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The Louvre is Paris' largest and most famous museum. While the sheer size of it and the enormous amount of art is contains can intimidate visitors, it is one of the major "must see" sights in Paris.
The Louvre was built by Philippe Auguste in 1204 and was originally the royal palace, home to kings and queens. After Louis XIV moved the royal court to Versailles, The Louvre was transformed into a museum. Its collection, which ranges from Egyptian art of 5000 BC to nineteenth-century work, is divided into seven departments: Oriental and Islamic Antiquities; Egyptian Antiques; Greek, Roman and Etruscan Antiques; Painting; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; as well as Graphic Arts.
In 1981 President Miterrand initiated a rehabilitation of The Louvre. At this time, the glass pyramid (designed by I.M. Pei) was added to the exterior of the building.
The Louvre hosts one of the greatest art collections in the world. The core collection was formed by François 1, and later added to by Henri II and Catherine de Medicis. The Old Master collection was developed by Louis XIV and important Spanish and Dutch works were acquired by Louis XVI. One of the most popular exhibits here is the exceptional collection of European paintings which range from I400 to I900.
Some of the most famous works located at The Louvre (these will be crowded, you may want to arrive early in the day to view them!):
Mona Lisa
Winged Victory
Venus De Milo
I also recommend checking out the excellent exhibit of Egyptian artifacts. It is very impressive.
ADMISSION COST:
Permanent collections and temporary exhibitions: 7,50 euros.
After 3pm: 5 euros
Sunday: 5 euros Leave a Comment Address: 75001 Paris Palais Royal-Musée du LouvreDirections: Take the Metro line 1 to: Palais-Royal, LouvreWebsite: www.louvre.fr/louvrea.htm
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Commisioned by Napoleon in order to celebrate his armies' victories in 1805, built in 1806/1808, largely inspired from the roman art (especially some Septime Severe statues), the Arc de triomphe of the Carrousel du Louvre has been designed by the architects Percier and Fontaine.
The eight pink marble columns were saved from the old castle of Meudon, burnt in 1804.
The statues at the first level represent soldiers wearing different uniforms of the napoleonian armies, while those armies victories are detailed on the bas reliefs at the sides and the bottom of the arch.
On the top stands a goddess leading a quadrige, due to the sculpter Bosio.
From the Carrousel du Louvre, you can start a little stroll along the Louvre Leave a Comment Address: Place du CarrouselDirections: Metro Louvre or Tuileries (its exactly between the Louvre and the Tuileries)
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Il y a deux ans j'ai écrit ici un commentaire quelque peu ironique sur Mona Lisa.
Je suis encore retourné cet été au Louvre et étant arrivé tôt j'ai pu admirer à mon aise le célèbre tableau de Da Vinci. J'ai pu rester en première ligne, au centre, pendant plusieurs minutes pour contempler le plus objectivement possible cet œuvre qui est le pôle d'attraction du musée.
D'un point de vue académique il est certain qu'il s'agit d'un excellent portrait dont le sourire énigmatique ou ironique a fait la gloire. Cependant en ce qui me concerne je n'ai jamais ressenti face à ce portrait cette émotion, cette attraction, ce sentiment de connivence que j'ai souvent ressenti avec d'autres portraits.
Entre la Joconde et moi le courant n'est jamais passé. Cette visite est donc un adieu; elle ne m'en voudra pas, je lui ai rendu visite pendant quarante ans.
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Two years ago I wrote here a somewhat ironic comment about "Mona Lisa in the crowd".
This summer I returned to the Louvre and arriving early I could admire at ease the famous painting of Da Vinci.
Standing on the first line, in the centre, I could contemplate during several minutes this work which is the centre of attraction of the Louvre museum.
From an academic point there is no doubt for me that this portrait is excellent. The enigmatic- ironic smile of the model certainly contributed to its glory.
But … if on my first visit in 1962 I felt curiosity "so that's Mona Lisa", I never felt on my many visits that emotion, attraction, complicity which I often felt with other portraits.
It seems that between La Joconde and me there is no rapport, no feeling.
This visit was thus my last one, a good-bye visit. Address: Le Louvre, Denon wing, room 6Directions: Métro: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre
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Why go there ?
Wanna see Miss Mona ? Or Aunty Venus de Milo ? And the 2 half finish sexy slaves of Uncle Michaelangelo ? ( 4 other sexy slaves are posing in Florence :-)
The Museum
Soak yourself in this place for at least half a day to get a feel of what Paris has got to offer in terms of paintings, sculpture and artefacts...
There are so many items inside , so its all about planning what to see ...coz you have to sieve the treasure of the treasure ....and its really big place, 4 floors and 3 wings ( Richelieu , Sully and Devon ) so if you miss one of the treasure , I dont think you wanna walk all the way there again. Good planning is also a MUST unless you have all the time to spend here and to avoid being strucked by "stendhal" syndrome ( feeling dizzy / headache from seeing to many artwork )
Your plan
You should get an audio tour €5.00 else your visit will be a little meaningless unless you understand French. Its worth it. You can hang on to he audio stuff as long as you want.
1) Visit the official Website to learn about the paintings that you must see and mark their location down.
2) Bear in mind that while most of the famous paintings have an audio guide number , some just doesnt have that. So its good to know them and print it out yourself.
3) Check my humble selections in the custom tips soon.
4) Stop at Metro Palais Royal Musee de Louvre not Metro Louvre- Rivoli. Walk pass the some shops and you will reach the bottom of the Pyramid. There are 3 entrance from here the Devon, Richelieu and Sully , up to you . I was there on Sunday , but even that the queue from here is not long.
Entree - € 8.50
Audio guide - € 5.00 Leave a Comment
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Louvre was originally constructed in XIII century as a fortress where Phillip Avgust kept royal treasury and documents. In the next century Charles V made a fortress more suitable for habitation, having transformed it into the residence and having placed there his library. But Louvre was not used as a royal residence for a long time. Kings preferred Castles of Loire. In 1546 Francois 1st made constructive changes to the former project according to requirements of the Renaissance.
Luois XIII and Louis XIVIV proceeded constant expansions of the building. Their efforts ended by construction of East facade with a colonnade, and also final formation of the Square court yard plentifully decorated by a decorative sculpture. The turn of Versailles came where the royal court yard was transferred. Louvre almost for hundred years came to desolation. Kings even wished to take it down. Napoleon constructed the northern wing. Louvre got shapes which it has today. Directions: Metro: Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre
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The Louvre is impressive, though it's not my favorite museum.
You must see it just for the magnitude of it. I like their Northern European Rennaissance wing, but I did not care for the bright lights and white walls of their display of the Italian Rennaissance paintings. Much too harsh and garrish for my taste. Some of the rooms just have too many paintings and feel so cluttered, it's hard to focus. Quantity not qualtiy is the motto at this museum. Nonetheless, one of my favorite pieces at the Louvre is the greek sculpture Winged Victory located on their main staricase. They also have some very fine examples of European sculpture from the middle ages to 18th century. The Louvre courtyard is also very nice with the glass pyramid sculpture. Before the Louvre was a museum it was a medieval fortress, and you can go below and walk around the old ramparts that were begun in 1190.
Good bookstore! There is a Paris Visitors information booth near the bookstore. Leave a Comment
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I'm sure everyone writes tips about the Louvre - it's a standard thing to see when in Paris - and I agree. This museum is something that should be experienced, if even for an hour or two. Originally built in the 13th century, this magnificent building was turned into a museum in 1793 after being used as a royal residence in the 16th century. It's currently home to over 35,000 pieces of art.
I went to the museum with a friend of mine that had the best advice I've heard: Pick two or three things off the museum map and see those. You'll see quite a bit navigating between the exhibits so it's not like you're only seeing a few select items.
For myself I picked the Egyptian section (1st and 2nd floors,) the sculpture gallery (centrally located,) Gericault's "The Raft of Medusa" (Room 77, 1st floor,) and Ingre's "The Turkish Bath" (Room 60, 2nd floor.) Along the way I saw tons of the typical sights: The Mona Lisa, Winged Victory statue, and temporary modern art exhibit on the way through the Botticelli works.
When you go, go early in the morning - as in "right when they open." Even then the lines will be long. So here's a second tip: go in through the lower level. Buy your tickets in advance from the ticket machines in the Carrousel du Louvre, online or from a ticket office. If you do that you can walk straight in!
Hours are 9am-6pm Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday; 9am-9:45pm Wednesday and Friday. Admission is 8.50 Euro for adults (after 6m Wednesday-Friday it's only 6 Euro.) Leave a Comment Address: Palais RoyalPhone: 01 40 20 53 17Directions: Métro Stop: Palais Royal-Musée du LouvreWebsite: www.louvre.fr
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I would definately recommend to anyone to visit the Louvre, especially if you're interested in the fine arts, culture and history. The Louvre is very big and easy to get lost in.. but once you figure out the very confusing map they give you' you'll easily be able to find everything. One thing I really liked was how you can enter and exit the museum in an escalator under the large, glass pyramid outside the building. It costs € 8,50 to get in, but it's extra if you want to see the Napoléon Hall (which I didn't do.) Some of the highlights for me at the Louvre were seeing some of the paintings from the Renaissance, including the Mona Lisa (which is actually only a foot big, but there is always a large crowd of people standing infront of it.) I also liked seeing the paintings from the Neoclassical period (especially 'The Raft of the Medusa' by Gericault.) It's my favourite painting.. I actually reached out and touched it - but then got yelled at, because you're not supposed to touch the artwork. :S
The apartments of Napoléon were facinating, as they were very luxurious, looked similar to the inside of the Chateau de Versailles. You will also find a post office in the museum, along with a money-exchange office, a bookstore and a gift shop. Leave a Comment
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the louvre is one of the best art museums in the world. the museum's most famous painting is di vinci's "mona lisa", but this just only one of thousands of the finest works of western civilization. it ranks with the likes of metropolitan in new york, the hermitage in st. petersburg, the uffizi in florence, the british museum in london, the national gallery in london, the riksmuseum in amsterdam, the vatican collections in rome, the kunsthistorisches in vienna, and the prado in madrid. this is a must see site for anyone who loves fine art. i recommend a full day to see all of the collection. closed on tuesdays Address: pl du louvreDirections: Métro: Palais Royal-Musée du LouvreWebsite: www.louvre.fr
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The wonderful thing about the Louvre is that not only is it the most famous & largest museum in the world holding the largest collection, and it’s the royal collection held IN the former royal palace, it’s the FACT that the collection is so diverse & spans so many centuries.
This is one of my favorite museums just for the mere fact that it holds Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. The Louvre was the reason I wanted to come to Paris in the first place just so I could see Mona. Despite all the criticism about how small she is, I knew before going that she wouldn't be large but she did not disappoint. My only criticism is that it's too difficult to see her without a bunch of swarming tourists who don't care about her except that she's famous. Me, I love her because she is one of Da Vinci's few paintings left to us and she's been through so much - it's a miracle we can even see her.
It is said that if you were to devote 5 seconds to each work exhibited that it would take you a full month to see everything; and then you have to consider all the artwork that's NOT on display!
That said, the Louvre holds the largest collection of Leonardos in the world (6), including:
Virgin of the Rocks
La Belle Ferroniere
Virgin & Child with Saint Anne
Portrait of Isabella d'Este
St. John the Baptist.
First trip, I went in during one of the late night openings at 6:30 & stayed 'til close (9:30). After looking at the Renaissance-era paintings, I sat down on one of the benches in one of the large galleries & wrote postcards out to my friends while sitting in front of one of the paintings. Did you know there's a post office inside the museum from which you may send your postcards stamped with a special cool Louvre stamp?
To read about & see photos of the Cour Carree click HERE.
To read about & see photos of around & about the Louvre click HERE
Photos: Feb 2006 Leave a Comment
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