Louvre Museum Tips

Posted on Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Paris, France is a gorgeous city that is absolutely irresistible for those who love to travel and see the world. One of the main attractions in Paris by far is, the Louvre Museum. 

The museum was built by Philippe-Auguste in the late 12th century, and began as a fortress on the edge of the city to protect Paris from Anglo-Norman invaders. It is home to 35,000 works of art drawn from eight departments, displayed in over 60,000 square meters of exhibition space. That's about 25 centuries of creative achievement and approximately 8 centuries worth of architectural history. It is home to the portrait of Mona Lisa by Leonardo Da Vinci as well as Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and near Eastern antiquities. There are rooms that opened in 1824 that are solely devoted to "modern" sculpture, which gradually became the Department of Medieval, Renaissance, and Modern Sculpture in the museum.

The hours of operation for the museum are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Tuesday and the following holidays: January 1st, May 1st, November 11 and December 25, 2009. The permanent collection and temporary exhibitions will close at 5 p.m. on December 24 and 31, 2009.  The museum is open until 10 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday evenings.

Admission to the Louvre is free on the first Sunday of every month. However, we suggest you avoid it, as the lines can run around the building. The museum does not have enough staff to keep the entire museum open every day. Barring unforeseen circumstances (works, transport strikes, etc.), a yearly calendar lists which rooms are open and closed for each day of the week. The admission for the museum varies, according to the time and part of the museum you would like to visit.

You could spend days looking at the marvelous works of art, but unless you have been to Paris before, I recommend the ninety minute tour that is offered several times per day that takes you through all the major works of art.