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Miss none of Louvre’s masterpieces | Top 3 Louvre guided tours

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A sprawling structure overlooking the Seine River, the Louvre is one of the most iconic landmarks of Paris. Known for its extraordinary collection of artworks, it is also one of the most visited museums in the world. No trip to Paris is complete without visiting the world’s largest art museum and marveling at the awe-inspiring art exhibits it hosts. What best way to discover this treasure trove than by indulging in a Louvre guided tour?

What are the advantages of Louvre Guided Tours?


louvre

As you consider all the activities in the city and plan your days of exploring, choosing a guided tour of the Louvre Museum is essential to ensure that you do not miss out on the icons that have made it the most popular museum in the world.

Enjoy Flexibility

One of the best features of guided tours is that you can choose one according to your own convenience. The museum opens to the public at 9 AM every day. Headout offers a variety of Louvre guided tours with different timings to suit your convenience. You also get to choose from different types of Louvre guided tours such as priority access tours, small group guided tours, skip-the-line tours, etc, allowing you to enjoy a largely personalized experience.

Make the Most of Your Trip

Just as it is one of the most popular museums of the world, it is also one of the largest. It roughly covers around 60,600 square meters and houses more than 35,000 artworks. The museum is divided into eight departments and displays sculptures and artefacts along with paintings. Navigating a museum of this size can be quite overwhelming, especially taking into consideration the large crowds on any given day. The best solution to this problem is opting for a Louvre guided tour where your professional guide will take care of everything.

Take Advantage of your Guide’s Expertise

Guided tours come with professional and experienced guides. They know everything, from the best route to take to the best ways to avoid the crowd. They also come with a wealth of interesting information regarding the attraction you are visiting, making your experience even more enjoyable. Therefore, if you are looking to make the most of your visit to the Louvre, your best bet is to choose a guided tour.

Enjoy a Hassle-free Experience

Other than making sure that your camera is charged, you have nothing else to worry about. From purchasing the tickets to navigating through the crowd, your guide will do all the hard work. They will also make sure that you get to see all the must-see works of art at Louvre. All you have to do is meet your guide at a pre-decided meeting point.

Enjoy an Immersive Experience

If you are looking for an immersive experience, you can choose to take part in a small group guided tour of the Louvre museum. As the name suggests, you will be part of a small group (usually ranging between 10-20), which ensures that you receive undivided attention from your guide. Your guide will answer all your questions, thus making your Louvre experience a fulfilling one.

Louvre Museum

What To Expect Inside Louvre Paris

Insider tips, tickets and practical information you should know before going to the Louvre.

The Best Of Louvre Guided Tours


We have compiled a list of the best Louvre guided tours to get you started. Depending on your budget, the time you are willing to spend and other factors, you can pick one that meets all your criteria.

Louvre Guided Tours: Which One Should I Choose?


Take a look at the important characteristics of each tour before deciding which one to take. Here's a list of all your Louvre Guided Tour choices, along with their major highlights.

1Guided Tour - Express (90 Min)

With over 38,000 pieces of art, you're ought to miss out on some of the few iconic ones! The Express Guided Tour covers all of the must-see sights of the world’s largest and most famous museum in 90 minutes. Led by an expert guide, you’ll learn about the history of the Louvre as you explore its iconic galleries, including the highly acclaimed Leonardo da Vinci exhibition. You’ll also get to see the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and many other world-famous artworks up close.

2Guided Tour - Comprehensive (3 hours)

For the ones who'd like to get a deeper understanding of the artifacts at the Louvre, this one's perfect! In this tour, you will be guided through all the sections of the Louvre by your tour guide. The guide will narrate to you all the details relevant to each section while highlighting the most notable pieces. See the beautiful Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory, the great French neoclassical paintings, and the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance. Discover hidden treasures as well as crowns studded with precious jewels, ancient Egyptian antiquities, sublime Greek statues, and much more.

Prado Museum

3An intimate Guided Tour

Taking a Guided Tour with a large group of people can often be distracting. It can also be difficult to hear the tour guide in many cases. With this small group tour, you can have a much more intimate experience.

Prado Museum
Alhambra Entrances - Alhambra Palace
Louvre Museum

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Louvre Guided Tour Deconstructed - Your Experience


Prado Museum



The Louvre houses a massive collection of artworks with so much to see. These are some of the major attractions your guide will take you through.

The Mona Lisa and Other Italian Renaissance Art Pieces

Your guide will take you through the Grand Galerie, filled with magnificent Italian Renaissance masterpieces by Titian, Raphael, da Vinci, and others. Some of the most breathtaking works will be highlighted during your journey to see Leonardo da Vinci's famous Mona Lisa in the Denon Wing. The Louvre contains the world's greatest collection of da Vinci paintings, and your guide will definitely highlight some along the route.

Greek Antiquities

You'll see the three most famous sculptures - Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss - as well as hear about myths and legends embodied in the art. Your guide will also tell you why Venus de Milo doesn't have arms in the sculpture.

Prado Museum

Egyptian Antiquities Gallery

The Egyptian Antiquities Gallery at the Louvre is home to some of the most iconic and well-preserved ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world. The collection includes monumental sculptures, reliefs, and paintings from the Old Kingdom through the Roman period. Highlights include the Great Sphinx of Tanis, the Temple of Dendur, and the Tomb of Ramses III. Visitors can learn about the history and culture of ancient Egypt through the Louvre's extensive collection of art and artifacts.

French Pantings Gallery

Located in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre, the French Paintings Gallery (Salle des États) is one of the largest and most important painting galleries in the world. It houses an extensive collection of French paintings from the 12th century to 1848, including works by some of the most renowned painters of all time such as Nicolas Poussin, Jacques-Louis David, and Eugène Delacroix.

Apollo Gallery

The Apollo Gallery is one of the most popular attractions at the Louvre. Located on the first floor of the museum, this gallery is home to some of the most famous paintings in the world. Artemisia Gentileschi's Judith Slaying Holofernes, for example, is a work that never fails to impress. The notable paintings in the Apollo Gallery include Nicolas Poussin's The Rape of the Sabine Women and Raphael's Portrait of Pope Julius II. With so many masterpieces on display, it is no wonder that the Apollo Gallery is one of the most popular attractions at the Louvre.

Are Louvre Guided Tours Worth It?


Short story - yes! Taking a guided tour of the Louvre with a historian guide allows an immersive experience of the museum. Understanding the history behind each work of art, having an expert to answer your questions and exploring the Louvre with like-minded people in your group heightens the beauty of your experience.

Having a guide also ensures you don't miss out on the best parts of the museum. Covering the Louvre in a day is practically impossible, but having a guide by your side ensures you're making the most of your day.

Louvre Guided Tour Essentials: Everything You Need To Know


Address:

Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, France

Opening Hours:

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Closed on Tuesdays
Closed on January 1, May 1, December 25

How to Reach:

By Metro
Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre station on Line 1 is the closest metro station to the museum.

By Bus
21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95

Entrances:

There are three entrances at Louvre that can be used to enter the museum:

Pyramid Entrance: This is the main entrance to the Louvre. You can enter after the mandatory security check. However, it should be noted that you can only gain entry if you have a pre-purchased ticket.

Richelieu Passage Entrance: This is the closest entrance to the Headout ticket redemption center.

Carrousel du Louvre entrance: Head over to the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel past the shopping center.

Visiting Louvre: Tips, Guidelines and More


  • Try to visit the museum at 9AM, right after it opens, when the crowd is the thinnest. If you can not make it so early, wait till around 3PM. The Louvre is most crowded at 1PM, around lunchtime.
  • One of the most popular museums in the world, the Louvre sees hundreds of visitors every day. One way to bypass the crowd is to purchase your tickets online. This will save you a lot of time.
  • Out of the three entrances, the Passage Richelieu entrance is the least crowded. It also features an escalator that directly takes you to the entry hall.
  • Those under the age of 18, 18-25-year-old residents of the EU, visitors with disabilities and the person accompanying them, and teachers of art & art history can avail free entrance to the museum.
  • On the first Saturday of each month, the Louvre museum is open until 9:45 PM. Admission to the museum is free from 6PM onwards.

FAQs


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