Visiting the Louvre: Paris, France
- Jessica Jaye
- Sep 30
- 5 min read
If you haven’t heard of the Louvre, it’s apparently one of the most famous museums in the world. Home to the Mona Lisa and known for its extensive and rich art collection, this is a place that many art appreciators and tourists put on their bucket list of things to do when they visit Paris. On a recent date with Neil, we decided to give it a go. Here’s an account of our experience there.
Getting in the door
I definitely recommend buying your tickets in advance. Regardless of whether or not you have a ticket, everyone has to wait outside in a nice, long, line to do a security check. The admission price at the time of this post (September 2025) is quite reasonable at €22. For the world’s most famous museum, that’s pretty good. Children under the age of 18 are free and don’t need a ticket. If you’re under 26 years old and a resident of the EEA, you are free and don’t need a ticket (Note: Most international students count as residents). So after waiting a while to go through security and then waiting a while to use the toilet and then waiting a while to get our tickets, Neil and I were finally granted access to the cooler parts of the museum.
First Impression
It’s crowded here. There was a QR code for the map, but it wouldn’t load. We were essentially just beep bopping around. Honestly, we should’ve come better prepared. Regardless, with our tickets in hand, we went up an escalator and down a corridor. We didn’t know where we were going, but it was completely packed.
The Denon Wing
The Louvre has collections displayed on 5 levels in 3 interconnected wings. How are these wings connected? I don’t know. The Denon Wing seems to be the biggest. It includes sculptures, paintings, art, and antiques from all over the world.
The first hall we wandered into was of sculptures. We admired the pieces and noticed the different materials that were used. Also, we read the stories that inspired the pieces. One of my favorites was Hermes with his great wings extended wide. He was flying down and holding Aphrodite in his arms. The wings are what got me.
After that, we went up an elevator to land in a great hall with paintings lining the walls and an immaculately decorated ceiling. Both of our heads flew back as we appreciated the grandness of the space. This section of the museum had French, Spanish, and Italian paintings from various times in history. Most of them depicted war, wealth, or religion but some of them showed nature and life’s simpler moments.
Turning left, we happened upon the Mona Lisa. “I heard a story that her smile is an expression of mixed emotions. Both joy and grief. Apparently, she’d just given birth to a new baby when the painting was made, but lost a baby before that one.”
“Huh, I never heard that…” Neil replied, looking at another piece.
The funny thing is that neither of us cared to see the Mona Lisa, but we ended up in her presence anyway. We passed the famous painting with her privacy screens and many admirers. Turning into a hall of Italian paintings with squeaky floors and moving towards some Islamic artifacts, I felt my enthusiasm wearing thin. There were multiple occasions when someone walked into me while I was standing still. Also, I backed into a few strangers a time or two. The numbers and noise were overwhelming even if the art was incredible.
The Richelieu Wing
“Just 20 minutes…” I said to Neil as we were walking towards the exit. We stopped to consider going up another escalator leading to a mysterious corridor. He was hesitant because we were both tired and a little hungry. The Denon Wing was interesting, but it didn’t leave me feeling satisfied.
“Okay! 20 minutes,” he said with an enthusiastic step in the direction of the Richelieu Wing.
“At best, we see something awesome and stay until closing. At worst, there’s an agreed upon escape plan.”
It was awesome.
Guided by Neil’s interest in seeing more sculptures, we stepped into a gallery with tall glass, ceilings, and bountiful natural light. The cream brick walls and white stone floors matched with the occasional potted tree created an awe-inspiring effect on us. Immediately, our energy lifted. There wasn’t as much of a crowd in this wing, either.
We explored the sculptures and moved on to appreciate paintings and antiques mostly from France and other parts of Europe. The ceilings were phenomenal! We spent a lot of time looking up and noticing the differences between one room and the next.
Inspired by the art, we fell into a conversation about happiness and suffering. Did people from the past suffer more than modern day people? I argued that perhaps not. Even though people of the past had shorter life-spans and struggled to meet basic needs, I argued that they didn’t have as many expectations about life. Perhaps, possibly, that perspective led them to experience more feelings of satisfaction because they accepted their conditions without expecting them to change.
After doing a tour of the Richelieu Wing, it was closing time. We left feeling much more satisfied with our experience and were excited to go find some food.
The Sully Wing
Maybe we walked through this one? I’m honestly not sure. Check the map for more information.
Food in the Louvre
There were some restaurants and cafes in the Louvre; however, the cafes had long lines and when we wanted to eat, the restaurants had already stopped serving food.
Lasting Impression
I want to go again. The Louvre isn’t a place you could see all in one day unless you actually spend the entire day there. Now that I know what to expect, I’d be happy to see more of what the museum has to offer. In general, I get the sense that there’s much to be discovered. I’d be happy to return with more purpose and intention. Maybe walk in with a question or focus my attention on a specific style or time period. Mmm, yeah, très cool.
Alright reader, that’s all for now. As always, thank you for reading and if you feel like you’re getting value from my content, please consider offering a small donation at Buy Me a Coffee or consider subscribing for more, exclusive, content! Thank you for your love and support!
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