 6th century AD make their home here.

Home to a wide range of items from early Middle Ages to mid-19th century, here youll find everything from jewellery, ceramics, glass, furniture, rugs and anything else that was used for decoration by our ancestors.

This section is where youll find the Napoleon III Apartments. The stunning rooms, decorated in the Second Empire style are a glimpse of what the luxury at the Louvre looked like. One of my favourite parts of the museum.

Louvre Museum Entrances And Queues

Tips for Visiting the Louvre in Paris

The main entrance to the Louvre Museum is via the large glass pyramid in the central courtyard this is the only option currently used for individual travelers.

Other entrances Carousel, Passage Richelieu, and Porte des Lions are no longer available for individual travelers but often give groups fast access.

Queuing at the entrance to the Louvre Museum is for the security check entering through the glass pyramid is free and tickets are only required once entering the museum galleries. The basic queues follow the following color system in order of preference for admission:

  • Blue visitors needing assistance, e.g. disabled, infirm, pregnant.
  • Green visitors with specific time-slot tickets.
  • Orange visitors with tickets, Paris Museum Pass.
  • Yellow visitors without tickets .

Visitors qualifying for free tickets should wait in the yellow line but may join the other queues if traveling with someone with a paying ticket.

Time-slot tickets are valid for the whole calendar day. If a timeslot is missed, join the orange or yellow queue if very long, try your luck at the green queue first!

Recommended Reading: New England Museum Association Jobs

The Top 10 Essential Masterpieces Of The Louvre Museum

1. The Victory of Samothrace, circa 190 BC, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities2. Aphrodite, called Venus of Milo, circa 100 BC, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities3. Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo, known as Monna Lisa, the Gioconda or the Mona Lisa, Leonardo di Ser Piero DA VINCI, known as Leonardo da Vinci, Denon Wing, 1st floor, Italian Painting4.Winged bullhead, Khorsabad, Richelieu wing, Ground floor, Near Eastern Antiquities5.The Wedding at Cana, Paolo CALIARI, known as VÉRONESE, 1563, Italian Painting6. The Coronation of Napoleon and Coronation of Empress Josephine in Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, December 2, 1804, Jacques-Louis DAVID, 1806-1807, French Painting7. The Raft of the Medusa, Théodore GÉRICAULT, Salon of 1819, French Painting8.Freedom guiding the people , Eugène DELACROIX, Salon of 1831, French Painting9. The Statue of Ain Ghazal, Sully Wing, Ground Floor, Levant – Palestine and Transjordan, from the origins to the Iron Age10. The Great Sphinx of Tanis, Sully Wing, Entresol, Crypt of the Sphinx, Egyptian Antiquities

Buying Louvre Tickets Online

Louvres online tickets get emailed to you immediately after purchase.

You dont need to take printouts.

When you have already purchased tickets online, you need not stand in the long lines in front of the Louvre Pyramid.

Walk right past the queue, straight to the guard at the front of the Louvre glass Pyramid entrance.

Look for the sign visitors with tickets, which in French, this sign should read Avec Billet.

The guard will check your Louvre Paris ticket on your mobile and ask you to present a valid photo ID, without which you wont be allowed inside the museum.

Once you get the all-clear, the guard will merge you into the security check line inside the glass pyramid.

Thus, you avoid the long line waiting outside of the Louvre pyramid.

Since you already have a ticket, you dont need to stand in the second queue at the ticketing counter.

Once your security check is over, you can walk right into the Museum.

Recommended Reading: Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago Tickets

Why Visit The Louvre Museum

I must admit that I prefer the outdoors to museums and Ive even visited Paris several times without venturing inside the worlds largest museum. It was only when I moved to Paris for three months that I finally got around to exploring the citys unrivaled museums like the Louvre, the nearby Musée dOrsay, Musée Jacquemart-André, and many others. The daunting task of spending a few precious hours inside a museum was beyond me but there were no excuses this time around.

The largest museum in the world, the Louvre sits on the site of a massive former palace. Its almost as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside. It is said that as big as the museum is, only a fraction of the collection is actually on display at any given time!

Since its opening in the late 18th century, its been the home of some of the worlds finest works of arts & ancient artifacts. Many of those made their way to the Louvre via Napoleons regional quests. Some are on such a grand scale, its hard to imagine how they were even transported here!

How To Reach Louvre Museum

Everything You Need to Know About Visiting the Worlds ...

Address: Musée du Louvre, 75058 Paris France. Get Directions

Grand Louvre is located next to the Seine River in central Paris.

To get to the Louvre Museum, you can board Metro Lines 1 or 7 and get down at the Palais Royal Musée du Louvre station or board Line 14 and get down at Pyramids Metro station.

Once you get off at the stations, follow the crowd, and you can reach the Museum in less than two minutes.

Depending on where you are starting, you can also board bus routes 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, or 95.

If you are taking the famous Batobus, ask for the Louvre stop.

Some tourists visit Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum on the same day. If you also plan to do the same, follow the links for directions:

Read Also: Museum Of Life And Science Durham Nc

Where To Stay Near The Louvre

Near the Louvre Museum in the historic heart of Paris, you’ll find so many other wonderful things to explore and experience – more famous museums and monuments, the Paris Opera House , world-class shopping in Parisian boutiques along Rue Saint-Honoré, fabulous cafes and restaurants – it’s a fantastic part of the city to stay in, so if you’re looking for a hotel or short-stay apartment, check out our recommendations.

Louvre Tour For Families With Kids

This two-hour Louvre Museum tour is customized for both kids and adults, and a special childrens guide hosts your family.

This highly-rated tour starts from the Mona Lisa at Louvre and then goes on to other exhibits which keep the kids excited.

Since this is a skip-the-line ticket, you only wait at the security checks for approximately 10 to 20 minutes.

Tour price: 300 Euros for a family of four

If you want an exclusive art expert to guide you and prefer complete control over your art museum tour, you must opt for a private tour of the Louvre Museum.

Some art lovers prefer to book the guided tour of the Louvre and Musee dOrsay. And some tourists are confused between the two. If you arent sure which Parisian art gallery you want to visit, check out our analysis of the Louvre Museum or Musee dOrsay.

You May Like: Museum Of Art And Whimsy

What To See In The Louvre Museum

The exhibits belonging to these eight categories are displayed across Louvre Museums three wings Sully, Richelieu, and Denon.

Each of these wings has more than 70 rooms.

1. Sully Wing

The Sully Wing is the oldest part of the Musée du Louvre.

In Sully Wing, you can see remnants of the medieval castle of the Louvre and learn about the history of the Louvre.

On the ground floor of this Wing, you will find one of the most beautiful sculptures in the Louvre Venus of Milo.

Another must-visit artwork in this wing is the erotic Turkish Bath, painted in the late eighteenth century by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres.

One of the sculptures in the Sully Wing proves that artists can also pull a cruel joke.

Go and see Sleeping Hermaphrodite in Room 17 of Sully Wing to know what we mean.

Dont miss out on the 12-ton Great Sphinx of Tanis.

This Sphinx was sculpted sometime between 2,600 and 1,900 B.C. and has a lions body and a human head.

2. Richelieu Wing

In the Richelieu Wing, you get a chance to see Louvre in all its glory.

On the first floor of this wing, you get to see the highly decorated Napoleon III apartments as it was when he lived there.

Master painters such as Rubens, Vermeer, and Rembrandt decorate the second-floor walls of Richelieu Wing.

Dont miss out on Vermeers The Astronomer and The Lacemaker.

And the four Rembrandt self-portraits which are also on display in this wing.

3. Denon Wing

Denon Wing attracts the most number of tourists at the Louvre Paris.

What Is Included In The Louvre Museum Ticket What Will You See

Visiting the Louvre in Paris || Top 15 Things to See & Do

The Louvre museum ticket includes access to the permanent collections at the museum. By permanent collection, this means exhibitions and displays that are constantly present on site. Occasionally, the museum also hosts non-permanent collections which are exhibits that travel the world stopping by the most notable museums.

Many people simply associate the Louvre with the Mona Lisa and outside of peering at this infamous painting, they are not sure of what else to do while visiting. The louvre is home to over 380,000 exhibitions that are divided into different collections across art and history.

Some of the most notable collections that may be of interest during your visit to the Louvre are:

Recommended Reading: Railroad Museum Of Pennsylvania Tickets

What Not To Miss In The Louvre

1. Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci .

2. Venus the Milo

3. Great Sphinx of Tanis

4. Victoire de Samothrace

5. I.M. Peis Pyramid

6. Saint Jean Baptiste by Leonardo da Vinci

7. Vierge à lEnfant avec saint Jean Baptiste et un ange by Leonardo da Vinci

8. Cabinet of Marie Antoinette

9. French crown jewel room

10. Louvre foundation in the basement of the museum.

Law Code Of Hammurabi

Dating back to 1800 BC, the Law Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian code of law from the Mesopotamian period. Exhibited in the Department of Near Eastern Antiquities, the Law Code has over 200 laws inscribed on it. The Law Code of Hammurabi is very important as it helps us learn about the history and religion of this period.

You May Like: Chicago Field Museum Mummy Exhibit

Seeing The Mona Lisa In Person

the main reason most people visit the Louvre in the first place to catch a glimpse of the most enigmatic smile in the world! What many Instagrammers and travel bloggers dont show you, though, is that the paintings level of cultural influence and size do not go hand in hand. Youd be mistaken to look for a huge floor-to-ceiling masterpiece occupying the focal point of the room. Instead, shes subdued and rather unimposing with her dimensions of just 77 cm × 53 cm. You dont even notice the finer details until you get close enough. That is, if you manage to make your way through a crowd of smartphones and selfie sticks!

How Should I Plan My Visit To See The Highlights

The Louvre Museum: Top Tips, Must

You physically cant see everything in one day. The Louvres exhibition space sprawls nearly 18 acres . It has 403 rooms in three wings on multiple levels connected by staircase after staircase. Even a few hours spent exploring can be a workout. Before you go, spend some time on the Louvres website getting a feel for the museums layout. The site also has thematic visitor trails you can print out before you go or use on your smartphone to guide you to the Louvres highlights.

If you just want to see the Mona Lisa and a few sculptures and paintings along the way, head for the Denon Wing and follow the signs . The Venice de Milo is located on the ground floor in Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities.

You May Like: Gerald Ford Museum Grand Rapids

The Departments Of The Louvre

The rooms of the Louvre are all numbered and are distributed in the three wings of the palace, Denon, Sully and Richelieu. Each wing hosts separate sections distributed as follows:

Denon Wing – Arts of Islam, Mediterranean Orient in the Roman Empire | Italian and Spanish paintings | 19th century French paintings | English paintings | Apollo Gallery, Gems of the Crown | Italian, Spanish and Northern European Sculptures | Greece, Etruria, Rome | Arts from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas

Sully Wing – French Paintings 17th-18th-19th Century | Drawings and pastels 17th-18th-19th century | 17th to 18th century art objects | Greece Etruria, Rome, pharaonic Egypt | Ancient Iran, Arabia, Middle East | Medieval Louvre

Richelieu Wing – French paintings 14th-17th century | German, Flemish and Dutch paintings, Northern School | Medieval, Renaissance, 17th and 19th Century Art Objects | Napoleon III Apartments | French sculptures | Mesopotamia, ancient Iran

The collections are spread over several levels and identified with colors.

Oriental Antiquities

Latest Posts

Popular Articles