The Louvre (Paris)

Situated in the heart of central Paris at the Palais du Louvre is the most famous art museum in the world. The Louvre is a must on virtually every Paris cheap city breaks itinerary, and requires at least a whole day to fully appreciate the scale and variety of artwork on display. Its most famous 'resident' is without doubt the endearing Mona Lisa, but this is just one of over 400,000 pieces of artwork that span every conceivable school of art. Its eight major galleries display sculptures, objets d'art, paintings, drawings, and archaeological artefacts and has one of the world's finest collections of Islamic and Egyptian artwork. Other notable works include the iconic Venus de Milo.

 

Attracting over eight million visitors a year, long queues are inevitable during the peak tourist season. Cheap weekend breaks in Paris can even see it all for free on the first Sunday of each month and enjoy discounted admission prices on Friday evenings. If time is limited and you do not have the luxury of a whole day or more to explore, an introductory guided tour offers a bite sized journey through the history of art. For art lovers with a particular interest, there are thematic guided and audio tours covering in depth artworks from the Renaissance, Flemish Old Masters, Expressionism or Asian art treasures.

 

In addition to numerous temporary exhibitions at any given time, The Louvre has a comprehensive program of lectures, workshops and art classes with some designed especially for young children. The Louvre is best experienced in a leisurely way during short breaks in Paris. There are always surprises around each corner whatever your personal interest in art is and even at busy times it is still possible to escape the huge crowds transfixed by the Mona Lisa and its many other world famous exhibits. The Palais du Louvre itself is a work of art; it still contains some of its early medieval period features but is essentially a fine example of French Renaissance style architecture.