Louvre Museum with Audio Guide

I loved my Louvre visit - my hands down favourite part of my Paris visit. My 9 a.m. tickets were booked online a week ahead. i arrived at 8:40 and there were maybe 100 people in line already with 9 am tickets. I (and others) basically ran to see the Mona Lisa first - arriving at 9:10. There is a queuing roped-off system in place. I took many closeup pics and then exited the area. After that point, I relaxed, backtracked and THOROUGHLY enjoyed the remainder of my three hour visit. People come in waves, so you can linger by your favourites as long as you want and get unobstructed pictures. From the The victory of Samothrace, try going left to the octagonal room (look at the ceiling for a male figure falling from the sky) and then the Apollo Gallery. The Regent diamond, the King's crown, the jewels and the ornate drinking goblets, etc. from the French kings were jaw dropping. The ceilings in this area - fabulous. My enjoyment of these areas was immense, I must have stayed for a good half hour in this gallery and really absorbed it. Now to the right of the Winged victory you come upon a long hallway the length of three football fields dedicated to the Renaissance. There are five Leonardo's in a line about 1/4 of the way down. Adored Raphael's La Belle Jardinière that barely anyone noticed. I enjoyed many paintings throughout the Denon wing. Later in the Sully wing Venus deMilo and Michelangelo's slaves were unbelievable. You cannot compare looking at pictures - to actually being there in person. I filled my memory bank. Gauge your need for a washroom or food break, because by 12 p.m. there are long lineups for both. Top tip: You will struggle greatly if you depend solely on paper maps to guide you - you need audio guide to give you a background on what you're looking at, and to direct you.  Otherwise, I would get lost in the gigantic museum.

Huge place worth the visit... a must when in Paris. Aside from world famous pieces (Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc) the museum showcases other less known but equally amazing masterpieces by Manet, Titian, Ingres... names I never really knew till this visit! Haha! Aside from classic Renaissance painting (all gorgeous they have to be seen to be believed!). The museum facilities are also really world class. There are digital lockers in the cloakroom (free), audio guides (available in 9 languages) sponsored by Nintendo (with Switch console orientation) although I think their 3d and navigation maps can be improved, loads of benches and chairs for sitting inside the galleries, cafes and many toilets. They really designed it to accommodate the huge volume of tourists. PARISTICK did a great service for me ! I can totally recommend them to anyone. They are helpful, easy to contact, fast response and flexibility in dates, hours. They gave me what I wanted to have on my vacation: Time and experience! Thank you!

I've always loved art, even as a child, and the Louvre has been the #1 museum on my list to visit for so many years. Now, I can remove it from my bucket list because I made it to the Louvre and it was everything I imagined! It's large, crowded, filled with incredible art, you'll need months just to go through each gallery to fully appreciate the amazing works of art and objects here. I spent four hours here and I barely scraped the surface of what the Louvre has on offer. The audio guide is worth the euros and essential in providing context to the most famous works of art you'll see. Naturally, the showstopper is the Mona Lisa, which I made a beeline for the moment I entered the museum. I've read about the Mona Lisa since I was a kid and I wanted to see what the hype was all about. It's smaller than you think, demure and humble, just ignore the hundreds of gawkers (me included) gawping at it behind the barrier. Even if you're not an art lover, I think most people would enjoy spending a few hours at the Louvre, soaking up art, beauty and culture. You won't regret it.