LOUVRE MUSEUM

Standing in its grandeur and baroque style construction on the banks of the Seine river in Paris, the Louvre Museum, also called The Great Louvre, is the most-visited museum in the world. Loaded with as many as 35,000 works consisting of numerous artefacts and paintings, the museum displays its majestic collection from ancient civilization to the mid 19th century. 

The historical museum is a piece of art in itself which symbolises different cultural innovations introduced in its architecture overtime since its construction in 1190. Enhanced by exploring Europe trip, Extended over an area of 652,300 square feet, the museum was built in 1682. When Louis XIV shifted his royal residence from the palace to Versailles, it was left deserted and later on converted into a heaven for the art curators. In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned its transformation into a proper museum that would offer regular exhibitions of its member’s works here.

This baroque styled building holds as many as 35,000 works of various artists, antiques, historically important archeological items and much more. The most renowned of all the works presented at the museum are the painting of Mona Lisa made by Leonardo da Vinci, Samothrace’s Winged Victory, Michelangelo’s Dying Slave, Venus de Milo etc. The collection at the Louvre presents European art from all the different time periods as well as the personal collections of the kings of jewellery and other valuable items. The Egyptian antiques collected by Napoleon Bonaparte in the late 19th century are of particular notice. The museum is located in the centre of the city of Paris and is covered by a range of attractions like Place Colette, Place de la Concorde and Eiffel Tower, in close vicinity. 

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Highlights

• The Great Museum of Louvre owes its foundation credits to Napoleon Bonaparte who was deeply interested in creating a museum with an extensive collection of art from across the world. Therefore, it’s also called the Napoleon Museum. 
• The museum covers an area of 650,000 square feet and is home to an extensive collection of 35,000 works. Its widely recognised collection of artefacts spans from 6th century BC to the 19th century AD and covers almost 10,000 years of history.
• The major works displayed in the Great Museum are Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, etc.  
• The premise of the museum has the most beautiful garden of Tuileries which is decorated with statues, where the royal family of Louis XIII and Louis XV had enjoyed their childhood.but also a wide variety of flower beds, ponds and shrubs.Enjoy Your Time At Eiffel TowerMust Read & Visit Paris Museums

How To Reach

By Metro: This is the cheapest way to reach Louvre from Arc de Triomphe. Board trains on Line 1 on a 2 euros ticket and reach Louvre in just 20 minutes.

By Bus: There are direct bus services from the CDG airport, Arc de Triomphe and other places across Paris. Services depart hourly and operate daily. It takes around 15 minutes to reach Louvre from these places and a ticket costs around 5 euros.

By Car/Bike: The fastest means to reach the Louvre Museum from anywhere in Paris is via car or taxi. It costs around 20 euros if you are anywhere near the museum and takes around 10 minutes to reach. You can rent a bike for a day or week’s trip by paying a flat fee and roam around Paris.

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Best Time To Visit

The best time to visit the Louvre is Wednesday and Friday night when the museum remains open till 9.45 pm and most large tourist groups and school children are nowhere to be seen.

You can spend the entire evening roaming across the museum comfortably and repeat the same thing for another day or two to cover as much as you can.

All first Sundays from October to March the museum offers free visits to all. This time the weather remains cold and pleasant as well. From February end, Paris gets a lot of sunshine with a cool and refreshing breeze that increases your travel energy.

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Other Essential Information

Entrance fee: As per the revised guidelines of 2018, per head entrance ticket costs 14 euros if booked from the museum counter and 17 euros for online bookings. The entry is free to all aged below 18 years and other individuals such as teachers, disabled persons, artists among others.

But you have to cite proper documents to prove these. The entrance is free to all aged below 26 years on every Friday. Rest will have to purchase tickets

Opening hours: Louvre is open every day except for Tuesdays and some major worldwide holidays such as Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and International Workers’ Day among others. The hours are Monday, Thursday, and Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm and Wednesday and Friday from 9am to 9.45 pm.

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Places to Eat near Louvre Museum

1. Brasserie du Louvre – Bocuse

Located at 1 Place du Palais Royal, this restaurant serves great typical French signature style soups, salads, various sausage-based starters, fish items, risotto and meat dishes and an array of mouthwatering desserts, including waffles and sorbets. A meal for two would cost just 50 euros here at this cosy and neatly decked up eatery. 

2. Restaurant Le Grand Louvre

This place, situated at 99 Rue De Rivoli, offers plat de jour, cheeseburger savoyard du grand louvre, truffles, farm-fresh soups and salads and amazing sweet dishes like tarte amandine pistaches aux agrumes among others. Right at the heart of Paris, the service time here is prompt. A meal for two would cost just 36 euros here. 

3. Casa Festa

This is a great budget restaurant located at 16 Rue Jean Jacques Rousseau. The place serves excellent salads, ravioli, truffles and pizzas among other items. The decor is very traditional and warm here. A meal for two would cost here around 20 euros.

4. Le Lulli

Located at 4 rue de Valois, this cafe offers a very detailed, flower-adorned and intimate set up. With white linens on tables and curtains, the place looks like a typical French style dining hall. Try marinated salmon, seasoned poke bowl, roasted cod, and roasted peach in red wine among other such delicious items here. A meal for two would cost around 50 euros here.

5. Grand Hôtel du Palais Royal

Located at 4 Rue de Valois, this five-star hotel is housed in an 18th-century building in the heart of Paris. Just 200 metres from the Louvre museum, this hotel has designer rooms with minibar, free wifi, en suite facilities, HD TV with satellite channels and other such facilities. Some rooms offer balconies with a view of Paris’s monuments.

6. Hôtel Pont Royal

This hotel is situated at 5-7 rue de Montalembert. Here the rooms are elegantly furnished with minibar, safe, TV and all other en suite facilities. A grand buffet breakfast can be enjoyed here before work or sightseeing. The in-house restaurant serves internationally acclaimed gourmet cuisine. This is a great place for couples and foodies.

7. Hôtel Regina

This is a luxurious hotel that is located in the heart of fashion, shopping and museum district of Paris overlooking the Louvre. Rooms are designed here in period style with traditional furniture. Free wifi access and facilities to make tea and coffee can be found in all rooms. Continental buffet breakfasts, great lounge bar, prompt airport shuttle service are the major features of this hotel.

8. Relais Hôtel du Vieux Paris

This is a boutique hotel which is located in central Paris, close to the River Seine and Notre Dame Cathedral. All the rooms here are equipped with free wifi, TV, private bathroom. A broad dining area, grand breakfast buffet, an upright front desk, and hospitable staff are the major features of this facility. If you are visiting the Louvre for the first time, it can be overwhelming.

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Traveler's Tips for Louvre Museum

1. It is difficult to cover the entire museum in a single visit. So try to keep at least 2 days for Louvre visit.

2. Choose the non-peak time, for example, evening hours, to avoid crowds.

3. Opt for the guided tour facilities.

4. Study a bit about the museum. Figure which exhibits you would like to see the most and plan your visit accordingly to cover those first.

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