Guided tour of the Louvre Museum

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The Louvre is one of the top 10 sites visited in Paris with over 7 million visitors a year! So, you are probably looking for ways to maximize your time when visiting the museum.

There are several ways to see the museum:

There have been several questions posted on my most popular article about the Louvre asking about the guided tour.

A guided tour of the Louvre Museum is a great way to see the most popular works of art like Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and the famous statue of David. The tour also shows you the history of the museum including the original fortress. On top of that, its a quick history lesson on the evolution of art style and techniques. If you are rushed for time, I recommend it.

Here are a few things you need to know:

  • The guided tour is an additional cost to your admission ticket.
  • The guided tour can only be purchased at the Louvre on the day of your visit.
  • English language tour times are daily except on Tuesdays  (museum is closed) at 11am and 2pm. Group sizes are very limited so I recommend going to the museum when it first opens and then going immediately to the tour office (directions to find the office are listed below). If a guided tour ends up being in the afternoon and you don’t want to spend the entire day at the Louvre, your entrance ticket is good for reentry during the day you are visiting.

How to find the tour office:

  • Once you have entered the museum, go straight to the tour office.
  • Look for “Accueil Des Groups et Visites-Conferences” on the wall and turn left.

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  • Then, straight ahead you will see this sign and follow the arrow turning right.

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  • Just a few steps on your right, look for the door with this sign and go inside.

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The people there are very helpful and speak English but remember to greet with a “Bonjour Monsieur/Madame” first…trust me! If “Bonjour Monsieur/Madame” is all you have the courage to say in French, do it! The effort will make a world of difference in your visit to Paris. They will likely respond in English, they can spot us Americans a mile away. LOL! Simply let them know you want to purchase a guided tour ticket. They will let you know availability.

 

I hope you have a wonderful visit to the Louvre!

 

Bises (kisses),

Kimberly

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Covered Passages of Paris: Passage des Panaromas, Passage Jouffroy and Passage Verdeau

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The covered passage of Paris are a wonderful yet not talked about attraction of Paris. These Belle Epoque era walkways were constructed to keep the businessman and the well to do of Paris protected from the smells and grime of the streets. The passages not only were short cuts between parallel streets but provided eating and shopping establishments. Today, they serve a similar function but are open to the public and are a great way to explore another side of Paris especially if the weather is not so great.

In my last article, I showed you the first two passages, Galeries Vivienne and Passage Choiseul,  from the self guided tour I did. For this article, I will round out the rest of the tour with three more covered passages.
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Covered Passages of Paris: Galerie Vivienne and Passage Choiseul

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In my previous post, I shared a resource I used to tour the covered passages of Paris. I love the covered passages of Paris. They are like time machines back to the beautiful Belle Epoque era and are perfect for when the weather isn’t. Each passage has its own unique look and feel making them each fascinating to explore. This post will mostly be pictorial.

Let’s start with Galerie Vivienne, one of the most known and iconic of the passages.

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Entrance to Galerie Vivienne.

The first thing you will noticed is the beautiful tiled floor and the glass ceiling. Stunning.

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Galerie Vivienne passageway

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Exploring the covered passages of Paris

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Bonne Année! Happy New Year! Well 2016 was a doozy but here we are one week down in 2017 so let’s get right into it.

One thing of Paris that I think doesn’t get enough attention are covered passages of Paris. Now found only on the Right Bank, these Belle Epoque era walkways offer a glimpse of the past and provide some very unique shopping experiences.

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Glass ceiling

The covered passages, many with glass ceilings, were originally created as a way for Parisians to avoid bad weather (still true today) and the smell and grime of the streets (also somewhat true today). Just as in the past, the covered passages also provide a short cut between streets and some really fun window shopping. Only about 15 of the original 60 passages are left and each passage has its own character and are really fun to explore especially on rainy days.

When my friend and I set out to explore them, I printed out the super easy map from Smarter Paris. Smarter Paris does have an app but because the phone I was using was really old and didn’t have a SIM card (my new phone had had an unfortunate encounter with a bowl of water and was drying out), I printed out the map and followed it effortlessly. Passage des Princes was the only one we couldn’t find but I think that was due to the construction covering up some street names.

It takes about 3-4 hours depending on how often you stop to look and shop so definitely plan for half a day.

In the next several posts, I will be sharing photos of the covered passages we explored.

Bises (kisses),
Kimberly

The Paris Itinerary is growing to better help you check Paris off your bucket list.

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You probably have been wondering where The Paris Itinerary has been. It’s been crickets for awhile.

Well…The Paris Itinerary is expanding which is so exciting but with growth comes growing pains!

Part of this expansion includes some additional resources to help you better plan your trip to Paris! This includes some itinerary planning and webinars. Don’t worry, the blog will still be around but just not a dedicated weekly post.

As a big merci beaucoup (thank you) for being a loyal and valuable reader, all launches will be announced to my email subscribers first! If you happened to have just found The Paris Itinerary be sure to sign up as a subscriber and get the free video on what to pack and how to pack for Paris in the fall and winter all in a carry on bag!

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While The Paris Itinerary expands to better serve you, be sure to check out The Paris Itinerary Facebook page. There I share blog posts as well as great curated information from other sources. Don’t forget on Facebook, you have to like or comment on the posts to still see The Paris Itinerary on your Facebook feed even if you have liked the page. You can also set up a notification so you know when something new has posted.

Starting soon, The Paris Itinerary will be more regular on Pinterest. You can also find The Paris Itinerary on Instagram and Twitter so whichever social media channel you prefer, I will be there!

Now, I have a question for you. What do you want to see or learn more about that will help you check Paris off your bucket list?

Bises (kisses),