Today's guest blog post is from Paris guide, extraordinaire, Laurent Guariglia. He can be contacted at laurent.guariglia@free.fr.
Asking me to describe (in 500 words, no less) the top 5 things to see in the Louvre is almost like asking me to describe my 5 favorite pages in the 4,300 pages of the monumental book, In Search of Lost Time by Proust.
But OK, then :
First thing to see at the Louvre is the pyramid of I.M.Pei and the structures underneath, especially that they are being remodelled at the moment (when the pyramid was inaugurated in 1989, the Louvre welcomed 4 million visitors a year, nowadays we nearly reach 10 million). It took me 2 years at first to cope with the pyramid because, like most, I didn’t get it but it was so well thought and it ages so well !
Second thing to see (if you’ve never seen it) is, you’ll never guess, Mona Lisa. Because it’s the most absolute must-see work of art in the whole wide world. You could survive not seeing her but your friends would consider you retarded if you didn’t take a look at her while you’re here. And the most incredible thing is to watch how crazy (and rude) her numerous fans are while fighting to get closer to her !
Third thing is the Venus de Milo. OK, I’m not being original here again but I can’t help it if the Louvre holds world famous masterpieces !
Fourth thing is the
Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo Gallery) which is located behind the Winged Victory (that I didn’t include in the top 5 because you will see anyway on the way to Mona). The Galerie d’Apollon was sort of the prototype for the Hall of mirrors at Versailles. Not only is it beautiful, it holds a lot of incredible precious objects which most belonged to Louis the 14th. It also displays the most sumptuous Crown Jewels still in our possession (when was the last time you saw a 140 carat diamond ?).
Fifth thing would be the Richelieu wing, the North wing remodelled by I.M. Pei because it’s unique and quiet (compared to the rest), because of the Marly and Puget courtyards where you see sculptures indoors as if they were outdoors, because of the Napoleon the third’s appartments which were incredibly preserved and the new furniture rooms not far from there (in the Sully wing though).
My best advice for the Louvre : join a guided tour for your first visit because the place is huge and intimidating. After you have seen all the most important/famous pieces (and learned about them), you will be ready to venture back on your own to discover more. Your ticket is valid all day !