Why I Nurse a Rather Unpopular View of the Louvre Museum in Paris

The world’s most prolific museum can be intimidating – especially if you arrive under prepared.

My defining moment at the Louvre was at the museum’s most popular exhibit. Most visitors to the Louvre come back with tales about how they were spellbound by Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and how this one exhibit justified their visit to the world’s largest museum.

I felt differently. I had to elbow myself through scores of camera toting tourists who were more keen on snapping an image of the Mona Lisa instead of spending a few moments to take in the beauty of this art work. Somewhere behind all the cameras and bobbing heads was the Mona Lisa shielded by her bullet proof case and looking down on the crowds rather unimpressed. No, this wasn’t the peak tourist season (Summer) but a Sunday afternoon in October when the crowds were relatively thin.

The World’s Largest Art Collection

With over nine million visitors (that’s 30,000 per day), the Louvre is the world’s second busiest museum (Only Beijing’s Palace Museum attracts more visitors). Aside from the crowds, it’s the museum’s sheer size – over 650,000 sq ft (15 acres!) and spread over 300 rooms. It’s impossible to see all of the museum’s 35,000 plus artworks even if you spend a month in Paris. It’s this size that makes the Louvre intimidating at many levels. Where do you begin, how do you navigate (even Google Maps has its limitations!) and what do you see? It’s probably why the museum’s ‘must see’ exhibits like the Mona Lisa become a veritable madhouse. And yet it’s impossible to visit Paris and give the Louvre a miss. The Louvre began as a 12th Century Fort and then became a royal residence before being converted into a museum in 1793 in the wake of the French Revolution.

The Da Vinci Code Connection

The Louvre was already one of the world’s most visited museums before interest peaked after the release of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. The museum has created a 10-stop trail that takes visitors through the spots that were immortalised in the Da Vinci Code. This includes the Napoleon Room under the Pyramid, that was added in 1989 and which the book (incorrectly) claims has 666 panes of glass; that number is actually 673. I began my Louvre experience under the pyramid too; by sheer accident. It is the easiest way to beat the crowds – ride the metro and hop off at the Palais Royal-Musee du Louvre station.

Plan your visit

Don’t visit the Louvre if you can’t do your homework on the museum before you get there. The Museum’s website and App are quite informative but can be a tad complex to navigate just like the museum itself. Choosing the right time to visit is key; I arrived at 1:30 pm with over four hours to look around and it seemed like the perfect plan but for the crowds at a couple of the popular exhibits. The mornings are way busier. Also make sure you book your tickets prior to your arrival (on www.louvre.fr); the long lines can be frustrating. I didn’t use the museum’s Audio Guide and opted not to buy the audio guide option on the Louvre App. I’d recommend you do. A large number of the exhibits don’t have descriptors in English which I found quite odd given the large number of International tourists. Unless you have planned multiple visits, do you make a list of the Museum’s iconic exhibits and ensure you tick most of them off.

Make sure these exhibits are on your list:
1. The Mona Lisa (despite the crowds)
2. Four Seasons by Poussin
3. Van Eyck’s famous oil painting – The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin
4. The sensual Turkish Bath by the 19th Century artiste Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
5. The Venus de Milo sculpture that dates back to 100 BC
6. The Nike of Samothrace – my favourite sculpture at the Louvre that depicts the Greek goddess of victory
7. The Napoleon III apartments – I spent most time at this opulent section of the Louvre that is a throwback to the gilded age.

Don’t Rush Through it:

I did the Louvre in four hours and I was clear that I was only going to see the tip of the iceberg. Take your time and also take the odd break either at the large courtyard near the pyramid or at Le Café Richelieu, an oasis within the museum and home to Angelina, Paris’ famous gourmet institution. Angelina’s pastries have dessert porn stamped all over them but sipping their hot chocolate (L’ Africain) with views of the pyramid was probably one of the high points of my visit.

Good to Know:
The Louvre is shut on Tuesdays and has extended hours on Wednesdays and Fridays (up to 9:45 pm). The museum offers free entrance for all under 26-s, across nationalities after 6 pm on Fridays. Entrance is also free for all visitors on the first Sunday every month between October and March.

(Ashwin Rajagopalan enjoys communicating across boundaries in his three distinct roles as a widely published lifestyle writer, one of India’s only cross cultural trainers and a consultant for a global brand services firm. Ashwin writes extensively on travel, food, technology and trends)