Gods, Pharaohs & the Afterlife
Death, rebirth, divine kingship and the invisible world beyond, a thematic journey into the beliefs that shaped Egypt.
Ancient Egypt is far more than tombs and mummies, though those are part of its spell. It was a civilisation where daily life, the gods, magic and the rituals of death were all woven together, and this tour follows those threads wherever they lead.
Moving by theme rather than by date lets us range freely across periods and objects, following the thread of belief. The result feels remarkably coherent, and shows how deeply interconnected Egyptian culture truly was.
What you will see
We move by theme rather than by date, exploring the great questions that shaped Egyptian life: daily life along the Nile, death and the funerary rites, magic and the central role of religion, the temples, and the gods themselves. Drawing on one of the finest Egyptian collections outside Cairo, objects from very different eras speak to one another along the way.
It suits visitors who want the meaning behind the imagery rather than a timeline, and it is the Egyptian tour we most often suggest for families: the mummies, the scarabs, the animal gods and the sheer strangeness of it all tend to capture children completely. If a particular theme or object draws you, mention it when you enquire.
Life · the gods · magic · the afterlife
Pépin's advice
Let the strangeness in. This tour rewards an open mind more than prior knowledge. The Egyptian view of death is alien and beautiful, and meeting it fresh is half the pleasure.
Ask about the symbols. Egyptian art is a language of signs. The more you ask what a gesture or object means, the more the galleries begin to read like text.
Good to know
The Louvre does not open every gallery every day. The museum is closed on Tuesdays, and the rooms for this tour also rest on Fridays. Any other day works well, which is why we steer your visit there. Very occasionally a room opens late, or not at all, for operational reasons the museum does not announce in advance. If that happens it is beyond anyone's control, and we simply turn to another part of the collection so your time is never lost. With more than thirty-five thousand works on display, the Louvre is never short of something remarkable, and a private guide can reshape the visit on the spot in a way a fixed group tour never could.
