Getting Lost in the Louvre

About the Louvre Museum

Located in Paris, France, the Louvre Museum is one of the most famous art museums in the world. The Louvre originally was known as the Louvre Castle and served as the primary residence of the French King until 1682 when King Louis XIV moved Royal Residence to the Palace of Versailles.

Today, the Louvre contains a collection of over 380,000 pieces of art, with 35,000 currently on display. Some of the most famous items in the Louvre collection include Venus de Milo, Mona Lisa, Nike of Samothrace, and the Code of Hammurabi. 

 As of August 21, 2020, the Louvre is open six days a week (closed Tuesdays) from 9 am to 6 pm. Due to COVID-19, visitors must book a reservation to visit the Louvre. Reservations can be booked by clicking HERE.

General admission tickets cost €17. The Louvre can be reached by the Paris Metro by taking Line 1 or Line 7 to the Palais Royal – Museé du Louvre.  

If you have time, be sure to check out the Carrousel du Louvre Mall, which is located next to the museum.

Exterior to the Louvre
Exterior to the Louvre
Entrance to the Louvre
Entrance to the Louvre

Getting Lost in the Louvre - Table of Contents

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Getting Lost in the Louvre - About My Visit

My trip to Paris was my first international trip outside of North America. I had never been to Europe, and I did not yet have the skill of successfully planning a trip.

As a result, I continually got lost, trying to find the most famous pieces of the Louvre collection. Due to such poor planning, I did not have the best experience during my visit to the Louvre.

The other mistake that I made was that I assumed that an hour would be plenty of time to navigate the museum and see the pieces that were on my list. I arrived at the museum two hours before closing. What I ended up doing was walking around in circles, and continually getting lost in the Louvre. Finally, I asked for help and was able to find the Mona Lisa, although that was one of the few items on my list that I successfully saw before the museum closed for the day.  The only other item from my list that I saw was the Nike of Samothrace.

Below are some of the pictures of the items that I was able to see. When I took these pictures, I used my iPhone 5 as I had not yet purchased my camera. I also had not planned on travel blogging when I made this trip, so many of these pictures are of much poorer quality than other content on my page.

One of the Hallways in the Louvre
One of the Hallways in the Louvre
Armor of Henry II - Louvre Museum
Armor of Henry II
Shield of Charles IX at the Louvre
Shield of Charles IX
Crystal Chess Set
Silver Dinnerware at the Louvre
Silver Dinnerware
Nike of Samothrace
Nike of Samothrace
Nike of Samothrace
Nike of Samothrace
Virgin and Child with St Julian and St Nicholas of Myra - Lorenzo di Credi
Virgin and Child with St Julian and St Nicholas of Myra - Lorenzo di Credi

Getting Lost in the Louvre - The Mona Lisa

The highlight of my visit to the Louvre Museum was seeing the famous Leonardo Di Vinci painting, the Mona Lisa. I spent so much time getting lost in the Louvre that Mona Lisa was the only item on my list that I was able to successfully see. While it was spectacular to see one of the world’s most famous paintings, it was also somewhat underwhelming as it was much smaller than expected.

Crowd Around the Mona Lisa
Crowd Around the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa at the Louvre
The Mona Lisa

Louvre Tours and Packages

My visit to the Louvre was one of the few times I wished I had booked a tour. I believe I would have been able to enjoy the museum more with an expert leading me around. Below, are six tours that caught my eye. Please note, that as an affiliate of Viator, I will receive a small commission if you purchase using one of my links. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

Prices are accurate as of April 2023.

Louvre Tour
Leonardo and More Louvre Tour with an Art Historian (tickets included) - $119.66

Visit the Louvre with an art history professor and a small group of maximum 6 guests. With a focus on Leonardo da Vinci, we'll discover Renaissance paintings and sculpture by Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, and more. We'll learn how each Renaissance master contributed to an art revolution. We'll uncover how Leonardo innovated the art of portraiture and breathed new life into representations of the human form. This tour is perfect for first-time visitors as well as those who have visited a hundred times already. A fun and engaging way to experience the largest museum in the world!
I am an art historian and licensed guide, and I am passionate about my job! My goal is to make art and history come to life and to create lasting memories for my guests. I do this by turning history into a compelling story, paying attention to my audience’s specific interests, encouraging questions, and sparking discussions. When I see eyes light up with awe or wonder, that is the most rewarding moment.

Skip the Line Louvre Tour
Kids and Families Skip-the-Line Private Louvre Tour in Paris - $234.15

Skip the typically long lines at the Louvre and enjoy a privately guided tour designed for families with a guide who specializes in working with kids. As you explore the renowned museum in an engaging way that inspires young ones to learn about art and history, you'll see masterpieces like the 'Mona Lisa' without worrying about getting lost in the magnificent building’s maze of rooms and corridors. Select your group's number of adults and children when booking. What you see and how much time you wish to spend with the guide can be tailored to your family's needs, from one and a half to three hours.

Skip the Line Louvre Museum and Musee d-Orsay Semi Private Tour
Skip-the-Line: Louvre Museum and Musée d’Orsay Semi-Private Guided Tour - $272.92

Spend no time queuing so you have more time to admire some of history's most famous artworks on this small-group tour of the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Enjoy skip-the-line entry and guided tours of these two incredible museums to learn about their masterpieces. View the ‘Mona Lisa’ and 'Venus de Milo’ at the Louvre and thousands of 19th-century pieces by Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Rodin and more at the Musée d’Orsay. Your expert guide will take you on a journey through the history of art, from the antiquities of ancient Greece to the groundbreaking art of French Impressionists and post-Impressionists.
Numbers are limited to 5 on this small-group museum tour, ensuring you’ll receive personalized attention from your guide.

Louvre Exclusive Tour
Louvre Exclusive : Discover the best of Paris Louvre Museum - $214.18

A visit to Paris would be totally incomplete without a trip to the largest museum in the world and that is 'The Louvre Museum'.

With our expert guide you will able to explore the vast Louvre Museum and discover the masterpieces of art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. Beside that in this private tour our guide will provide commentary about the Islamic arts,paintings,Decorative arts,Egyptian antiquities,Near Eastern antiquities and also about the museum.

Also explore the museum's most famous highlights: the Venus de Milo, The Winged Victory of Samothrace, Marriage at Cana, The Coronation of Napoleon, and of course Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in 1:30 - 3 hour private tour.

? Discover the historical arts from around the world at the Louvre Museum.
? Learn about the most beautiful historical masterpieces in the Museum’s collections from our guide.
? See the Vénus of Milo, Victoire de Samothrace and other major works.
?Skip the ticket line
?Wheelchair accessible
?Instant confirmation

Louvre Skip the Line
Louvre Museum Ticket With Skip The Line Fast Track Entrance - $45.47

As one of the world's most visited museums, you can be sure that a skip-the-ticket-line entry will come in handy to beat the lines at the Louvre. Wander around the fascinating exhibitions at your own pace, Learn about the artists & their work as you go.

Discover the popular and most famous exhibits such as the Venus de Milo and the Coronation of Napoleon I, not forgetting of course the beautiful smile of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

To ensure the smooth progress of renovations in the Salle des États, Mona Lisa has been transferred to the Galerie Médicis (room 801, level 2, Richelieu wing). (After the ticket controls, turn right and take the escalator to the top floor level 2. Enter the Paintings collection rooms and continue to room 801 on your right.)

Important: For sanitary and safety reasons, visitors will be required to wear a mask.

Skip the Line Louvre Walking Tour
Skip the Line: Louvre Museum Walking Tour including Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa - $65.52

Take a small group or a private (depending on the option you choose) walking tour of the Louvre Museum in Paris and jump the queue by booking ahead. This skip the line tour helps you explore the collection of paintings, sculpture, and architecture with an expert local guide. Numbers are limited to a maximum of 25 people on this small group walking tour, ensuring you'll receive personalized attention from your guide. Upgrade your ticket for a private tour exclusive to just your group.

This tour was specifically designed to highlight the most famous works of the Louvre Museum. Entering the Louvre through the original Medieval structure from the 12th century, join your guide on a journey from one breathtaking gallery to the next as you travel through time visiting works from 450 BCE through to the 1800s.

Louvre Private Guided Visit
Louvre Museum Private Guided Visit - $280.74

Discover the world's most famous museum on a skip-the-line private tour of the Louvre Museum in Paris. This is one of those sites that seldom need introductions – its fame precedes it, and we will show you why. With our guided visit, you are sure not only to skip the long waiting like but also that you won't miss any of the key works of art. 

Louvre Semi Private Tour
Louvre Museum Semi-Private Skip the Line Guided Tour - $103.23

Take a 3 hour small group tour of the Louvre and let your expert guide lead you to the most important and iconic artworks in the world’s largest museum. See the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace and much more. Groups of 6 people or fewer allow for an intimate and relaxed visit, ensuring you don’t miss any of the dazzling treasures housed in this incredible museum.

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