PARIS ON A SHOESTRING

The Musee du Louvre is situated on the Right Bank of the Seine which makes it a very central landmark. It is housed in the Louvre Palace which was founded as a military fortress in the 12th century but was then significantly extended to house the family until 1674, when it was designated as the place where the royal collection was to be displayed.

After the French Revolution it was decreed that the Louvre should become a museum to display the nations art and artifacts.

The Musee du Louvre displays over 35,000 objects of art from the 6^th century BC up until the 19^th century. There are eight departments within the museum, Near Eastern Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Roman, and Etruscan Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, Paintings, and Prints and Drawings.

Famed for housing the Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, the Painting galleries have the finest collection of 19^th century art in the world. And the Sculpture department has not only the world renowned Venus de Milo but also houses an unparalleled collection of sculpture.

The Louvre is a huge museum with far too much to absorb in a short space of time. Choose at most two or three departments to visit, and get the free museum map from the information desk.

Your ticket is valid for the whole day so perhaps you could take a break and walk to one of the many cafes and restaurants in the area, and then return refreshed and ready to tackle another gallery.

Remember that all the information panels on the artworks themselves are in French so hiring the audio guide is essential if you want in-depth descriptions and histories of the artifacts.

The Musee du Louvre is extremely busy at most times of the day, one way to escape the crowds is to visit on one of the evening sessions on Wednesdays and Fridays, when the museum is open until 9.30pm with far fewer visitors. It is a wonderful experience walking around the galleries in the evening, the twilight gives a fantastic atmosphere and sets off the opulence of the art and artifacts beautifully.

Entrance is 9 euros, and the Musee du Louvre is included in the Museum Pass.

For those on a tight budget, with no museum pass, then the first Sunday of every month has free entrance. And then the queues are extremely long! One way to avoid them is to walk to 99 Rue de Rivioli, (a building with red banners outside) just 3 minutes from the Musee du Louvre, then go down to the underground shopping center and access the museum from here. It will save you a long wait.

Don’t forget to visit the adjacent Tuileries gardens, created in 1546 by Catherine de Medici, and the Louvre’s own fountains, by the Pyramid, are a wonderful sight, and a great place to rest.

Opening times

9am till 6pm daily, (remember that the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays). Late night sessions are Wednesday and Friday evenings when the museum is open until 9.30

The queue outside Musee du Louvre are to buy tickets, so if you have the Museum pass, or have bought the tickets online, or from one of the many vending machines, then you can go straight through to the security counter for a check. The museum passes can also be bought at any Metro station.

How to get there

Metro to Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre, Buses 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95, disembark at the Pyramid stop.

Web site

http://www.louvre.fr/llv/commun/home.jsp?bmLocale=en

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