Louvre Museum

About Louvre Museum

The Louvre Museum in Paris began life as a medieval fortress and later a royal palace before opening as a public museum in 1793. Today it holds one of the largest and most visited art collections in the world, spread across a vast complex on the Right Bank of the Seine. The glass pyramid in the central courtyard, added in 1989, marks the main entrance and has become almost as recognizable as the works inside. Getting through the whole museum in one visit isn't realistic, so most people pick a few wings and accept they'll miss the rest.

The headline attractions are easy to name: Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Beyond those, the collections run deep, with Egyptian antiquities, Greek and Roman sculpture, French and Italian painting, and the gilded Galerie d'Apollon, which was restored to show off the French crown jewels and ceiling paintings. The Mona Lisa draws the biggest crowds by far, and the room around it can get packed, so some tickets include a host who walks you straight to it before you explore on your own.

Entry is by paid ticket tied to a reserved time slot, and booking ahead is close to essential given how busy the museum gets. Skip-the-line and priority-entry options are worth it in peak season, when the general queue at the pyramid can stretch a long way. Plan on at least two to three hours, more if you want to slow down or cover several departments. The Louvre sits within walking distance of the Tuileries Garden and the Seine, so it pairs naturally with a river cruise or a stroll toward other central Paris landmarks.