Louvre Highlights
Two hours, the Louvre's greatest works, and the stories that make them unforgettable. The right introduction at the right pace.
Two hours is the sweet spot for a first visit. Long enough to do the collection justice, focused enough to leave with a real sense of what you saw rather than a blur of rooms.
The tour follows a clear, compelling thread. We move with purpose, never in a rush, and everything we stop in front of has something worth saying about it.
What you will see
We build around the three icons, the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory, and weave a broader story around them that brings the rest of the collection to life. Each visit holds its own surprises along the way.
Around them, the tour moves through the museum's principal departments: the Greek and Roman antiquities, where the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory belong; the Italian Renaissance painting that surrounds the Mona Lisa; and the great French canvases of the nineteenth century, history painting on a monumental scale. Three different worlds, and the thread that runs between them.
It is ideal for first-time visitors, couples, and families, and just as rewarding for those who have been before but never had a guide to make sense of it. If a particular work draws you, mention it when you enquire.
The icons · and the story around them
Pépin's advice
Two hours is plenty. Resist the urge to see everything. The pleasure of this tour is depth over distance, a handful of works understood properly rather than a hundred glimpsed.
Come with questions. The visit bends easily toward what interests you. The more you ask, the more it becomes your tour rather than a script.
Good to know
The Louvre does not open every gallery every day. The museum is closed on Tuesdays, which is the only day this tour cannot run. Any other day works well. 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. The Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace remain on permanent display whenever the museum is open.
