Louvre, Tuileries & Opéra

Carving its way through the city, Paris’ axe historique (historic axis) passes through the Tuileries gardens before reaching IM Pei’s glass pyramid at the entrance to Paris’ mightiest museum, the Louvre. Gourmet shops garland the Église de la Madeleine, while further north are the splendid Palais Garnier opera house and art nouveau department stores of the Grands Boulevards.

Thomas Roche/Getty Images ©

The Sights in a Day

MNavigating the labyrinthine Louvre takes a while, so it’s an ideal place to start your day. Other museums well worth a visit include the Musée de l’Orangerie, showcasing Monet’s enormous Water Lilies, and the Jeu de Paume photography museum, both enveloped by the elegant lawns, fountains and ponds of the Jardin des Tuileries.

RAfter visiting the Église de la Madeleine, deliberate over the eateries around place de la Madeleine. Go behind the scenes of the opulent Palais Garnier opera house. Then shop at the beautiful Galeries Lafayette and Le Printemps department stores and take in the free panoramas from their rooftops.

NOne of the hottest restaurants in this ’hood, Frenchie offers walk-in wine-bar dining. Afterwards, hit the dance floor of legendary house and techno venue Le Rex Club or catch a jazz session on rue des Lombards.

`1` Top Sights

Louvre

`l` Local Life

The Spirit of Les Halles

`x` Best of Paris

Getting There

m Metro The Louvre has two metro stations: Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7), and Louvre–Rivoli (line 1).

m Metro Châtelet–Les Halles is Paris’ main hub, with many metro and RER lines converging here.

f Boat The hop-on, hop-off Batobus stops outside the Louvre.

1

Top SightsLouvre

Few art galleries are as prized or daunting as the Musée du Louvre, Paris’ pièce de résistance that no first-time visitor to the city can resist. This is, after all, one of the world’s largest and most diverse museums. Showcasing 35,000 works of art, it would take nine months to glance at every piece, rendering advance planning essential.

The Louvre as seen from the Jardin des Tuileries | Julian Elliott Photography/Getty Images ©

MAP GOOGLE MAP
%01 40 20 53 17; www.louvre.fr; rue de Rivoli & quai des Tuileries, 1er; adult/child €15/free; h9am-6pm Mon, Thu, Sat & Sun, to 9.45pm Wed & Fri; mPalais Royal–Musée du Louvre

`y` Top Tips

AYou need to queue twice to get in: once for security and then again to buy tickets.

AThe longest queues are outside the Grande Pyramide; use the Carrousel du Louvre entrance (99 rue de Rivoli or direct from the metro) or the Porte de Lions entrance (closed Wednesday and Friday).

AA Paris Museum Pass or Paris City Passport gives you priority; buying tickets in advance (on the Louvre website) will also help expedite the process.

`5` Take a Break

Tickets to the Louvre are valid for the whole day, meaning you can nip out for lunch. For a quick and easy meal, grab a sandwich in the Hall Napoléon and picnic like a royal in the Jardin des Tuileries.
Alternatively, stroll five minutes to enjoy fine wine and cuisine at Racines 2 ( GOOGLE MAP ; %01 42 60 77 34; www.racinesparis.com; 39 rue de l’Arbre Sec, 1er; 2-/3-course lunch menu €28/32, mains €24-31; hnoon-2.30pm Mon-Fri, 7.30-10.30pm Mon-Sat; mLouvre Rivoli).

Palais du Louvre

The Louvre today rambles over four floors and through three wings: the Sully Wing creates the four sides of the Cour Carrée (literally ‘Square Courtyard’) at the eastern end of the complex; the Denon Wing stretches 800m along the Seine to the south; and the northern Richelieu Wing skirts rue de Rivoli. The building started life as a fortress built by Philippe-Auguste in the 12th century – medieval remnants are still visible on the Lower Ground Floor (Sully). In the 16th century it became a royal residence and after the Revolution, in 1793, it was turned into a national museum. Its booty was no more than 2500 paintings and objets d’art.

Over the centuries French governments amassed the paintings, sculptures and artefacts displayed today. The ‘Grand Louvre’ project inaugurated by the late President Mitterrand in 1989 doubled the museum’s exhibition space, and both new and renovated galleries have since opened, including the state-of-the-art Islamic art galleries (Lower Ground Floor, Denon) in the stunningly restored Cour Visconti.

Priceless Antiquities

Whatever your plans are, don't rush by the Louvre's astonishing cache of treasures from antiquity: both Mesopotamia (ground floor, Richelieu) and Egypt (ground and 1st floors, Sully) are well represented, as seen in the Code of Hammurabi (Room 3, ground floor, Richelieu) and the Seated Scribe (Room 22, 1st floor, Sully). Room 12 (ground floor, Sackler Wing) holds impressive friezes and an enormous two-headed-bull column from the Darius Palace in ancient Iran, while an enormous seated statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II highlights the temple room (Room 12, Sully).

Also worth a look are the mosaics and figurines from the Byzantine empire (lower ground floor, Denon), and the Greek statuary collection, culminating with the world's most famous armless duo, the Venus de Milo (Room 16, ground floor, Sully) and the Winged Victory of Samothrace (top of Daru staircase, 1st floor, Denon).

Corridor leading to the Winged Victory of Samothrace | MATTHIEU ALEXANDRE/AFP/Getty Images ©

Mona Lisa

Easily the Louvre’s most admired work (and world’s most famous painting) is Leonardo da Vinci’s La Joconde (in French; La Gioconda in Italian), the lady with that enigmatic smile known as Mona Lisa (Room 6, 1st floor, Denon).

Mona (monna in Italian) is a contraction of madonna, and Gioconda is the feminine form of the surname Giocondo. Canadian scientists used infrared technology to peer through paint layers and confirm Mona Lisa’s identity as Lisa Gherardini (1479–1542?), wife of Florentine merchant Francesco de Giocondo. Scientists also discovered that her dress was covered in a transparent gauze veil typically worn in early 16th-century Italy by pregnant women or new mothers; it’s surmised that the work was painted to commemorate the birth of her second son around 1503, when she was aged about 24.

French & Italian Masterpieces

The 1st floor of the Denon Wing, where the Mona Lisa is found, is easily the most popular part of the Louvre – and with good reason. Rooms 75 through 77 are hung with monumental French paintings, many iconic: look for the Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon I (David), The Raft of the Medusa (Géricault) and Grande Odalisque (Ingres).

Rooms 1, 3, 5 and 8 are also must-visits. Filled with classic works by Renaissance masters – Raphael, Titian, Uccello, Botticini – this area culminates with the crowds around the Mona Lisa. But you'll find plenty else to contemplate, from Botticelli's graceful frescoes (Room 1) to the superbly detailed Wedding Feast at Cana (Room 6). On the ground floor of the Denon Wing, take time for the Italian sculptures, including Michelangelo’s The Dying Slave and Canova's Psyche and Cupid (Room 4).

Northern European Paintings

The 2nd floor of the Richelieu Wing, directly above the gilt and crystal of the Napoleon III Apartments (1st floor), allows for a quieter meander through the Louvre’s inspirational collection of Flemish and Dutch paintings spearheaded by works by Peter Paul Rubens and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Vermeer's The Lacemaker can be found in Room 38, while Room 31 is devoted chiefly to works by Rembrandt.

Louis XV's Crown

French kings wore their crowns only once – at their coronation. Lined with embroidered satin and topped with openwork arches and a fleur-de-lis, Louis XV’s 1722-crafted crown (Room 66, 1st floor, Denon) was originally adorned with pearls, sapphires, rubies, topazes, emeralds and diamonds.

Louvre Glass Pyramid

Almost as stunning as the masterpieces inside is the 21m-high glass pyramid designed by Chinese-born American architect IM Pei that bedecks the main entrance to the Louvre in a dazzling crown. Beneath Pei’s Grande Pyramide is the Hall Napoléon, the museum's main entrance area. To revel in another Pei pyramid of equally dramatic dimensions, head towards the Carrousel du Louvre ( GOOGLE MAP ; www.carrouseldulouvre.com; 99 rue de Rivoli, 1er; h8.30am-11pm, shops 10am-8pm; W; mPalais Royal–Musée du Louvre), a busy shopping mall that loops underground from the Grande Pyramide to the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel ( GOOGLE MAP ; place du Carrousel, 1er; mPalais Royal–Musée du Louvre) – its centrepiece is Pei’s Pyramide Inversée (inverted glass pyramid).

Trails & Tours

Self-guided thematic trails range from Louvre masterpieces and the art of eating to family-friendly topics. Download trail brochures in advance from the website. Another good option is to rent a Nintendo 3DS multimedia guide (adult/child €5/3; ID required). More formal, English-language guided tours (%01 40 20 51 77; adult/child €12/5; h11.30am & 2pm except 1st Sun of month) depart from the Hall Napoléon. Reserve a spot up to 14 days in advance or sign up on arrival at the museum.

Other Louvre Museums

A trio of privately administered collections – Applied Arts, Advertising and Fashion & Textiles – sit in the Rohan Wing of the vast Palais du Louvre. They are collectively known as the Musée des Arts Décoratifs ( GOOGLE MAP ; www.lesartsdecoratifs.fr; 107 rue de Rivoli, 1er; adult/child €11/free; h11am-6pm Tue-Sun, to 9pm Thu; mPalais Royal–Musée du Louvre); admission includes entry to all three. For an extra €2, you can scoop up a combo ticket that also includes the Musée Nissim de Camondo in the 8e.

The Arts Décoratifs (Applied Arts) section takes up the majority of the space and displays furniture, jewellery and such objets d’art as ceramics and glassware from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance through the art nouveau and art deco periods to modern times. Its collections span from Europe to East Asia.

On the other side of the building is the smaller Musée de la Publicité (Advertising Museum), which has some 100,000 posters in its collection dating as far back as the 13th century and innumerable promotional materials. Most of the space is given over to special exhibitions.

Haute couture (high fashion) creations by the likes of Chanel and Jean-Paul Gaultier can be ogled in the Musée de la Mode et du Textile (Museum of Fashion & Textiles), home to some 16,000 costumes from the 16th century to the present day. Items are only on display during regularly scheduled themed exhibitions.

Renovating the Louvre

In late 2014, the Louvre embarked on a 30-year renovation plan, with the aim of modernising the museum to make it more accessible. Phase 1 increased the number of main entrances to reduce security wait times (even still, buy tickets online or use the Paris Museum Pass; lines at the underground Carrousel du Louvre entrance are often shorter). It also revamped the central Hall Napoléon to vastly improve what was previously bewildering chaos. Important changes to come include increasing the number of English-language signs and artwork texts to aid navigation.

l

Local LifeThe Spirit of Les Halles

In 1137 Louis VI created halles (markets) for merchants who converged on the city centre to sell their wares, and for over 800 years they were, in the words of Émile Zola, the‘belly of Paris’. Although the wholesalers moved out to the suburb of Rungis in1971, the markets’ spirit lives on in legacies and local treasures here.

`1Cookware Shopping`

Paris’ professional chefs still come to this neighbourhood to stock up on knives, whisks, sieves,slicers, ladles, grinders,pastry moulds, pots, pans,chopping blocks, Champagne buckets, duck presses and more at venerable cookware shops, including the 1820-established E Dehillerin ( GOOGLE MAP ; www.e-dehillerin.fr; 18-20 rue Coquillière, 1er; h9am-12.30pm & 2-6pm Mon, 9am-6pm Tue-Sat; mLes Halles).

`2Cookbook Shopping`

There are more esteemed cookware shops on rue Montmartre, as well as Paris’ leading food bookshop Librairie Gourmande ( GOOGLE MAP ; www.librairie-gourmande.fr; 92 rue Montmartre, 1er; h11am-7pm Mon-Sat; mSentier) – a perfect place to pick up inspiration. All the classic texts are here, along with cutting-edge collections and cocktail recipe books.

`3Oyster Market Legacy`

A splinter of the historic halles, pedestrianised rue Montorgueil was its oyster market. The remaining legacy of its original incarnation is the19th-century timber-lined restaurant Au Rocher de Cancale ( GOOGLE MAP ; %01 42 33 50 29; 78 rue Montorgueil, 2e; dozen oysters €19, seafood platter €30; h8am-2am; mSentier, Les Halles). At this memorable restaurant, virtually unchanged, you can feast on oysters and seafood from Cancale (Brittany).

`4Picturesque Patisserie`

Opened in 1730 the beautiful pastel murals at Stohrer ( GOOGLE MAP ; www.stohrer.fr; 51 rue Montorgueil, 2e; h7.30am-8.30pm; mÉtienne Marcel, Sentier) were added in 1864 by Paul Baudry, who also decorated the Palais Garnier’s Grand Foyer. Specialities invented here include baba au rhum (rum-drenched brioche) and puit d’amour (creamfilled,caramel-topped puff pastry).

`5Gourmet Goods Shopping`

If the foie gras, truffles, caviar and other delicacies at the 1894 épicerie (specialist grocer) Comptoir de la Gastronomie ( GOOGLE MAP ; %01 42 33 31 32; www.comptoirdelagastronomie.com; 34 rue Montmartre, 1er; h6am-8pm Mon-Sat; mLes Halles) tantalise, you can enjoy them at its adjacent restaurant.

`6Apéro at Le Cochon à l’Oreille`

A Parisian jewel, the heritage-listed hole-in-the-wall Le Cochon à l’Oreille ( GOOGLE MAP ; %01 42 36 07 56; 15 rue Montmartre, 1er; 2-course lunch €17, 3-course dinner €32; h10am-2am Tue-Sat; mLes Halles) retains laid tiles from the 1890s, depicting vibrant market scenes of the old halles. Hours can vary.

`7Late-Night Dinner at Le Tambour`

Salvaged street furniture and old metro maps make the good-natured bistro and bar Le Tambour ( GOOGLE MAP ; %01 42 33 06 90; 41 rue Montmartre, 2e; h8.30am-6am; mÉtienne Marcel, Sentier) a shrine to the soul of Paris and a mecca for Parisian night owls, with food served until 3.30am or 4am.