The Mona Lisa and the Italian galleries
History's most famous painting hangs in the Salle des États, surrounded by Da Vinci, Raphael and Titian masterpieces that deserve just as long.
Benh LIEU SONG — CC BY 2.5 · Jean-Pierre Dalbéra — CC BY 2.0 · Madatoille — CC BY 4.0 · Gargarapalvin — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Louvre is not just a museum; it is a former royal palace holding the greatest art collection any nation has gathered under one roof: some 35,000 works on display — from the ancient Near East and pharaonic Egypt to the masterpieces of the Renaissance and European art into the 19th century. You enter beneath I. M. Pei's famous glass pyramid, then the corridors branch into three vast wings. The Mona Lisa waits behind her glass in a permanently crowded hall, alongside the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, poised on her marble staircase as if she had just landed. Our honest advice: do not try to see everything. Pick one wing or one era you love and give it half a day — the completist approach ends only in exhaustion. And enter through the Carrousel du Louvre shopping arcade instead of the pyramid to save half an hour of queueing.
History's most famous painting hangs in the Salle des États, surrounded by Da Vinci, Raphael and Titian masterpieces that deserve just as long.
One of the richest pharaonic collections outside Egypt: sarcophagi, statuary and papyri spread across two full floors.
The twin icons of Greek sculpture: Venus with her lost arms, and the Winged Victory atop her marble staircase in one of the museum's finest vistas.
Full imperial apartments in chandeliers, gilt and red velvet — a reminder that the building was a palace before it was a museum.
Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris
Jardin du Palais-RoyalSteps from the Louvre's crush hides Paris's calmest, most elegant rectangle: the3 minutes walk4.8
Musée des Arts DécoratifsIn the western wing of the Louvre palace itself — but with its own entrance, its3 minutes walk4.6
Pont des ArtsA wooden footbridge across the Seine between the **Louvre** and the domed **Inst4 minutes walk4.7
The Philippe Auguste WallThe city wall built by King Philippe Auguste around Paris in the early thirteent4 minutes walk4.6
Bourse de commerceThe newest of Paris's major museums and its boldest architecturally: the histori7 minutes walk4.3Looking for halal food near Louvre Museum? There are several options nearby, from Moroccan and Indian kitchens to quick casual spots and places with a view. Confirm the halal status and opening hours before you go — these can change.
Chez le LibanaisHalalA small counter on Rue Saint-André des Arts, one of the busiest pedestrian stree12 minutes walk · $4.5DeryaHalalDerya is a Turkish grill house on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, the street Parisi24 minutes walk · $4.9Al DarHalalAl Dar is a Lebanese restaurant in the Latin Quarter, a few minutes on foot from19 minutes walk · $$4.1Three hours minimum for a short route past the icons, half a day for a comfortable visit of one or two wings. Seeing "everything" takes days and is not a realistic goal for one visit.
Wednesday and Thursday mornings are usually quietest, and Friday evening is excellent thanks to late opening. Avoid weekends and free-entry days if you dislike crowds.
Yes, for personal use, without flash or tripods. Some temporary exhibitions ban photography and say so at their entrances.
Yes, if you keep the tour short and focused: the Egyptian mummies, the small sphinx and the glittering Galerie d'Apollon usually captivate kids. Plan breaks — the distances inside are long.