|
There are many fabulous pictures of The Louvre, but most people
find it recognisable by the large glass pyramid that is located in the central courtyard
and serves as the main entrance to this awe inspiring Paris
museum, but did you realise that designed by Pei, and commissioned by President
Francois Mitterrand, it was only actually built in 1989!
It is from this point that tourists can access different temporary displays, the
fascinating history of this world famous museum, along with the bookshop, Le Cafe Marly restaurant, etc, but also
outside there is an equestrian statue of King Louis XIV that constitutes the starting
point of an historical axis and yet the palace is not aligned on this axis as the main
entrance is in alignment with the Champs-Elysees
axis.
And apart from some very famous paintings like the Mona Lisa, even if you are not a fan of
art, you will still thoroughly enjoy your time at The
Louvre, as it houses some very impressive collections, which include Egyptian, Roman
and Greek artefacts, sculptures and other works of art dating back to the Middle Ages,
right through to around 1850.
Many people say that you need at least a day, or even more at The Louvre and this is so
true as only allocating a few hours does not do the place justice, but it is extremely
worthwhile obtaining a map of the place, as it is so vast you could end up missing
exhibits you specifically wanted to see, especially if you have time restraints on your
visit. Yet don't be concerned that the exhibits are not all on one level as there
are lifts which still make them accessible to wheelchair users.
However, it also gets extremely busy, especially on the first Sunday of the month when
this and many other museums in Paris are
completely free to enter, however, arriving early and making a bee-line for famous
exhibits like the Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa or Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, will
ensure you get a good view before they get too crowded!
Yet when you need a well earned rest or need to refuel your body, then there is an
enormous different choice of food on offer in the cafeterias and restaurants and incredibly, there are six
different cafes and restaurants to choose
from, that are open every day except for a Tuesday.
Another popular things to do whilst visiting The Louvre is to venture into the bookstore
that is open every day from 9.30am to 7pm and located in the Hall Napoleon under the glass
pyramid. Along with visitors guides available in more than ten different languages,
it also stocks the largest selection of books on art history
in France, plus has numerous other books, a children's section and even sells prints
made up from the museums collection, with absolute thousands to choose from.
Now we quickly mentioned visitors guides, and if you are not fluent in the French
language, then we would say that this is a must to fully appreciate the place, as many of
the exhibit descriptions are not in any other language bar French, although some items do
have an English description.
Alternatively, if you plan your visit to the Musee du Louvre in advance, you can have a
guided tour that lasts about 2 hours and takes you round the most well known exhibits,
which will then leave you free to wander around the rest of this museum at your own
leisure.
But whatever you decide to do whilst on your holidays in
France, The Louvre definitely lives up to its reputation as 'the' museum to visit when
in Paris and the plus side is that there will definitely be something of interest for
everyone including the children.
Just one last point we would like to make though, the museum itself is open from 9am to
6pm every day except for a Tuesday and on National holidays when it is closed all day, yet
they also do have a late night opening which is until 10pm on a Wednesday.
|
|
