The Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo or the coronation of Napoleon I – all these can be found in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France. The museum with its glass pyramid is home to some of the most famous paintings as well as being among the most photographed museums on Instagram.
Fast Fact
With around nine million visitors a year, the Louvre is the most visited museum in the world.
General information
Opening Hours:
The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
On all other days, the Louvre is open from 9am to 6pm.
On Wednesdays and Fridays there are extended opening hours until 10pm.
Prices:
Regular admission online: 17€
Regular admission on site: 15€
Admission is free for under 26s, disabled and unemployed.
Between October and March, admission is free on the first Saturday of every month and on 14 July, the French public holiday.
The Louvre (as well as many other museums and monuments in Paris) has been for free for EU visitors up to and including the age of 25 since 2009.
All roads lead to the Louvre. The Louvre is located in the 1st arrondissement, not far from the most popular sights of Paris. It is on the right-hand side of the Seine, adjacent to the Jardin des Tuileries. The nearest metro stations include Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre and Louvre-Rivoli.
The main entrance to the Louvre is the famous Glass Pyramid, at which long queues of visitors gather depending on the time of day. Admission can take a long time, as all visitors have to pass through a security check.
You have the possibility to store your snacks together with other items such as your jacket, bag and valuables in a large room with lockers. This way, you can explore the museum without any worries.
One should be prepared that a Louvre exploration takes quite some time. The Denon and Richelieu wings alone are each 700 metres long!
The Louvre has three wings: Richelieu, Sully and Denon as well as several levels: from – 2 to 2. From the main foyer (level -2), right beneath the large glass pyramid, you have direct access to all three wings.
Art
As the largest art gallery and museum in the world, the Louvre is home to approximately 480,000 works of art. However, only less than 40,000 of them are open to the public. Among them is the most famous painting of all time, the Mona Lisa. If you really want to see all the artworks in the Louvre, you would need almost 4 months. In the collections you can admire oriental, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquities. Sculptures, paintings and other objects of art are also on display.
Our favourites:
- The Mona Lisa
- The Coronation of Napoleon by David
- The Nike of Samothrace
- The Venus de Milo
- The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault
- Great Odalisque by Ingres
- Wedding at Cana by Veronese
- Liberty Leading the People
- Crown by Louis XV
- Napoleon’s Apartments
If you are interested in French and Italian paintings, you should choose the Denon Wing at the entrance. Interested in antiquities from the Middle East, Egypt, Greece and the Roman Empire, Middle Eastern and Islamic art? Stay on the lower floors! Want to marvel at the Mona Lisa? It’s impossible to miss, as black-and-white copies of the Mona Lisa as well as arrows point the way to the real painting!
The Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is a world-famous oil painting by Leonardo da Vinci from the golden age of the Italian Renaissance at the beginning of the 16th century. Today, the Mona Lisa is worth about 870 million dollars. The answer to the question why the painting is so special can be found in the painting technique: the smile and the look of the Mona Lisa are unique. When you look at the painting, it looks as if Mona Lisa is looking back. Regardless of where you are standing: She always stares into your eyes. For this reason, it is an extraordinary work of artistry.
If you want to take a photo with and of the famous painting, be prepared for a long wait. Usually, the hall is absolutely crowded, but with the help of a visitor system, every visitor gets the opportunity to see the painting up close and take a photo.
