Louvre Palace Museum, Paris, France

The Louvre is located in the heart of Paris, near the Seine River and close to other major attractions such as Notre-Dame de Paris and the Champs-Élysées. Originally a royal palace, today it houses one of the most famous museums in the world.

Visiting Challenges:

• The Louvre attracts nearly 9 million visitors a year, the most of any museum in the world, so long queues are common.
• Its enormous size (it is one of the largest museums in the world) makes it easy to spend an entire day exploring. Many visitors must choose between seeing iconic works like the Mona Lisa or exploring the city.

Palace Grounds:

• Entrance to the Louvre Palace grounds is free.
• The palace wings frame the enclosed Cour Carrée and the open Cour Napoléon with the glass pyramid, which leads on past the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel into the Tuileries Garden.

Architecture and History:

• The Louvre has grayish-blue roofs and yellowish facades, decorated with sculptures and ornaments.
• Built as a royal fortress in the late 12th century and rebuilt as a palace from the 16th century, it opened as a public museum in 1793, after the French Republic was declared. The palace took its present form in the 19th century, and the glass pyramid was added in 1989.
• The Glass Pyramid serves as the main entrance to the museum.

Tickets and Opening Hours:

• Admission is free for visitors under 18. Adult tickets cost 22 EUR (32 EUR for visitors from outside the European Economic Area since 2026) and should be purchased in advance to avoid long lines.
• The museum opens at 9:00 and closes at 18:00, or at 21:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays; visiting early or on a late evening helps avoid peak crowds.
• Closed on Tuesdays and on January 1, May 1, and December 25.

Collections:
The Louvre’s collection spans ancient times to 1848, after which later works are displayed in other Paris museums (e.g., Orsay Museum, Orangerie Museum, Center Pompidou).

Main Departments:

• Near Eastern Antiquities
• Ancient Egypt
• Ancient Greece, Etruria, and Rome
• Islamic Art
• Sculptures
• Objects of Art
• Painting
• Graphic Arts
• History of the Louvre

Most Famous Works:

• Near Eastern Antiquities: the stele with the Code of Hammurabi, one of the oldest law codes in the world
• Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
• La Belle Jardinière by Raphael
• Venus de Milo and Nike of Samothrace
• Ancient Egypt: the Great Sphinx of Tanis and the Seated Scribe