Guide to the Louvre
Paris Art Museum

Secrets of the Most Loved
Art Museum in the World!

From Leonardo da Vinci to the Venus de Milo, the Louvre has the most extensive art collection in the world. With so much to see, a visit to the the Louvre art museum can be overwhelming, so it's good to plan your visit beforehand.

Like 60 other Paris museums and monuments, you can avoid the long line-ups for tickets at the Louvre art musuem by getting a Paris Museum Pass before you leave home.

The Museum Pass is also included in the combined Paris City Passes and that's our recommended way of buying it because the City Passes also give you unlimited rides on the Metro.

But also have a plan. If French 18th-century painting is your passion, go directly to the Richelieu wing or you might be exhausted before you get there!

Over 600 years of French painting history can be found at the Louvre Museum Paris. France is famous for honoring its artists, and the museum exhibits the best works of French artists over the centuries. (One exception are the French Impressionists, who have their own museum across the river, Musée d'Orsay.)

If you're only interested in the Louvre, and not other museums, then you should buy your Louvre Museum tickets in advance and have them delivered to your home or to your Paris hotel.

• Buy Louvre Museum Tickets In Advance »

Louvre Art Museum Tours

7 million people a year visit the Louvre, which means you can spend a loooong time waiting in lines.

But, by planning ahead, you can skip the lines and go directly to the Mona Lisa on a Louvre art museum tour. Check out our list of recommended tours of the most visited museum in the world.

• Louvre Art Museum Tours »

Venus di Milo

and other masterpieces of the louvre art museum

Among the thousands of works at the Musée de Louvre you're sure to recognize quite a few.

Some of the most famous paintings and sculptures ever produced have found their way into the permanent collection of this museum.

• Guide to Venus di Milo & Other Masterpieces of the Louvre »

History of the Louvre Art Museum

The history of the Louvre is as fascinating as the story of the works of art it contains. The Louvre started life as a fortress, in the 12th Century, and then later was used as the royal residence for centuries of French kings. It lasted through revolutions, wars, occupations and long periods of housing government bureaucrats to become the famous art museum it is today.

• History of the Louvre Museum »

Louvre Pyramid

While the Louvree has seen changes over the centuries, some of the most striking changes to the museum occurred in the late 20th Century, with the renovation of the building and the addition of the Louvre Pyramids to the courtyard.

• Learn All About the Louvre Pyramid »

Go Local at Café Marly

After your visit, take in the view of the Louvre pyramid from a table in the colonnade at Café Marly. Enjoy a glass of Champagne with Parisians while overlooking the courtyard and the Louvre Pyramid.

Louvre Facts

• The Louvre collection includes more that 380,000 pieces.
• 35,000 works are displayed at the museum at any given time.
• There are 4000 paintings by French artists.
• The museum's oldest collections are the Greek and Roman antiquities.
• The exhibition area is over 650,000 square feet.
• In addition to the art, you'll also find classes of French school children learning about art in the Louvre. (Most of the rest of us had to settle for images in books!)

Practical Information

• Open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Late Nights: Wednesdays and Fridays until 9:45 pm
• Closed Tuesdays, December 25, January 1 and May 1
• Metro: Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre
• Museum Website »
• Free admission is included with the Paris Museum Pass »

What is The Paris Museum Pass?

Free entry to 60 museums…

This all-inclusive museum pass get you free entrance to the major Paris museums plus scores of hidden and small museums that probalby haven't heard of.

But perhaps he greatest benefit of the Paris Museum Pass is that you get to bypass the ticket lines and directly into the museums. Saving time is Paris is even better that saving money!

• Complete Guide To The Paris Museum Pass »

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