Description
The Louvre is the most famous museum in Paris and is located in the 1st arrondissement. Then, it used to be the French royal palace. After the French Revolution it was decided, henceforth, to use the building as a museum.
Annually, there are 10 million people visiting the Louvre making it the most visited museum in the world. The museum is divided into several different segments, topic-wise, among which one will find French paintings from the 15th to the 19th century or Italian Renaissance paintings.
It is also home to paintings by many important artists such as Delacroix, Vermeer, da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer. The most famous painting of the Louvre is without a doubt the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. It still remains to be a crowd puller and does not fail to fascinate people from all around the world. The museum itself is in possession of, in total, 1 million artworks.
Literature
The Louvre itself is a focus of many myths and conspiracy theories that especially came up with the success of the film “The Da Vinci Code”, which was also partially shot in the museum. The glassy pyramid protruding in its center is located in the center of Paris and thus standing on the “axe historique de Paris”, connecting the church steeple of St. Germain-l'Auxerrois with the Grande Arche in the district La Défense. This axis is a major traffic artery as well as a visual help for guidance in the city of Paris.
It's recommended to book the tickets for the museum well in advance and pick them up at one of the box offices, otherwise one would have to wait in line for quite some time.
Interesting facts
- Musée du Louvre is among the 3 best rated Tourist Attractions in France.
How to get there
By bus
You can get here most easily by using the bus lines 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81 and 95, all of which will directly stop at the pyramid of the Louvre.
By other means of transport
You can of course get here by metro, by boat, by metro, by taxi or by car.