Paris, France

Louvre MuseumThe pool folds the palace in half

The shallow pool lies still without a ripple; stone front and glass spire each take half, and the cloud walks through it, slower than in the sky.

In the centre of Paris, on the right bank of the Seine, the palace stretches west toward the gardens.

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PlaceParis, France

TypeArt museum

SuitsPainting and sculpture

PlanA full day

Stone wall and glass spire

Paris, France — Art museum.

Stand a while before going in.

The stone is warm yellow, storey after storey of windows and cornices, and you can count the levels wherever you walk. Under the colonnade there is shadow; people keep to the foot of the wall, their footsteps caught by the vault. Step into the inner court and the four sides are identical windows, leaving only paving and a few black iron lamp posts. Such a place suits slow movement — one layer, then the next.

The glass spire cuts the sky into pieces, the steel frame so thin it almost disappears. Wind ruffles the pool's surface a little and the reflection scatters, then closes again. Some crouch at the pool's edge to photograph; others walk straight down from the far end of the square. The longer you stand, the less you can tell whether old stone is pressing on new glass, or new glass is holding old stone up.

River-front facade — Long front along the river

The long hall with the glass roof

A long hall with a vaulted glass roof lets light fall across the whole. Both walls are covered with paintings, frame against frame, and people gather at the central display cases, voices kept low. The parquet floor echoes as you cross.

The square court and its lamp posts

Four stone buildings close around a square court, windows aligned row on row. Two black iron lamp posts stand near, and an arch shrinks to a small half-circle in the distance. Fine grass grows between the flagstones; the stone blocks by the wall are worn bright from being touched.

The gilded coffered dome

A pale-gold coffered dome divides into squares, a circular relief at the centre, pattern layered on pattern. The mouldings are fine; light grazes from the side and every rise and fall shows. Neck aches if you look up too long.

Route

A full day for Paris

Do not set it on arrival day; stay a night in Paris first, enter the museum the next morning, and walk back along the river at dusk.

A day that does not slip away

The Louvre is too large for one pass, so decide the few rooms that matter before you go.

Before you go

Pick a few departments; the whole collection cannot be seen in a day.

Morning

Enter early; the courtyards are calmer.

After

Walk back along the Seine at dusk.

Plan this into a Paris stay

Tell us the days in Paris and we can talk through how a day at the Louvre fits with the rest of the city.

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