Things to do in Louvre Museum
In August 1911, Leonardo’s masterpiece The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre and was missing for two years. The criminal was Vincenzo Peruggia, a handyman with a police record for robbing a prostitute. After hiding in a closet until the museum closed, he then removed the painting from its frame, rolled it up and walked out with it inside his coat.
There were no security alarms at that time and it was 24 hours before anyone even noticed the painting was missing. Police searched Peruggia’s flat but didn’t find anything, despite it being hidden in the bottom of a trunk. Instead, they arrested the poet Guillame Apollinaire, who was soon released for lack of evidence. Picasso was also questioned.
After a while, the media became interested in the tragic sinking of the Titanic and Peruggia decided it was time to sell the painting. Unfortunately, he tried to sell it to Giovanni Poggi, director of Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, and was immediately arrested. The painting went on a brief tour of Italy before returning to the Louvre. Peruggia served seven months in prison.
Opening hours
9.00am-6.00pm: Monday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
9.00-9.45pm: Wednesday, Friday
Sundays in October - March: free access to permanent collections on the first Sunday of each month
Rooms begin closing 30 minutes before museum closing time
CLOSED: Tuesdays, January 1, May 1, December 25
About the Louvre
The history of the Louvre begins around 1200 with its construction as a defensive bastion for Paris. It later served time as a royal residence before housing various government ministries during the nineteenth century. Only at the start of the twentieth century did its role as an art treasury begin.
The Louvre's collections include western art from the medieval period to 1848 and are organised into different departments: paintings, Egyptian antiquities, Greek/Roman/Etruscan antiquities, Near Eastern antiquities, sculpture, decorative arts, Islamic arts, prints & drawings, and the Pavillon de l’Horloge (once the royal palace).
The departments are color coded to help you navigate what is a vast and potentially confusing space. It’s recommended that you obtain a map and spend a little time thinking about what you’d like to see rather than trying to see everything in a single session. The maps are available in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.
The Louvre also has an excellent website with maps, information and tips on how to understand the art you’ll see there. The Mona Lisa may be its most famous (and popular) exhibit but there are a thousand other discoveries to be made if you explore all the museum has to offer.
Address
Musée du Louvre, 75058 Paris - France
Getting there
By Metro
Lines 1 and 7 to Palais-Royal Musée du Louvre
By bus
Lines 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95 + Paris Open Tour bus to the Pyramid
By car
Entrance to underground garage: avenue du Général Lemonnier: 7.00am-11.00pm
By batobus (boat)
Louvre stop: quai François Mitterrand
By train
(From Paris Orly) RER C to Champs de Mars-Tour Eiffel. Get off at Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame. Walk to the place Saint-Michel and take bus no 27, direction Saint-Lazare. Get off at the Louvre in front of the Pyramid
(From Charles de Gaulle): RER B train, direction Massy-Palaiseau. Change at Châtelet-les-Halles to line 14, direction Saint-Lazare. Get off at Pyramides station and walk to the Louvre from there (three minutes)
By bike
Vélib' stations (bicycle sharing system):
No 1015: 2 place A. Malraux
No 1023: 165 rue Saint-Honoré
No 1014: 5 rue de l’Echelle
No 1013: 186 rue Saint-Honoré
Our recommendations in Louvre Museum
Visit of the Louvre Museum and cruise ticket
Get your ticket to the Louvre Museum and a 1-hour cruise on the Seine river.
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Louvre Museum fast-track ticket with audio tour on mobile app
Explore the Louvre Museum at your own pace with fast-track tickets and an audio-guided tour available on your smartphone!
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Louvre Museum Masterpieces Guided Tour with Reserved Access
Make sure you don't miss anything at the Louvre with this guided tour of the greatest masterpieces and an express ticket to save you time.
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Alone with Mona Lisa, Last Entry Louvre Tour
Book a guided tour of the Louvre's treasures, following an inverted itinerary so that you save the Mona Lisa for last, just as the museum is closing when most visitors have left.
en
Visit of the Louvre Museum and cruise ticket
Get your ticket to the Louvre Museum and a 1-hour cruise on the Seine river.
en, it, fr, es, de, +5 pt, ru, ja, zh, ko
Louvre Museum fast-track ticket with audio tour on mobile app
Explore the Louvre Museum at your own pace with fast-track tickets and an audio-guided tour available on your smartphone!
en
Louvre Museum Masterpieces Guided Tour with Reserved Access
Make sure you don't miss anything at the Louvre with this guided tour of the greatest masterpieces and an express ticket to save you time.
en
Alone with Mona Lisa, Last Entry Louvre Tour
Book a guided tour of the Louvre's treasures, following an inverted itinerary so that you save the Mona Lisa for last, just as the museum is closing when most visitors have left.
en
Louvre Museum guided tour with skip-the-line tickets
Get all the best information for your guided visit of the Louvre Museum in Paris and book your tickets, skipping the line, at official rates. Get informed, plan and book your tour in Paris.
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Highlights of the Louvre Group Tour
Get the most out of the Louvre Museum by booking this guided tour of its highlights in groups of 20 people or fewer.
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Louvre Museum Private Guided Tour with Reserved Entry
Book a private tour of the Louvre Museum to discover the main highlights: Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, Victory of Samothrace, Michelangelo's Slaves, Louis XIV's Apollo Gallery..
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Murders and mysteries tour of the Louvre Museum
Uncover the secrets of the Louvre Museum with this 2-hour Murders and Mysteries tour.
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Best of Paris, 3 audioguided tours on your smartphone
Visit Montmartre, Le Marais and the Louvre neighborhood at your own pace and customize your itinerary as you wish with this audio-guided tour on your smartphone!
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Go City | Paris All-Inclusive Pass
With the Go City® All-Inclusive Paris Pass enjoy access to many sites, art galleries and monuments, hop-on hop-off bus and sightseeing tours.
Must-sees of the Louvre Museum 1.5 hour guided tour
See some of the greatest artworks in the world - housed in the world's largest museum - in the most effortless way possible!
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Skip-the-line to Louvre Museum and Seine River Cruise
Create your own perfect day in Paris with a skip-the-line ticket to the Louvre Museum, and a pleasant way to discover the City of Lights during a 1-hour river cruise.
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How to get there
Louvre Museum
Paris
France
Reviews Louvre Museum
“The visit of The Louvre was very good. The skip-the -line ticket was very convient.But I have to mention that I my crecitcard has been abused since the payment that I did online to your company!”