The Louvre
The Louvre is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Paris audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~180 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type museum
- Suggested visit ~180 min
- Paris Paris guide
About The Louvre
The world's largest and most-visited art museum, home to the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and over 35,000 works spanning 9,000 years of civilisation.
The Louvre is the world's largest art museum and, with nearly ten million visitors a year, the most visited. Housed in a vast palace on the banks of the Seine, it occupies 72,735 square metres of gallery space spread across eight departments, from Ancient Egypt to 19th-century European paintings. The collection numbers over 480,000 objects, of which some 35,000 are on permanent display.
The Louvre began as a medieval fortress built by Philip II around 1190, later transformed into a royal palace in the 16th century by Francis I, who invited Leonardo da Vinci to France. It became a public museum during the French Revolution in 1793. The celebrated glass pyramid entrance, designed by American architect I. M. Pei, was added controversially in 1989, now universally loved. Its three most treasured works, the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory of Samothrace, each alone merit the visit. Allow at least three hours, though a lifetime would barely scratch the surface.
Did you know? The Louvre's galleries stretch nearly 13 kilometres, if you spent 30 seconds looking at each artwork on display, it would take around 100 days to see everything.
How long should you spend at The Louvre?
Plan about ~180 min at The Louvre. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is The Louvre worth visiting?
The Louvre is one of the 44 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Paris, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Paris
Hear the story of The Louvre
Preview the Paris tour free in the Gingerguide app.