Top art pieces in the Louvre

What masterpieces are in the Louvre? How can I find them in this huge palace? What do I need to see on my first visit? If you’re asking these questions, you clearly want your first trip to the Louvre to be as interesting as possible. We recommend downloading our audio guide for the Louvre, which will take you to all the best masterpieces and share stories and information about them. You can also buy Louvre tickets in advance using this link.

Attention! The Louvre box offices are no longer selling tickets to the museum. Almost all ticket offices are closed. Tickets are only sold online and are sold 1-2 weeks before your visit. You can buy tickets for the date of your choice here.

Tips for visiting the Louvre

1. The Louvre is huge, don’t expect to see everything at once. It is better to choose several sections that interest you.
2. Our audioguide is ideal for first-time visitors to the Louvre. Its route takes you through the most top exhibits. Download the audioguide app here.
3. Don’t get the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay mixed up. If you want to see the Impressionists, go to the Orsay (read about this museum here).
4. Choose tickets to the Louvre for the morning hours. There will be fewer visitors.
5. The Louvre is at the Palais Royal – Musee du Louvre metro station. You can enter the museum directly from the metro station.
6. On Friday, you can walk around the Louvre until 9:45 pm.
7. The Louvre is free to visit every first Saturday of the month, from 6:00 pm to 9:45 pm. Entrance is open only in the Denon and Suelles wings, but the Mona Lisa hangs there.
8. Many of the great masters can be seen at the Museum of Fine Arts in Petit Palais. Admission to this museum is always free.
9. After the Louvre, take a walk in the Tuileries Garden. The park is full of sculptures, same as is the museum.
10. Before you buy a ticket to the Louvre, see the offer Paris Passlib or Museum Pass. All the main museums and sightseeing tours in one tourist pass are very advantageous.

Mona Lisa

Undoubtably the main piece in the Louvre that everyone wants to see is Lisa del Giocondo, or the Mona Lisa, painted by Leonardo da Vinci. All the signs in the museum lead to this painting. Mona Lisa’s hall was bought by a Japanese TV channel, the Mona Lisa itself is covered in a thick layer of armor, and there are always two guards and a crowd of tourists around it. Remember, you can’t see the Mona Lisa anywhere else. The museum administration decided to not send the piece to other museums anymore.

The Mona Lisa is in the Denon part of the museum in the 7th Italian art hall. 

Venus de Milo

Aphrodite or Venus de Milo is no less famous than the Mona Lisa. The creator is thought to be Alexander of Antioch. She’s 164 cm tall and her measurements are 86 x 69 x 93. Venus’s famous arms were lost when she was found in 1820. There was a debate between the French who found the sculpture and the Turks who owned the island where the French found it.

Venus de Milo is in the Sully wing of the museum in the 16th hall of Greek, Etruscan and Roman art. 

Winged Victory of Samothrace

Another famous woman is the Winged Victory of Samothrace. This goddess of victory lost her head as well as arms. But her confident step and wings were preserved, as well as the feeling of flight.

This sculpture is on the second floor of the Denon wing of the museum, on the stairs between the entrance to the Italian art gallery and the Hall of Apollo. 

Dying slave

This statue from the Renaissance is the Dying Slave by Michelangelo. It may not be as famous as the David, but it’s still worth your attention.

It’s on the first floor, in the Denon wing, in the 4th Italian sculpture hall. You can also see Cupid and Psyche by Canova there. 

Ramesses II

More ancient art, with the statue of the sitting Ramesses II (temporarily located in the new Louvre in Abu Dhabi). The Louvre has one of the richest collections of Ancient Egypt in the world. For example, the famous statue of the seated scribe is in the same room.

The Ancient Egypt collection is on the first floor, in the Sully wing. 

Code of Hammurabi

The Louvre also has a great collection of monuments from Mesopotamia. The most famous among them is the Hammurabi Stele, which has the world’s first written code of laws.

It’s on the first floor, in the Richelle wing in the third hall. The neighboring halls house the famous Lamassus of Khorsabad Palace. 

French art

One of the most famous paintings is the Coronation of Napoleon I by the French painter Jacques-Louis David. No matter what you think of Napoleon, look at this painting.

It’s in the 75th hall of French art on the first floor in the Denon gallery.

You’ll also find other famous, monumental paintings: «Liberty leading the people» Eugene Delacroix, «The Death of Marat» Jacques-Louis David, «Raft of the Medusa» Theodore Gericault.

Lacemaker

«Lacemaker» is one of the most famous paintings by Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. The Louvre doesn’t have a large collection of Dutch paintings, but this one is simply wonderful.

It’s in the third floor of the Richelieu gallery in the 38th hall in Holland. 

Old Louvre

You can see the fortress part of the old Louvre by going through the Sully entrance and then down to the basement. The medieval Louvre was destroyed and rebuilt, but the remnants of the old palace were later found by archeologists, and can now be seen by tourists. It’s an amazing sight, this destroyed castle!

Napoleon III

You can’t go to the Louvre without seeing where the last emperor of France, Napoleon III, lived. As a ruler, he lived in a few rooms of the former palace and his rooms have been well preserved. Those rooms are in the Richelieu wing on the second floor. Then you can continue walking through the halls with art from the Empire.

And don't forget about our audio guide. We’ll show you all these pieces and more in just 2 hours.

» See more – Louvre audioguides in English

The Louvre is so large that you can just pass some pieces by without seeing them! This frequently happens with Italian paintings that are in the same room as the Mona Lisa or near it. For example, across from the Mona Lisa hangs the monumental painting «The Wedding at Cana» by Veronese, and to its sides there are pieces from Tintoretto and Titian. There are several of da Vinci’s painting in the Italian art section before the Mona Lisa. You can also find Raphael’s «Madonna» and several of Caravaggio’s paintings.

We have prepared a tour of the world’s most famous museum. You’ll be able to see all the main pieces in just two hours. You can learn about Leonardo da Vinci and Venus de Milo, Raphael and Michelangelo, all without getting too tired. How did Venus lose her arms, why does Libertie have her breast uncovered, what kind of complexes did Freud find in Leonardo, was Dan Brown right, and where in the museum can you hunt foxes? We will tell you the history of the Louvre and show you how the palace looked in the days of the monarchy. Do you just want a selfie with Mona Lisa, or do you want to learn some interesting history? Download it if you do!

Remember, you can get tickets with an audioguide by using this link, and so you don’t get lost you can order a tour here.

 

Enjoy your time at the Louvre!