Are you considering whether to join a Louvre Museum tour when you visit Paris?
For many visitors,
taking a guided tour is the best and most convenient way to experience the Louvre,
see its famous artworks like the Mona Lisa, and avoid the notoriously lengthy security lines, where wait times can reach four hours. In addition, it might be far more entertaining and educational than traveling alone.
Even if you’ve been to the Muse du Louvre (as it is known in French), experiencing it through the eyes of a knowledgeable guide can offer fresh perspectives and a more enriching experience.
With an average daily
attendance of over 31,000 people at the Louvre and over 40,000 on peak days, guided group tours offer a variety of advantages.
You receive
fast-track priority entry into the museum, the knowledge of someone who knows where the most famous works of art are and how to get you there quickly through the crowds of other visitors, and insights and interesting stories about the art that adds to the enjoyment of the entire experience. The majority of trips also allow you to keep exploring after the tour is over.
You can find advice
on how to pick the best Louvre tours, information on how the skip-the-line system operates, highlights of what you might see on a guided tour, and a few additional things to see and do in the museum and nearby Paris locations after your official tour concludes in this article.
Which Louvre tours should you choose, you might be wondering?
First, consider the kind of experience you hope to have throughout your tour.
Book a small group tour if you want to be able to hear your guide and potentially ask questions. Tour companies can bring in much larger groups by paying an additional fee, which is why you may occasionally see enormous groups of 25
or more people struggling to hear their guide through headsets, even though the Louvre typically restricts tour groups to just 6 people plus the guide in order to minimize disruption to other visitors.
Look for excursions featuring
“small group” in the tour description and verify the maximum group size to steer clear of this type of experience.
You should opt for a trip that allows free cancellation and full refunds up to 24 hours in advance if you’re not absolutely confident that your plans won’t alter.
the Skip-the-Line Access Private Guided Tour if you’d rather a private tour for just you and anybody you bring along. It matches
you up with a knowledgeable guide who will get you through the door quickly, show you well-known works of art and lesser-known treasures, and provide you with an outstanding experience while educating you about what you see.
Taking young children or teenagers to the Louvre? For families, there are private tours available.
family trip for up to four people costs only somewhat more per person than a small group tour, and you benefit from having a guide who is skilled at keeping
children interested in and fascinated by the art while providing an educational and soothing experience for the adults.
It is impossible to predict
exactly what you will encounter because there are so many different tour options for visiting the Louvre with a guide, but in general,
most group tours take you to see several of the most famous masterpieces, including the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci, Greek sculptures like the Venus de Milo and Winged Victory of Samothrace, and rooms with large French paintings like Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People.
You can also
go to the Pavillon de l’Horloge,
where you can see remnants of one or two other collections, including the Egyptian Galleries in the Sully Wing,
the French Royal Crown Jewels in the breathtaking Apollo Gallery, and perhaps Napoleon III’s opulent residences. Here, you can also see the museum’s medieval foundations and moat.
In conclusion, choose whether you want a large group (more than 6 people) or a small group.
where the tour guide sets the agenda, or a private tour, where the tour guide typically tailors the program to your interests? Do you want the option to reschedule or cancel with a full refund if necessary?
If at all possible, especially during the busy seasons, pick a less congested day. Tuesdays are the only days the Louvre is open; Mondays and Wednesdays are often the busiest workdays, with Saturdays and Sundays being considerably busier. Therefore, if at all feasible, plan your tour for a Thursday or Friday. However, if you are unable to, don’t panic; tour guides are skilled at avoiding crowds.
Go through these tips and you are golden. Take the Louvre Museum Tour and be prepared for an experience of a lifetime. Happy Journey!
