The Louvre- The World’s Largest Art Museum

The Louvre is hands down one of my favorite places to visit in Paris. It is the largest art museum in the world. In fact, it would take you about 200 days to see each of the 35,000 works of art on display- if you only spent 30 seconds to see each piece!

In 2019 (prior to COVID), the museum saw 9.6 million visitors, making it the most visited museum in the world!

History of The Louvre

The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, which was constructed in the late 12th to 13th century. The structure began as a small fortress and later converted to the primary residence for the French Kings. Each king added onto the castle making it bigger and bigger as time progressed.

Then, along came King Louis XIV who decided that the Louvre was too small. Therefore, he chose the Palace of Versailles as his residence.

In 1682, the building began transitioning into the museum it is today. It was primarily used to display the royal collection of art, including ancient Greek and Roman sculptures.

During the French Revolution, the National Assembly declared the the Louvre should be used as a museum to showcase the nation’s masterpieces. The museum opened in August 1793 with a collection of 537 paintings.

Where is the Louvre Located?

The Louvre is located in the heart of Paris. It is on the Right Bank of the Seine in the city’s 1st arrondissement.

Address: Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France

Metro: Palais-Royal Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7) and Pyramides (line 14)

The Collection

The museum is the largest art museum in the world. It has approximately 380,000 objects ranging from pre-history to the 21st century. The collections are broken down into the following categories:

Egyptian Antiquities
Near Eastern Antiquities
Greek, Etruscan and Roman
Islamic Art
Sculptures
Decorative Arts
Paintings
Prints and Drawings

Egyptian Antiquities

This expansive collection includes over 50,000 pieces including artifacts dating as far back as 4,000 BC. It is among the world’s largest collection of Egyptian antiquities.

The collection is guarded by the Large Sphinx (c. 2000 BC) and spans more than 20 rooms. The art, papyrus scrolls, mummies, tools, clothing, jewelry, weapons, and musical instruments are some of the most popular items in the museum.

Near Eastern Antiquities

Despite the age of some of the pieces in this collection, this is actually the second newest department in the museum. The collection features several pieces that were uncovered during archaeological expeditions during the mid-1800s.

Greek, Etruscan, and Roman

This is probably my favorite collection in the entire museum. It is also one of the oldest and most visited collections. It features pieces from the Mediterranean region dating from the Neolithic Period (10,000–4,500 BCE) to the 6th century.

The collection was originally focused around sculptures like Venus de Milo. Some other popular pieces include “City Gates” sarcophagus, and the Winged Victory.

Sleeping Hermaphroditus is one of our favorite pieces in this collection.

Islamic Art

This is the museum’s newest collection is being marketed as spanning “thirteen centuries and three continents”. The collection features textiles, ceramics, glassworks, metalware, wood, ivory, and more.

Sculptures

This department focuses on work created before 1850- but does not include Etruscan, Greek, or Roman art. All works that were created after 1850 have been moved to Musée d’Orsay.

The department is split into two different exhibition spaces. The French collection is housed in the Richelieu Wing, and all other works are showcased in the Denon wing.

Decorative Arts

These works are located on the first floor of the Richelieu wing. It features vases, bronzes, stained glass, and other decorative pieces.

Paintings

Of course, what would an art museum be without paintings? The Louvre is home to some of the most famous paintings in the world. Nearly two-thirds of the collection are French artists, and more than 1,200 of the paintings were done by Northern Europeans. It also includes masterpieces by Raphael, da Vinci, and Michelangelo.

Our Favorite Pieces:

The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault
Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix
The Coronation of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David
Portrait of an old man and his grandson by Domenico Ghirlandaio
Baltasar de Castiglione by Raphael

Of course, this is also the home to the world-famous “Mona Lisa”.

Prints and Drawings

The prints and drawings department encompasses works on paper. It includes drawings, sketches, prints, and books.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Visit

Research the Louvre’s collection and decide what pieces you must see.

Remember, the collection is massive, you can’t possibly see it all in one visit. Focus on which pieces you are dying to see and plan your day from there.

Use the Right Entrance

There are multiple entry points to the museum. Some of them are much busier than others. To avoid the long lines, not only should you purchase your tickets in advance, but you should absolutely avoid the I.M. Pei Pyramid Entrance.

Instead, use the Carrousel du Louvre Entrance. There is typically just a very small line at this entrance and there are multiple ticket machines in the lobby- making buying a ticket a breeze.

This entrance is an underground entrance accessible from the Metro Line 1 to the Palais Royale-Musee du Louvre stop or from 99 Rue de Rivoli.

Learn the Layout

Even with a map (which you should absolutely pick up when you enter the museum), you may get lost. The museum is a U-Shape divided into three wings: Richelieu, Denon, and Sully. Each of these wings has 4 floors. The Louvre’s official website has an interactive map that is really helpful.

The Richelieu wing is most known for the collection of decorative arts including the apartments of Napoleon III.

The Denon Wing is where you’ll find the most-famous paintings, including Mona Lisa.

The Sully Wing houses their expansive statue collection, including the Venus de Milo.

If you want to get the most bang for your buck, hit up the Denon and Sully Wings.

Ticket & Visiting Hours

Tickets for The Louvre can be purchased directly from their website. Standard tickets are 17 Euros in advance or 15 Euros the day of. Buying tickets in advance saves you from having to wait in line to buy the tickets and a security line.

The museum is free for visitors 18 and under.

The Louvre is free on the first Saturday of the month from 6 PM until 9:45 PM- which means it gets crazy busy!

The Louvre is open every day but Tuesday from 9am-6pm. On Wednesday’s and Friday’s, things get wild and the museum stays open until 9:45pm.