5 Reasons Why You Need to Visit the Amazing Musée du Louvre in Paris
The Musée du Louvre, Louvre Museum, is the largest museum in the world.
That’s right.
It is 72,735 square meters or 782,910 square feet.
The Louvre is huge.
And the catalogued collection of the Musée du Louvre and Musée National Eugène-Delacroix consists of 480,000 objects/works of art dating from prehistory to the 21st century.
It’s also one of the most visited museums in the world.
No surprise there since it’s one of the most visited cities in the world — Paris.
The Louvre Museum is actually located in the Louvre Palace, Palais du Louvre.
And on that note I want to go into not only where the museum is located but also a bit of history about the Louvre.
Where exactly is the Musée du Louvre?
The Louvre is on the Right Bank in the 1st Arrondissement.
It’s quite hard to miss!
It sits along the River Seine near the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel at one end of the Jardin des Tuileries.
There are a few different entrances but entering through the Pyramid is the coolest and most popular.
A bit of history
As I mentioned, the Musée du Louvre is located in the Palais du Louvre.
There was a palace/fortress of sorts in this spot for many years.
It was in 1546 that Francis I, who was an avid art collector, had the old fortress razed and began to build the palace we see today.
The Louvre Palace started off small-ish — by today’s standards — but was added onto by almost every subsequent French monarch after Francis I.
So it kept growing and expanding.
It’s no surprise that major additions were made by Louis XIII and Louis XIV.
They had some of the best, most talented architects working for them as is evident by the gorgeous building we see today.
In addition, all of these monarchs collected works of art from around the world and housed them in the palace.
In 1682 Louis XIV moved the royal residence to Versailles so the Palais du Louvre was no longer really the Palace.
But much of the artwork was kept in the Louvre.
And in the 18th century the French decided that maybe the Louvre should become a public museum.
The idea came to fruition in 1793 when Musée Central des Arts in the Grande Galerie opened to the public.
In the 19th century the Louvre was again added onto with the addition of 2 major wings and more artwork acquired.
The Louvre complex was complete at this time.
But some parts were old so in the 1980’s and 90’s the building underwent a major renovation to make the old museum more accessible and more accommodating to visitors.
So the ginormous underground complex of offices, shops, exhibition spaces, storage areas, parking areas as well as an auditorium, a cafeteria and a bus depot was built underneath the Louvre.
And the ground level entrance we use today — which is situated in the center of what is known as the Cour Napoléon — was created with the controversial steel and glass pyramid.
In 1993, on the museum’s 200th anniversary, the rebuilt Richelieu wing — which had been occupied by the Ministry of Finance — was opened for the first time and the Louvre officially became 100% a museum.
Okay.
That’s a lot of history.
So let’s move onto the reasons why you need to visit.
Reasons to visit the Musée du Louvre
The amazing paintings
There are over 10,000 paintings housed in the Musée du Louvre.
And of those, a little over 3000 are actually on display.
Of course, the most famous one is the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
She’s quite small and it’s über crowded around her.
I think there are other more interesting paintings in the Louvre, not that the Mona Lisa isn’t special.
But if you turn around from this famous painting there is a huge painting that is incredibly impressive.
I also found some Botticelli frescoes not far away from the Mona Lisa that I fell in love with.
There are so many paintings here that I’m betting you’ll find some that you love too.
So don’t just gaze upon the Mona Lisa.
Because there are so many more beautiful paintings in the Louvre.
Incredible sculptures
I have to admit I really love the sculptures in the Musée du Louvre.
And that’s a good thing because the Louvre has over 35,000 of them.
Of course, only about 7500 are actually on display.
Venus di Milo is the famous sculpture in the Louvre.
Again, it gets pretty crowded around her.
She is quite beautiful and worthy of seeing.
But be sure to look at some of the other sculptures because Wow!
There are so many other incredible sculptures.
Lots and lots of them.
I’m not really familiar with all the artists and works of art.
I just know that I am so impressed by how an artist creates a sculpture out of marble or clay or whatever.
It seems like it would be very difficult to do.
I found a sculpture of the Greek goddess, Artemis, that I really love.
So do take your time and check out the amazing sculptures.
Gorgeous jewels
Holy shiny objects!
There are quite a few jewels housed in the Musée du Louvre with the French Crown Jewels being the cherry on top.
These incredible works of art are located in the Galerie d’Apollon (we’ll get to this later).
And they are stunning.
You’ll also find jewels scattered about in other parts of the museum, especially in the Egyptian and Greek antiquities areas.
But really, the French Crown Jewels are not to be missed.
All the other artwork — textiles, furniture, objects
There are lots of other works of art in the Louvre.
There are a little over 2000 textiles, almost 3000 pieces of furniture (a term I’d use loosely) and over 107,000 objects which take in things like bowls, vases, candlesticks and who knows what else.
But you’ll find all kinds of different antiquities and works of art that are quite old.
It’s quite interesting to see all these different objects.
I’m not one for the textiles too much, although I certainly appreciate it.
The furniture is always very interesting.
I personally love things like vases or bowls.
The Musée du Louvre certainly has something for everyone!
The stunning building
I actually think my favorite reason to visit the Louvre is the building itself.
Seriously.
When you wander about all the rooms, taking in high ceilings, arched entrances, gorgeous rooms and grand staircases you get an idea of what this palace was like back in the day.
It’s stunning, really.
I could hang out in the Galerie d’Apollon all day and just let my imagination run wild with what life was like at court.
So as you wander about, looking at all the works of art hanging on walls or standing on pedestals or behind a glass case, be sure you notice the building itself.
Have you been to the Musée du Louvre?
If you’ve been to Paris, you probably have.
And if you haven’t been to Paris, I’m betting the Louvre is on your list.
I’ll admit that it’s not my favorite museum.
The Musée d’Orsay wins that contest.
But I do recommend going to the Louvre because there is so much to see and because of the historical significance of the building itself.
It’s really an incredible place in Paris.
Here are some tips and practical information for visiting the Musée du Louvre:
- Book your ticket (with time) in advance.
- You will still need to wait in line despite booking the ticket. You are just guaranteed to get in and to get in a bit quicker with the advanced timed ticket.
- Give yourself at least 4 hours as it is a huge museum. You may even want to spend the day here as long as you give yourself some breaks.
- Do stop to rest, perhaps getting a bite to eat or a drink in one of the cafes. It’s a good idea to pace yourself and to rest your eyes. I always take a water bottle with me and take drinks of that when I am in the hallways (no drinking or eating near the artwork).
- Use the map to help you navigate around the complex.
- Go to the areas you most want to see first.
- Visiting late in the day might be a good idea as many folks go first thing in the morning (or at least before noon).
- Hours are 9am to 6pm. However before COVID there would be one late night per week. Look for this to come back as this might be a good day to book a late ticket.
- The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.
- Tickets are €17 if bought online which is what I recommend.
- Get an audio guide if you really want to get more from your experience. They are now on Nintendo 3DS and cost €5. I’ll do this on my next visit for sure.
Please note that Wander Your Way does not recommend international travel at this time due to the current global health situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. Although some countries are beginning to open, it is complicated.
If you do decide to travel internationally, please do your research or use a travel planning service such as Wander Your Way. Please stay up to date using official sources like the WHO and CDC.
I am continuing to write about incredible destinations and to offer tips on travel to Europe, so that you will find some solace in these posts — so you dream about travel and learn about places. And hopefully make that bucket list! This way when we can all fully travel again, you’ll be ready to go. For now, stay close to home and stay safe!
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