The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre) in Paris is one of the world's largest and most renowned art museums. Located on the banks of the River Seine,...
Also Known As
Musée du Louvre
Founded On
1793
Founded By
King Philip II
ADDRESS
75001 Paris, France
RECOMMENDED DURATION
5 hours
Timings
Closed today
VISITORS PER YEAR
7500000
NUMBER OF ENTRANCES
4
EXPECTED WAIT TIME - STANDARD
2+ hours (Peak), 1-2 hours (Off Peak)
EXPECTED WAIT TIME - SKIP THE LINE
30-60 mins (Peak), 0-30 mins (Off Peak)
UNESCO YEAR
1991
Did you know?
The Louvre was originally built as a fortress to protect Paris from invaders over 800 years ago. It was later converted into a palace for the French monarchy.
During World War II, Jacques Jaujard hid over 4,000 works of art from the Louvre in a Loire Valley Château to protect them from the Nazis.
On 21 August 1911, Italian handyman Vincenzo Peruggia stole the masterpiece, Mona Lisa from the Louvre.
The massive collection of the world’s largest art gallery consists of over 35,000 artworks and it spans eight thematic departments. The vast collections include artworks and artifacts dating back centuries, representing almost 11,000 years of human history and culture. The museum’s permanent collection consists of great works of art by maestros like Leonardo Da Vinci, Delacroix, Rubens, and Vermeer, among others. It also houses Egyptian, Islamic, and Greco-Roman collections of art. The eight thematic departments of the Louvre are:
The most popular section of the Louvre Museum Paris, the painting department, exhibits more than 7,500 works of art. The department is further divided into schools of work based on regions such as French, Italian, German, Flemish, English, Dutch, and Scandinavian.
The Louvre's Egyptian collection is considered to be one of the most extensive in the world, housing over 50,000 pieces. It dives deep into the lives of the ancient Egyptians and includes artifacts from the Nile civilization (4,000 BC) to the 4th century AD.
The Louvre Paris's Department for Sculpture is rich with works created before 1850 that do not belong in the Etruscan, Greek, and Roman departments. It holds the largest collection of French sculptures in the world. Some of the notable works are Satan by Jean-Jacques Feuchère and Diana the Huntress by Jean-Antoine Houdon, among others.
This department is massive with 25 rooms dedicated to the exhibition of art and artifacts from early Near Eastern civilization. The department is divided into three geographic areas: the Levant, Mesopotamia (Iraq), and Persia (Iran).
The Louvre Museum's Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities department focuses on Mediterranean history from the Neolithic era to the 6th century. One of the oldest departments of the Louvre, a large part of the collection was inducted by the French royalty in the 16th century.
The Department of Islamic Arts at the Louvre is the newest section in the museum. Founded in 2003, the collection features 3,000 works from the Arabian Peninsula spanning the 7th to 19th centuries. Some important works showcased in this section are the Plate with Peacock, three pages of the Shahnameh, and the Barberini Vase.
The Department of Decorative Arts at the Louvre consists of artifacts, tapestries, ceramics, stained glass, and more from the Middle Ages to the mid-19th century. Some highlights of the department include the coronation crown of Louis XIV, Giambologna's bronze Nessus and Deianira, and Napoleon III's apartments.
This department houses the largest collection of drawings in the world with 1,40,000 pieces in the Louvre’s catalog. It is the least-known part of the museum as most of the works cannot be displayed due to the fragility of the drawings. The collection is organized into three sections: the core Cabinet du Roi, royal copper printing plates, and the donations of Edmond de Rothschild.
The Louvre's architectural grandeur is a blend of classical and modern design. The original medieval fortress is now hidden beneath the museum’s expansive Renaissance and Baroque wings. In 1989, the addition of the glass pyramid entrance by I. M. Pei marked a significant turning point in the museum’s history, blending contemporary design with historical architecture. The pyramid serves as a symbolic and literal gateway to the museum, drawing visitors into the museum's vast, interconnected galleries.
Over the years, the Louvre has undergone multiple renovations to accommodate its growing collection and to ensure that its historical and cultural significance is preserved for future generations.
The Louvre is an art museum and historic site in Paris. The museum, established in 1793, has an impressive collection of artwork and artifacts that trace 11,000 years of human civilization and culture.
There are reserved entry tickets to the Louvre that can be purchased online.
Yes, guided tours are available at the museum, and you will learn about lesser-known facts about the building and the artifacts.
Tickets cover admission to both the permanent collections and the temporary exhibitions of the Louvre.
Yes, children under 18 years of age can visit the museum free of cost.
Yes, photography is allowed. However, you are not allowed to use selfie sticks, flash or lighting.
The Louvre is open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm. The best time to visit the Louvre is Friday evenings when the museum is open until 9:45pm, and the crowd is comparatively less.
The Louvre is located at Rue de Rivoli, 75001 in Paris, France.
The Louvre Museum opened to the public on 10 August 1793, making the museum 229 years old.
With galleries spreading over 15 acres, and an impressive collection of 480,000 works of art, the Louvre in Paris is the largest museum in the world.
The Louvre collection includes over 480,000 artworks, of which 35,000 are on display across eight curatorial departments. These include sculptures, decorative objects, paintings, drawings, and archaeological finds.