The Louvre is the world's most impressive and extensive art collection, with over 500,000 works of art, and a visit can be a little overwhelming.  Your expert guide will help you navigate the Louvre and take you to see the artwork that you want to see most - whether it's the main highlights, the hidden treasures, or a mixture of both, this is entirely up to you. 

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We'll start the tour outside the museum in front of the Pyramid, in the courtyard called the Cour Napoléon, where you'll learn about the history of the Louvre and how it  transitioned from royal palace to national museum, collecting thousands of works of art along the way.  Just before heading to the museum entrance, we'll slip into the Cour Carré, a quiet hidden corner of the Louvre and well-kept secret, and catch a peak at the view onto the famous Pont des arts, that crosses over the Seine onto the Left Bank.

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Inside the Louvre, we'll start with the highlights and plan our time to be sure to see exactly what interests you and your group most.  Every tour is personalized and so each one is slightly different - but we might start with ancient Greek and Roman art, and see the incredible Winged Victory and Venus de Milo, both from ancient Greek times.  After seeing the ancient art, we might move onto the Italian Renaissance, and see Botticelli's wall frescoes, Raphael's famous paintings of Madonnas, and of course, the Mona Lisa - being sure not to miss Leonardo's other paintings on the way there. 

 

From here, we might move on to French painting, and admire David's monumental painting of Napoleon's coronation, or Delacroix painting of Liberty Guidig the People.  We might also see Italian Renaissance sculpture, including Michelangelo's Slaves, or wander into more hidden parts of the museum to admire Vermeer's Lacemaker, the Medici Gallery by Rubens, or the French Renaissance portraits of King Francis I and his court.

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At each step of the way, your art historian guide will weave the stories of the art into a narrative about the history of each art period, the artists and the patrons that made it all, and what it all means in the larger picture of French culture and world history.

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​After our visit to the Louvre, we will take a short break to take everything in and refresh ourselves with a coffee, a French pastry or a fresh drink, and continue onto the beautiful Tuileries Gardens just outside., Here, we'll stroll through the beautifully-curated French gardens, originally designed by André Le Nôtre, of Versailles fame, and admire the views looking over the Seine and the iconic Parisian mansions.  We'll continue to the Place de la Concorde, one of Paris' most iconic round-abouts, with beautiful views onto the Eiffel Tower, the Champ-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe off in the distance.

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This is where we'll end our tour, leaving with you with a fresh new understanding of the Louvre, the artwork, and how it all weaves together into Parisian culture today.

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Please note that all our tours are private and can be customized to include the sights that you prefer.  In the event of rainy weather, we can replace the garden portion of the tour with other options, according to your preferences.  

 

Family-Friendly Tour :

For families with small children, the visit inside the Louvre may be shortened to accommodate the children's energy level (2 - 2.5 hours), and will include special activities for kids, allowing time for breaks and exploration as needed.  Please check the "Family-friendly" box at checkout to let us know, and your expert will come prepared with special activities and tools perfect for kids.