Louvre

Ok, I%26#39;m torturing myself over how much time to allocate to visit the Louvre! Any advice?!

I definately am putting first preference to the paintings, but I also have an interest in Egyptian antiquities... haha...

Please help me!!! :P

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I have gone about 6 or 7 times, may be more,, and I love it.

I think the one comment I read on these boards quite often is %26quot; its just too big and too overwhelming%26quot; .

I think too many people rush in, and when they discover its so big, and they realize they can%26#39;t just see it all in one hour, they panic. They then decide to run from what many call %26quot; the big three%26quot; which I think includes the Venus,and the Mona Lisa , and in so many ways miss alot more then just seeing the art.

When I go to Paris , I allot at least one day and sometimes one evening visit to the Louvre. It is worth it. I see a bit, I sit in the cafe and have lunch, I go see some more.

Allot as much time as YOU want,, evenings are a bit quieter so if you get overwhelmed by crowds easily consider going later in day.

You can walk out in the day, have a bit of lunch and sun, and then go back in,, it doesn%26#39;t have to be the %26quot; Bataan Death March%26quot; .

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Agree with Joan1- and also have been many times.

How long you spend might depend on your personal interests, time in Paris, how crowded the museum is that day, etc. My %26quot;three big things%26quot; are Mona Lisa, Venus and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. I still go to see them (my own dear tradition)- then pick a wing that interests me. It%26#39;s perfectly acceptable to spend 2-3 hours, then walk over the Seine to Notre Dame and St Chapelle. No matter how much you see, there will still me more! With the Museum %26amp; Monuments Pass you can go back another day. Do not miss the Musee d%26#39;Orsay, which also requires a min of 2-3 hours- a delight.

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I agree w/ both of the above, I usually limit myself to 2-3 hours MAX in any museum. This has required me to return to the Louvre on many trips. Usually you can get a good view of either the Denon or Richelieu wings in 2-3 hours - by that time, you%26#39;re museumed-out.......

I usually see the Winged Nike, Venus de Milo, the Apollo Gallery, Grand Gallery and Salon d%26#39;Etat, the large Romantic paintings in the Denon wing. I also appreciate the Dutch Masters and Rubens Room in the Richelieu wing. Just like the rest of Paris, take the time to linger and appreciate what you like.

I haven%26#39;t seen the Egyptian collection at the Louvre - just another reason to go back!

The Orsay is pretty digestible in 2-3 hours and the cafe on the top floor is actually not as big of a tourist trap as you might expect - a nice break for a coffee or glass of wine and a light snack.

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I agree with the others. I do one set of galleries at a time - the Flemish or the Venetian or whatever. I usually go twice on a trip, so I get to compare two groups without spending a whole day at one time in the Museum.

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Thanks for the tips!

I%26#39;ve decided to go on my Friday there at around 3 or 4, then since its opened late I can stay there til 7 or 8 and then grab some dinner in the vicinity! Hopefully by 6 it might not be as crowded and might be able to actually SEE the Mona Lisa... haha...

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oh yes.. I saw the Mona Lisa... from one end of the line to the other... she was in fine form on the day and looked every bit as beautiful! I hope you get to spend as much time as you like in the Louvre - it is well worth the entrance fee... enjoy!

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My wife and I were there last Saturday and spent probably 7 hours there. You could easily spend a week there and still not see everything. We did manage to see most of the 17th, 18th and 19th Century French paintings, the Dutch and Flemish, the Italian and French sculptures, the ancient Egyptian and the Babylon exhibit. My advice is to skip the Babylon exhibit unless you speak French because it is only posted in French and they do not have an audioguide available in English for that exhibit. Also we did not think that the audioguides were worth it as there are so few pieces of art that have commentary. The museum is absolutely wonderful and my feet were sore and my mind was gone by the time we left. It is the most remarkable museum I have ever been in.

Snickerbilly

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Stop torturing yourself over time allotments. The Louvre is a fascinating place and you can get through it in a day or you can take a week. That is probably why you feel frustrated. we were there last summer - got there in the morning, spend the morning browsing, stopped for a bite of lunch and continued with our trusty map seeing the things of most importance to us and by the end of the day I was ready to leave. I probably would have been done earlier but my DH had more places he did not want to miss.

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Hey Steph:

Do like we do.

See just a little bit at a time, maybe 4-5 hours worth.

Then it will give you an excuse to come back to Paris to see more.

Doug :)

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Is the point to see a lot? To be able to say, oh, yes, I saw this, this, this at the Louvre? Or, to appreciate what you do see? To linger, ponder, fall a bit in love? At 20, the Mona Lisa was a nice painting. This trip, I could read more in her expression. I spent quite some time just looking at her smile. Same for the Dutch works- do you want to see them? Or, appreciate the amazing way these masters used light?

You will see many tourists taking photos and videos, then scurrying to the next wing to do the same. I wonder, when do they stop to get the point of the labor behind these works? So, whatever you do, allow it to reach your heart.