Point of interest
Musée du Louvre
in Paris, France
The world's largest art museum, home to the Mona Lisa and the glass pyramid in its courtyard. Set aside time and book online to skip the queues.
Where it is
The Louvre sits in the 1st arrondissement on the Right Bank of the Seine, between the Tuileries Garden and the church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois.
Address: Pont du Carrousel, 75001 Paris
What it is
The world's most-visited museum, the Louvre displays around 35,000 works, including the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Its collections span antiquity to the mid-19th century. Given its sheer scale, it pays to pick a few galleries in advance.
History
Originally a fortress from the late 12th century, the Louvre was expanded over the centuries into a royal palace and opened as a public museum in 1793 during the French Revolution. I. M. Pei's glass pyramid in the main courtyard was inaugurated in 1989 as the new main entrance.