The Louvre
A palace that became the largest art museum on earth, and the one place in Paris where a plan matters more than a mood. Go in knowing three things you want to see.
A palace first, a museum second
The Louvre was a fortress, then a royal palace, and only became a public museum after the Revolution — which is why the building keeps interrupting the art. Wings run for hundreds of metres, staircases arrive where you did not expect them, and the glass pyramid in the courtyard is a modern front door bolted onto a very old house. It holds more than most people can look at in a week, so the visit that works is the one with a short list: a few rooms chosen in advance, and the willingness to walk past a great deal on the way.
Explore The Louvre on the map
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What to actually look at
Three wings — Denon, Sully, Richelieu — and a collection that rewards choosing rather than sweeping.
🖼️ The ones everyone comes for
- The Mona Lisa, behind glass and a crowd; the room around it holds Venetian paintings almost nobody looks at
- The Winged Victory of Samothrace, at the top of the Daru staircase and better from below
- The Venus de Milo, in the Greek antiquities of the Sully wing
🏛️ The rooms that reward a detour
- The medieval Louvre — the fortress foundations, in the basement, where the building explains itself
- The Egyptian antiquities, one of the largest collections outside Cairo
- The Apollo Gallery, restored and gilded, for the crown jewels and the ceiling
🚪 Getting in without queueing twice
- The Pyramid is the famous entrance and the slowest; the Carrousel entrance underground is usually quicker
- A timed slot is what actually moves you, not which door you pick
Getting there
Central, on the Right Bank, and easy from anywhere in the city.
🚇 Métro
- Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre puts you inside the Carrousel without going outside
- Louvre–Rivoli is a short walk along the arcade
🚶 On foot
- Ten minutes from the Île de la Cité along the river
- The Tuileries run west from the door towards Concorde, which is the pleasant way to leave
When to go
The Louvre is busiest in the middle of the day and on the days it opens late.
🕰️ Time of day
- Late afternoon empties out as the coach groups leave
- The evening opening on certain days is the quietest the building gets
- First thing works only if you are actually first — otherwise you arrive with everyone else
📅 Time of year
- Winter weekdays are the calmest
- Any French school holiday fills it, whatever the season
⏱️ How long
- Three hours is a real visit with a short list
- A full day is possible and most people stop enjoying it after four hours
Worth knowing
Four things that change how the visit goes.
🗺️ Plan
- Pick three rooms before you arrive; the museum is too large to browse well
- The free map at the entrance is genuinely necessary
📷 Photography
- Allowed without flash in most of the permanent collection
- The Mona Lisa room is a scrum; the picture you take will not be the good one
👟 Practical
- The distances are the tiring part, not the crowds
- Cloakrooms fill; travel light if you are coming with luggage
👨👩👧 With children
- The Egyptian rooms and the medieval foundations hold attention better than the paintings
Nearby
What pairs with a Louvre morning or afternoon.
Frequently asked
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