A Paris-based art lover offers advice on how to explore the world’s greatest museum.
Chris Sorensen/Gallery Stock
How do you fall in love with the Louvre?
The biggest, grandest, most visited public repository of art in the world, it demands our attention.
I. M. Pei’s pyramid entrance, at the center of the Louvre’s courtyard.Credit:Chris Sorensen/Gallery Stock
Like an evasive paramour, the Louvre may not always seem to be interested in a relationship.
I remember nothing about the first time I visitedthe Louvre, the summer after my junior year in college.
But even she remembers nothing about the very first time she visited the Louvre.
Les Salles Rouge, home to the Louvre’s collection of 19th-century French paintings.Chris Sorensen/Gallery Stock
I cannot really pin the moment, she says.
I was not a great museum-goer when I was a kid."
No one can possibly claim to be a specialist of the Louvre.
Des Cars calls it a large, jumbled encyclopedia.
I had to don the mantle of Loyrettes humility.
I had to wander and get lost and forget about time.
And so, over time and long acquaintance, the Louvre has pulled me into its grasp.
Somewhere along the way, I fell in love.
It can take forever to get in.
It took him more than three hours to enter.
Its not nearly that bad today, but still not good enough.
Sometimes going at lunchtime or at the end of the day works better.
Joining an organized group visit or hiring a private guide can help avoid the lines.
And dont count on eating when you get inside.
The food stations are crowded, and the fare is mediocre.
Its best to arrive at the Louvre straight from a cafe.
My favorite spot is Le Nemours, a three-minute walk from the museum on the Place Colette.
No one at Le Nemours would mind if you ordered just onechocolat chaudand sat there for five hours.
But hot chocolate is not your goal.
So fortify yourself with a traditional, correctly toasted croque monsieur and head toward the museum.
Once inside, you ride down escalators into an open circular space with the feel of an airport terminal.
You hear the noise of the crowd before you see it.
The signs warning visitors to look out for pickpockets are unnerving but necessary.
Your visit hasnt even started, but you already feel disoriented.
Most of the explanatory labels near each work of art are brief and written only in French.
The official foldout map, showing locations of the exhibits, seems designed to confuse.
But dont let the Louvres imperfect welcome discourage you.
Youre here to see great art.
Youve paid admission to get in, and the temptation is to get your moneys worth.
Ninety minutes to two hours is what most people can manage in one go.
For the slippery stone, especially the marble stairs, I would stick with your most structured running shoes.
To minimize distractions, avoid Mondays.
Avoid Wednesday afternoon, because French children have no school, freeing throngs of families for museum-going.
If you are determined to see certain artworks, reading up in advance offers some help.
There are thousands of guidebooks.
We take a breath here.
Then comes a right turn through the juncture of the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan collections.
First, we revel in the beauty of the goddess of victory.
Then we proceed to the left into the razzle-dazzle Apollo Gallery, where the crown jewels are displayed.
After weve been blinded by Frances royal heritageor whats left of itwe U-turn and return to the Winged Victory.
This time we take a right, pausing as we encounter BotticellisVenus.
(There are quiet places to sit near the windows that look out to the floor below.)
We dont miss the four Leonardos!
Hardly anyone looks at them, but we do!
Now for my dirty little secret about how to conquer the Louvre stress-free.
Or apply in person at the Amis du Louvre office inside the Louvre.
It is the best cultural deal in Paris.
Launch anoperation seductionon the staff.
Instead, be extremely nice to all the employeessay Bonjour to all the security guards.
If you treat a French person with kindness, all the doors will open for you.
Just say to yourself over and over, I am in Paris.
I am in the Louvre.
