Art Lovers discussion

I am going to visit the Louvre this August and am looking for some guidance. I unfortunately only have one day and all the guide books say to have a good plan in mind before going. Anyone recommend an action plan?

Hi Melissa! I know there is a one-day-visit plan that covers works such as the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc. that are the most popular. I don't know if that is a 'planned tour' or if it is something my professor made up when I went ;) Maybe someone else knows?

I've never been, but will someday (soon -- I hope). You really have to look at a map of the museum and figure out how much time you will spend there. Here are sites with suggestions:

strategies for visiting the Louvre
http://www.epinions.com/review/trvl-D...

how to do the Louvre
http://www.hereorthere.com/members/ma...

http://www.viator.com/tours/Paris/Par...

http://gofrance.about.com/od/parisatt...

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/...

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/...

7 French Paintings you must see in Paris-
http://www.globeinnovator.com/2007/7-...

HAVE A GREAT TIME!

The Louvre has a personal gallery feature, I recently discovered, where you can log in and "collect" your favorites.

One of my favorite areas is the Delacroix's.

Thanks, Ed.

So I did it - I don't know how many hours I was there but it was not enough for me and at least an hour too long for my husband. What I did learn for anyone going is to look at the gallery feature online, download the floor plan and then I looked at the book "The Pocket Louvre" by Claude Mignot. While the book does NOT show every work in the museum it does show a lot of them and gives the gallery numbers. That way I was able to have an idea of the directions I wanted to go on the floor plan. All in all I saw everything that I know I wanted to see and was amazed by other work that I did not know about. The book itself is not pocket sized, so I actually did not physically bring it with me to Paris. It did come down to be planning my own tour, but with the size of the museum and the layout you really cannot just wander around. Anyone going definitely purchase the museum pass - we had NO LINE and it was a very rainy Sunday.

Great! I remember before they did the pyramid and connected everything up, if you took a wrong turn you'd end up having to walk across the a third of the museum. (It was designed as many palaces were so it was meant to confuse any armed group that tried to navigate it.)

It was so much better after that. I am so glad you enjoyed it!

Wow, Melissa, you must have had a great time. That is quite an undertaking to see the Louvre, how many hours were you there? I guess it would be different if you had a summer of touring around and could go at your leisure. What a neat experience!

I think we walked around for three hours in the museum, probably could have gone longer if we did not get hungry. Since we were in Paris for only 5 days and I also wanted to go to the d'Orsay I really could not pull my husband through the Louvre a second time. Honestly, after that I really am far happier at smaller museums. In fact I have been the the Phillips Collection twice in the last month and it is just a pleasant and relaxing experience. Not so say I don't think everyone should at least visit the Louvre once -

I agree. These enormous museums are awe-inspiring, but they can be exhausting and daunting. Soon I start zipping by masterpieces that should stop me in my tracks.

The Phillips Collection is a delight.

My brother went to Paris, but I don't know if he went to the Louvre, he did go to see Monet;s paintings in that awesome museum. I don't even know if he made it to Giverny. He enjoyed it immensely.

Ruth wrote: "I agree. These enormous museums are awe-inspiring, but they can be exhausting and daunting. Soon I start zipping by masterpieces that should stop me in my tracks...."

If you are ever in Venice and want a change of pace, and enjoy modern art, try the Guggenheim. It was Peggy Guggenheim's villa, and it is a museum on a modest and human scale.

In a more traditional vein, if you are ever in Bruges, try the Memling museum, a modest sized little museum filled with Northern Renaissance masterpieces.

I would love to see the Guggenheim. and Venice, that is absolutely the city I would love to see.

I've been to the Guggenheim villa in Venice, Ed, but it's was about 30 years ago. I once met Claire Falkenstein who designed that fabulous gate.


I've not been to Bruges, though. Sounds like a place I'd like to go, but I wonder if I'll ever go to Europe again.

Ah, Brugge. How I do love that city. And yes, the Memling is a lovely and nice sized museum, Ed. Ruth, if you do return to Europe, Brugges is a must but do try to hit it off season. Even we as foreign interlopers tried not to be there in the crush periods and grumbled about the "tourists". Spent many pleasant days there in our five years in Belgie.

And what an amazing gate. I'll have to explore further into this villa.

I agree, Dottie. That is and amazing gate. Just beautiful!

Clare Falkenstein was a sculptor who died a few years ago. I like her work a lot.

My friend Elise visited Bruge for the first time last summer and said it was just beautiful especially the canals and the medieval buildings. She loved it and said that she would return there. She did go to some art museums but I don't know which ones.
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Every summer she and her husband, Laurent, go to Paris (she used to live there during and after college) and she grew up in St. Petersburg where her dad was a diplomat. (I live vicariously through her travels. Someday we will travel.) This past summer they went to Split, Croatia (below) and Paris.
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I saw a crazy movie called "In Bruges" with Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoE9ed...

Never been (would love to go) to Venice & Paris. . . never left the US.

Love the gate Ruth!

My grandmother went to Belgium in the 60's or so. She was from Portugal, she went to all the European countries.